Duas for Forgivness - Istighfar

O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you.[hadith Qudsi] 

رَبَّنََآ إنَّنَآ ءَاَمنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَ قِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

Rabbana innanā amanna, faghfir lana, dhunoobana wa-qinna 'adhāāban-naar

(Our Lord!  we have indeed believed: forgive us, then, our sins, and save us from the agony of the Fire) [surah Ali' Imran; 3:16]

سُبْحَنَ رَبِّنَآ إنَّا كُنَّا ظَلِمِينَ

Subhāna Rabbina inna kunna dhalimeen

(Glory to our Lord!  Verily we have been doing wrong!) [68:29]

لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

La illaha illa Anta Subhanak, inni kuntu min adh-dhalimeen

(There is no God but You;   Glory be to You, Truly I have been one of the wrongdoers)[Surah al-Anbiyah, 21: 87]

Sa'd ibn Waqas (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (salAllahu allayhi wasalam) said, "The supplication made by the Companion of the Fish (Prophet Yunus (as)) in the belly of the fish was (the above). If any Muslim supplicates in these words, his supplication will be accepted/responded to." 

In another report we read, "I know words that will cause Allah to remove one's distress. These are the words (of supplication) of my brother Yunus, peace be upon him"

[at-Tirmidhi; 3500, an-Nisa'i in `Amal al-yawmi wa al-layla; #656, al-Hakim 1:505 and 2:383. The latter declared it sound (sahih) and Dhahabi confirmed him]

سُبْحَنَكَ تُبْتُ إلَيْكَ وَ أنَاْ أوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Subhānaka tubtu ilaiyka wa 'ana awwal-ul mu'mineen

(Glory be to Thee!  To Thee I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe)[surah al-A'raf, 7:143]

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي كُلَّهُ، دِقَّهُ وَجِلَّهُ، وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّهُ

Allahumma-ghfir li dhanbi kullahu, diqqahu wa jillahu, wa awwalahu wa akhirahu, wa 'ala niyatahu wa sirrahu

(O Allah!  Forgive me all my sins, great and small, the first and the last, those that are apparent and those that are hidden) [Muslim 1:350]


اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أسْألُكَ يَا اللَّهُ بِأنَّكَ الْوَاحِدُّ الأحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْيَلِدْ وَ لَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُواً أحَدٌ، أنْ تَغْفِرَ لِي ذُنُوبِي إنَّكَ أنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الَّرحِيمُ

Allahumma inni asaluka ya Allahu bi annakal Wahidul Ahadus-Samadul ladhi, lam ya-lid wa lam youlad, wa lam yakullahu kufuwan Ahad, an taghfirali dhunoobi innaka Antal Ghafūūrur Raheem

(O Allah!  I ask You, O Allah, You are the One, the Only, Self Sufficient Master, who was not begotten and begets not and non is equal to Him.  Forgive me my sins, surely you are Forgiving, Merciful.) [Abu Dawud, an Nasa'i, ibn Majah, at Tirmidhi]

أسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَ أتُوبُ إلَيْهِ

Astaghfirullaha wa atūūbu ilai(hi)

(I seek the Forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him.)

[to be reicted 100 times during the day] [Sahih al Bukhari, Muslim 4:2075]


سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَ بِحَمْدِكَ، أشْهَدُ أنْ لا إلهَ إلَّا أنْتَ، أسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَ أتُوبُ إلَيْكَ

Subhanakal-Lahumma wa bihamdik, ash-hadu allaillaha illa ant, astaghfiruka wa'atoobu ilaiyk

(Glory be to You, O Allah, and all Praise, I testify that there is no deity but You, I seek Your Forgiveness and to You do I repent.)

[3 times] [recommended for at the end of meetings, atoning for infractions during it] [at Tabari, an Nasa'i, al Hakim]

اللَّهُمَّ اِنّى اسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِذَنْبِى وَ اسْئَلُكَ رَحْمَتَكَ

Allahumma inni astaghfiruka li dhanbi wa as'aluka rahmatak

(O Allah!  I ask You for Forgiveness for my sins, and for Your Mercy.)

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْلِى خَطَايَاىَ وَ ذُنُوْبِى كُلِّهَا

Allahummaghfirli khatāyaya wa dhunubi kullaha

(O Allah!  Forgive all my sins and ommissions.)

رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنآ إِننَسِيَنآ أوْ أخْطَأْ نَا رَبَّنَا وَ لا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَه عَلَى اْلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا  ج  رَبَّنَا وَ لا تُحَمّلْنَا مَا لا طَاقَةَ لَنَابِهِ  وَاْعْفُعَنَّا وَ اْغْفِرْلَنَا وَاْرْحَمْنَآ أنتَ مُوْلَنَا فَاْنصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَفِرِينَ

Rabbana la tu'a-khidhna in-nasina aw akta'na, Rabbana wa la tahmil 'alaiyna isran kama hamaltahu 'alal-ladheena min qablina.  Rabbana wala tuham-milna mala taqata-lana beh.  Wa'fu-'anna, waghfir-lana war hamna, Anta maulana fansurna 'alal qawmil kaafireen

(Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord!  Lay not on us a burden like that which Thou didst lay on those before us;  Our Lord! lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.  Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness.  Have mercy on us, Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against Faith)
[surah al-Baqarah; 2:286]


اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَمَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلا أَنْتَ 

Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Anta Khalaqtani wa ana abduka, wa ana 'ala ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu, A'udhu bika min Sharri ma sana'tu, abu'u Laka bini'matika 'alaiya, wa Abu Laka bidhanbi faghfirli innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta

(O Allah! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.)

Shaddad ibn Aws (radiAllahu anhu) relates that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said that he (Sayyid al-Istighfar) most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is to say (the above du'a). That "If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise." [sahih al-Bukhari; 8,75,318, at-Tirmidhi; 3393, an-Nasa'i; 5522, Ahmad; 16662]


أسْتَغْفِرُ اللّهَ الْعَظِيمَ الَّذِي لا إلَهَ إلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ، غَفَّارُ الذُّنُّوبِ ذُو الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ، وَ أتُوبُ إَيْهِ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الْمَعَاصِي وَ الذُّنوبِ وَ الآثامِ، وَ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ أذْنَبْتُهُ عَمْدًا وَ خَطَأً، ظَاهِرًا وَبَاطِنًا، قَوْلًا وَفِعْلًا، فِى جَمِيع حَرَكَاتِي وَسَكَاتِي وَخَطَرَاتِي وأنْفَاسِي كُلِّهَا دَائِمًا أبَدًا سَرْمَدًا، مِنَ الذَّنْبِ الَّذِي أعْلَمُ، وَ مِنَ الذَّنْبِ الَّذِي لا أعْلَمُ، عَدَدَ مَا أحَاطَ بِهِ الْعِلْمُ وَ أحْصَاهُ الْكِتَابُ وَ خَطَّهُ الْقَلَمُ، وَ عَدَدَ مَا أوْ جَدَتْهُ الْقُدْرَةُ وَ خَصَّصَتْهُ الإرَادَةُ، وَمِدَادَ كَلِمَاتِ اللّهِ، وَ كَمَا يَنْبَغِي لِجَلالِ وَجْهِ رَبِّنَا وَ جَمَالِهِ وَ كَمَالِهِ، وَ كَمَا يُحِبُّ رَبِّنَا وَ يَرْضَى

اَللّهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِكُلِّ ذَنْبٍ لِّيْ وَأَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِيْ مَا أَحْصَيْتَ عَلَيَّ مِنْ مَّظَالِمِ الْعِبَادِ قِبَلِيْ فَإِنَّ لِعِبَادِكَ عَلَيَّ حُقُوْقًا وَّمَظَالِمَ وأَنَا بِهَا مُرْتَهِنٌ اَللّهُمَّ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ كَثِيْرَةً فَإِنَّهَا فِيْ جَنْبِ عَفْوِكَ يَسِيْرَةٌ اللّهُمَّ أَيُّمَا عَبْدٍ مِّنْ عِبَادِكَ أَوْ أَمَةٍ مِّنْ إِمَائِكَ كَانَتْ لَهُ مَظْلِمَةٌ عِنْدِيْ قَدْ غَصَبْتُهُ عَلَيْهَا فِيْ أَرْضِها أَوْ مَالِها أَوْ عِرْضِها أَوْ بَدَنِها أَوْ غَابَ أَوْ حَضَرَ هُوَ أَوْ خَصْمُهُ يُطَالِبُنِيْ بِهَا وَلَمْ أَسْتَطِعْ أَنْ أَرُدَّهَا إِلَيْهِ وَلَمْ أَسْتَحْلِلْهَا مِنْهُ فَأَسْأَلُكَ بِكَرَمِكَ وَجُوْدِكَ وَسِعَةِ مَا عِنْدَكَ أَنْ تُرْضِيَهُمْ عَنِّيْ وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ لَّهُمْ عَلَيَّ شَيْئًا مُّنَقِّصَةً مِّنْ حَسَنَاتِيْ فَإِنَّ عِنْدَكَ مَا يُرْضِيْهِمْ عَنِّيْ وَلَيْسَ عِنْدِيْ مَا يُرْضِيْهِمْ وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لِسَيِّئَاتِهِمْ عَلىٰ حَسَنَاتِيْ سَبِيْلاً.

Allahumma inni astaghfiruka li kulli dhambin,

(O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness for all my sins. I ask You to forgive me for all my wrongdoings [mazalim] against people that You have recorded, for there are many rights [huquq] and dues [mazalim] owed to Your servants that I am burdened with and for which I am hostage [murtahin]. O Allah, even if these (wrongdoings) are many they are insignificant in comparison with the magnitude of Your forgiveness. O Allah, any male or female servant of Yours who has rights upon me, in either that I have unjustly taken from him [ghasabtu] in regards to his land, possession, honor, body; whether he was absent or present; or he or his representatives demanded it from me and neither was I able to return it to him nor did I seek release of it from him. So I ask You through Your benevolence, generosity, and abundance of what You possess that You satisfy them on my behalf, and not give them a position over me that will decrease my good deeds; for You possess what You can satisfy them with on my behalf and I do not possess what to satisfy them with; and do not allow for their bad deeds to find a path over my good deeds on the Day of Judgment.) [From 'The Prayers of Forgiveness that Save from the Hellfire' by Hasan al-Basri] 

Quranic Supplications

The original text is given in Arabic, followed by its transliterated forms, as well as by the English meaning of each Du'a'.

"Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil 'akhirati hasanatan waqina 'adhaban-nar."

"Our Lord, give us good in this world and in the Hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the Fire." (2:201)

"Rabbana afrigh 'alayna sabran wa thabbit aqdamana wansurna 'alal-qawmil-kafirin."

"Our Lord, pour patience on us, make us stand firm, and help us against the disbelievers" (2:250)

"Rabbana la tu'akhizna in-nasina aw akh-ta'na. Rab-bana wa la tahmil 'alayna isran kama hamaltahu 'ala-lladhina min qablina, Rab-bana wa la tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bih, wa-'fu 'anna wa 'ghfirlana warhamna anta Maulana fansurna 'alal-qawmil kafirin."

"Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes. Lord, do not burden us as You burdened those before us. Lord, do not burden us with more than we have strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelievers.’" (2:286)

"Rabbana innaka man tudkhilin-nara fa-qad akhzaytahu, wa ma liz-zalimina min ansar."

"Rabbana innana sami'na munadiyan yunadi lil imani an aminu bi-Rabbikum fa-amanna, Rabbana faghfir lana dhunubana wa kaffir 'anna sayyiatina wa tawaffana ma'al-abrar. Rabbana wa atina ma wa'adta-na 'ala russuli-ka wa la tikhzi-na yauma-l-qiyamati innaka latukhlifu-l-mi'ad."

"Our Lord! You will truly humiliate those You commit to the Fire. The evildoers have no one to help them."

"Our Lord! We have heard someone calling us to faith saying 'Believe in your Lord' – and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, wipe out our bad deeds, and grant that we join the righteous when we die. Our Lord! Bestow upon us all that You have promised us through Your messengers – do not humiliate us on the Day of Resurrection – You never break Your promise." (3:192-194)

"Rabbi 'j'alni muqima's-Salati wa min Thurriyati, Rabbana wa taqqabal du'a', Rabbana'ghfirli wa li walidayya walil-Mu'minina yawma yaqumul-Hisab."

"Lord, grant that I and my offspring may keep up the prayer. Our Lord, accept my request."

"Our Lord, forgive me, my parents, and the believers on the Day of Reckoning" (14:40-41)

"Rabbana atina min ladunka rahmatan wa hayyi' lana min amrina rashada."

"Our Lord, grant us Your mercy, and find us a good way out of our ordeal" (18:10)

"Rabbi-'shrah li sadri wa yassirli amri wa-hlul 'uqdatan min lisani yafqahu qawli."

"Lord, lift up my heart and ease my task for me. Untie my tongue, so that they may understand my words." (20:25-28)

"Rabbana Isrif 'anna 'adhaba Jahannama, 'inna 'adhabaha kana gharama, innaha sa'at mustaqarran wa muqama."

"Our Lord, turn away from us the suffering of Hell, for it is a dreadful torment to suffer! It is an evil home, a foul resting place!" (25:65-66)

"Rabbana hab lana min azwajina wa dhuriyyatina qurrata A'yunin waj'alna lil-muttaqina imama."

"Our Lord, give us joy in our spouses and offspring. Make us good examples to those who are aware of You." (25:74)

"Rabbi awzi'ni an ashkura ni'mata-ka-llati an'amta 'alayaa wa 'ala walidayya wa an a'mala salihan tardahu wa aslih li fi dhurriyyati, inni tubtu ilaika wa inni minal-muslimeen."

"Lord, help me to be truly grateful for Your favours to me and to my parents; help me to do good work that pleases You; make my offspring good. I turn to You; I am one of those who devote themselves to You." (46:15)

"Rabbanaghfir lana wa li-ikhwaninal ladhinal sabaquna bil-Imami wa la taj'al fi qulubina ghillan lil ladhina amana Rabbana innaka Ra'ufun Rahim."

"Lord, forgive us our sins and the sins of our brothers who believed before us, and leave no malice in our hearts towards those who believe. Lord, You are truly compassionate and merciful." (59:10)

"Rabbana 'alaika tawakkalna wa ilaika anabna wa ilaikal-masir. Rabbana la taj'alna fitnatan li-lladhina kafaru waghfir lana Rabbana innaka Antal 'Azizul-Hakim."

"Lord, we have put our trust in You; we turn to You; You are our final destination. Lord, do not expose us to mistreatment [at the hands of] the disbelievers. Forgive us, Lord, for You are the Almighty, the All Wise." (60:5)

"Rabbana la tuzighqulubana ba'da idh hadaitana wa hab lana min ladun-ka rahmah, innaka antal Wahhab.

"Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us. Grant us Your mercy: You are the Ever Giving." (3:8)

"Rabbana zalamna anfusana, wa in lam taghfir lana wa tarhamna la-nakunanna minal-khaasirin."

"Our Lord, we have wronged our souls: if You do not forgive us and have mercy, we shall be lost." (7:23)

" ... Anta waliyyuna faghfir lana warhamna wa Anta Khayrul-ghafirin. Waktub lana fi hadhid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati inna hudna ilay-ka."

" ... You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us. You are the best of those who forgive. Grant us good things in this world and in the life to come. We turn to You." 7:155-156)

"Rabbana la taj'alna fitnatan lil-qamidh-dhalimin. Wa najjina birahmati-ka minal qawmil-kaafirin.

"Lord! Do not make us an object of persecution for the oppressors. Save us, in Your mercy, from those who reject [Your message]." (10:85-86)