Sayyid al-Istighfār and other du‘ās for seeking forgiveness
Five du‘ās for seeking forgiveness, shown from the Sabīl library with their Arabic, meaning and source: Sayyid al-Istighfār, two short forms of istighfār, the du‘ā of Abū Bakr, and the du‘ā of Qur’ān 7:23.
Written by AI · scholarly review pending+
The words of this article were written by AI from the Sabīl library and its sources, and checked by AI against them. No scholar has reviewed it yet. The Arabic texts, their meanings and their sources are the library’s and the Qur’ān’s own, shown exactly as they stand there. For a ruling on your own circumstances, ask a qualified scholar.
Published 3 October 20267 min read
This page gathers five du‘ās for seeking forgiveness, istighfār, from the Sabīl library: the du‘ā the library heads Sayyid al-Istighfār, a short sentence of istighfār, a du‘ā the library places inside the prayer, the istighfār it places after the prayer, and one from the Qur’ān. Each entry quoted here is shown as the library has it, with its Arabic, a transliteration, its meaning and the source the library gives, and the grade where the library gives one.
It gives no ruling, and it adds no time, number or reward of its own: where one is mentioned, it is the library’s own line, repeated. For anything about your own circumstances, ask a scholar.
Sayyid al-Istighfār
The Du‘ā Compilation has a du‘ā under the heading “Sayyid al-Istighfār”. The library cites it to al-Bukhārī with the grade ṣaḥīḥ. Its source line stands beneath it, as the library prints it.
allāhumma anta rabbī lā ilāha illā ant, khalaqtanī wa anā ‘abduk, wa anā ‘alā ‘ahdika wa wa‘dika mastaṭa‘t, a‘ūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣana‘t, abū’u laka bi-ni‘matika ‘alayya wa abū’u laka bi-dhanbī faghfir lī fa-innahu lā yaghfirudh-dhunūba illā ant
O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I hold to Your covenant and Your promise as much as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin — so forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.
Bukhārī · ṣaḥīḥ — said with certainty in the morning, one who dies that day enters Paradise; likewise at night.
The library has this du‘ā in two other titles, which this page does not quote. The poster the library titles Adhkār after Prayer has it under “Sayyid al-istighfār”. On the card “Morning & evening” of the Pocket Companion the print sets it shorter, and a question about that is still open in the library’s own checking; on screen the card shows the text whole, taken from the Du‘ā Compilation’s card.
The short words of istighfār
Under the heading “Forgiveness, briefly”, the Du‘ā Compilation has one short sentence of istighfār. The library cites it to al-Bukhārī with the grade ṣaḥīḥ; its source line stands beneath it, as the library prints it.
The second du‘ā on the same card is a different request. The library cites it to at-Tirmidhī with the grade ḥasan, and its source line says it was taught to a man crushed by debt.
10Forgiveness, briefly
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ
astaghfirullāha wa atūbu ilayh
I seek Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance.
Bukhārī · ṣaḥīḥ — he ﷺ said it more than seventy times a day, and he was already forgiven.
The sheet Adhkār of the Prayers has the du‘ā of Abū Bakr in its second part, “before the salām”. The sheet’s note on that part, which stands at the end of the entry “Within each rak‘ah”, sets out the final sitting: tashahhud, ṣalawāt, then two du‘ās “which belong inside the prayer, not after it”. The sheet letters the two A and B, and the du‘ā of Abū Bakr is B. The library cites it to al-Bukhārī and Muslim with the grade ṣaḥīḥ, and its source line says it was taught to Abū Bakr when he asked for a du‘ā to say in his prayer. The Pocket Companion has it too, on its card “Before the salām”, where the print sets it shorter.
Allāhumma innī ẓalamtu nafsī ẓulman kathīran, wa lā yaghfirudh-dhunūba illā Anta, faghfir lī maghfiratan min ‘indika warḥamnī, innaka Antal-Ghafūrur-Raḥīm
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 Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Bukhārī & Muslim · ṣaḥīḥ — taught to Abū Bakr when he asked for a du‘ā to say in his prayer.
The last line of that entry, “Part 3 · after every farḍ”, is the sheet’s heading for the part that follows it, and not a note on this du‘ā.
The sheet’s third part: after every farḍ
That third part opens with istighfār: one phrase, with the label 3×, which the library cites to Muslim with the grade ṣaḥīḥ. The Pocket Companion has it as the first item on its card “After the salām · 1–4”.
The Du‘ā Compilation’s contents list cards 02 to 04 as “Rabbanā, from the Qur’ān”. One of the du‘ās on them, in the meaning the library gives, asks for forgiveness and mercy. Its source line gives the verse, 7:23, and calls it the words of Ādam. The same card has a du‘ā of Mūsā (20:25–28), which is a different request; its source line ends “For any hard conversation.”
They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves; if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.”
Qur’ān 7:23English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.19
Where to go next
Morning & evening shows the entries of the Adhkār after Prayer poster, in order.
Around the prayer and After the prayer show entries of the Adhkār of the Prayers sheet: from the adhān to the salām, and from the salām onward. The sheet’s entry “Within each rak‘ah” includes a short request for forgiveness between the prostrations.
The tasbīḥ counter is a plain counter, for after the prayer and through the day.
Ramaḍān has, on its card “The last ten”, a du‘ā under the label “Laylat al-Qadr” that asks for pardon; the library cites it to at-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah with the grade ṣaḥīḥ.