Duas for forgiveness: Sayyid al-Istighfar from Sahih al-Bukhari, the dua of Sayyiduna Adam from the Quran, a dua taught to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and daily istighfar, in Arabic, transliteration and English.
Sayyid al-Istighfar: the master dua of forgiveness
Morning and eveningاللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَAllahumma anta rabbi la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduk, wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa‘dika mastata‘t, a‘udhu bika min sharri ma sana‘t, abu’u laka bi-ni‘matika ‘alayya, wa abu’u laka bi-dhanbi, faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa ant.O Allah, You are my Lord; there is none worthy of worship except You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I keep Your covenant and promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me and I acknowledge my sins, so forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.Sahih al-Bukhari 6306, narrated by Shaddad ibn Aws: whoever says it with conviction in the day and dies before evening, or at night and dies before morning, will be among the people of Paradise.
The dua of Sayyiduna Adam and Sayyidatuna Hawwa
Dua of Adamرَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَRabbana zalamna anfusana wa in lam taghfir lana wa tarhamna lanakunanna minal-khasirin.O our Lord, we have done ill to ourselves; so if You do not forgive us and do not have mercy on us, we shall surely be among the losers.Quran, Al-A'raf 7:23. English meaning based on Kanz-ul-Iman (Imam Ahmad Raza Khan).
A dua for forgiveness taught to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr
From the Sunnahاللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ، وَارْحَمْنِي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُAllahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathiran wa la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa anta, faghfir li maghfiratan min ‘indika warhamni, innaka antal-Ghafurur-Rahim.O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly and none forgives sins but You, so forgive me with forgiveness from You and have mercy on me. You are the Forgiving, the Merciful.Sahih al-Bukhari 834
Istighfar for every day
Every dayأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِAstaghfirullaha wa atubu ilaih.I seek Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance.The Prophet ﷺ said: “By Allah, I seek Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307), and “I turn to Him a hundred times a day” (Sahih Muslim 2702).
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dua for forgiveness?
The Prophet ﷺ called it Sayyid al-Istighfar, “the master of seeking forgiveness” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306).
When should I recite Sayyid al-Istighfar?
In the day and at night: the hadith mentions reciting it in the day and dying before evening, or at night and dying before morning (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306).
How many times should I say astaghfirullah?
Often. The Prophet ﷺ sought forgiveness more than seventy times a day (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307), and said he turned to Allah a hundred times a day (Sahih Muslim 2702).
Sources
Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Quran text; English meaning based on Kanz-ul-Iman by Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, checked against the Kanz-ul-Iman text on dawateislami.net (Al-A‘raf 7:23).
Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 834, 6306 and 6307; Sahih Muslim 2702.
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