Sayyid al-Istighfar (The Master Supplication for Forgiveness)
The supreme pinnacle of asking for forgiveness taught by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It establishes pure monotheism, acknowledges servantship, confesses divine favors, and humbles oneself with total admission of shortcoming.
اللَّهُمَّ 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 أَنْتَ
Allāhumma anta Rabbī lā ilāha illā anta, khalaqtanī wa-anā ‘abduka, wa-anā ‘alā ‘ahdika wa-wa‘dika ma-staṭa‘tu, a‘ūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣana‘tu, abū’u laka bi-ni‘matika ‘alayya, wa-abū’u laka bi-dhanbī fa-ghfir lī fa-innahu lā yaghfiru l-dhunūba illā anta
Translation & Meaning
Interactive Word-by-Word Lexical Breakdown
Recommended Repetitions: 1 time
Every morning after Fajr and every evening after Asr/Maghrib
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim highlighted that this Dua combines five essential pillars of repentance: Tawhid (Oneness of Allah), Uboodiyyah (servitude), recognition of divine covenants, profound gratitude for blessings, and sincere repentance for flaws. The phrase "Abū’u" (أَبُوءُ) indicates returning to Allah with utter honesty, holding divine grace on one shoulder and human deficiency on the other.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever recites it during the day with firm faith and dies before evening will be among the people of Paradise; and whoever recites it at night with firm faith and dies before morning will be among the people of Paradise." (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306).
Authentic Citations & Cross-References
More Duas in Forgiveness & Tawbah
Dua in Sajdah for Total Forgiveness (Minor, Major, Past, and Future)
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي كُلَّهُ: دِقَّهُ وَجِلَّهُ، وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ، وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّهُ
Rabbi Inni Zalamtu Nafsi (Dua of Prophet Musa for Instant Forgiveness)
رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ