Istighfār refers to seeking forgiveness. Along with tawbah (repentance), istighfār should be part of our daily schedule. Our beloved Prophet ﷺ would repeatedly seek forgiveness every day.
Along with being the means to getting our sins forgiven, istighfār removes calamities, dispels anxieties and opens the door of much good.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah, Exalted is He, said: ‘Son of Ādam, as long as you call upon me and hope in Me, I will forgive you despite what you do, and I do not care. Son of Ādam, even if your sins were to reach to the clouds of the sky, then you seek forgiveness from Me, I will forgive you. Son of Ādam, even if you were to come to Me with nearly an earth full of sins, and then you meet me, not having associated anything with me, then I will surely bring you as much as the earth in forgiveness.’” (Hadīth Qudsī, Tirmidhī)
Ibn Taymiyyah wrote: “Asking for Allah’s forgiveness is more important than all other duʿās.”
لَآ إِلٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّيْ كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِيْنَ
(1x)
There is no god worthy of worship except You; You are free from all imperfection. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers. (21:87)
Lā ilāha illā Anta subḥānaka innī kuntu mina-ẓ-ẓālimīn.
Ask Allah Through His Oneness
Calling upon Allah through His Oneness is one of the most powerful ways to make du’ā. The grief-stricken Prophet Yunus (a.s.) cried out to his Lord:
لا اله الا انت سبحانك اني كنت من الظالمين
The Prophet ﷺ said that no one supplicates with this du’a’ except that his supplication is accepted. And nobody supplicates with it except that Allah removes his difficulties. (Tirmidhi)
In this du’a, Yunus (a.s) asked Allah through the following steps (known as tawassul in Arabic):
1. Invoking the Oneness of Allah and affirming that no one deserves to be worshipped except Him.
2. Declaring Allah’s absolute perfection and negating any faults from Him.
3. Acknowledging one’s own wrongdoing.
رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي
(1x)
My Lord, I have certainly wronged myself, so forgive me. (28:16)
Rabbi innī ẓalamtu nafsī fa-ghfirlī.
This is the du‘ā’ Musā (‘alayhis-salām) made after he unintentionally killed a Coptic man. He realised that it was only through turning to Allah (subḥānahū wa ta‘ālā) that he could make things right. He cried out ‘My Rabb’. We too should cry out to our ‘Rabb’ when we have wronged.
We should then acknowledge our sins, as acknowledging one’s sins and shortcomings is a sunnah of the Prophets and Messengers (‘alayhimus-Salām). And thereafter, we should ask Allah to forgive us.
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
(1x)
Rabbanā ẓalamnā anfusanā wa il-lam taghfir lanā wa tarḥamnā la-nakūnanna minal-khāsīrīn.
This is the du‘ā’ of our father Ādam (‘alayhis-salām) and mother Ḥawwā’ (‘alayhas-salām) after they had been lured by Shayṭān to eat from the tree. What we can learn from this du‘ā’:
1. We should acknowledge our sins and shortcomings before asking for forgiveness.
2. This du‘ā’ contains fear (we will surely be amongst the losers) and hope (mercy and forgive). We too, should combine fear and hope in our du‘ās.
3. We should show our remorse and turn to Allah in humility, like our parents did.
4. We see the difference in attitude between Ādam (‘alayhis-salām) and Shayṭān: Adam (‘alayhis-salām) acknowledged his mistake, felt remorse over it, blamed himself for it, hastened to repent and didn’t lose hope from the mercy of Allah. Shayṭān, on the other hand didn’t acknowledge his sin, didn’t feel remorse, attributed blame to his Lord, didn’t repent and lost hope in the mercy of Allah.
أَنْتَ وَلِيُّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا ۖ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الْغَافِرِينَ
(1x)
You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us. You are the best of those who forgive. (7:155)
Anta Walliyyunā fa-ghfir lanā war-ḥamnā wa Anta khayrul-ghāfirīn.
In this du‘ā’ Mūsā (‘alayhis-salām) asked Allah (subḥānahū wa ta‘ālā) for forgiveness and mercy. He asked through Allah’s name ‘al-Waliyy’. Al-Waliyy is the Protective Friend, the Helper, the Patron, the One who truly loves us. Waliyy is derived from ‘wilāyah’ which denotes closeness, loyalty and authority. Whilst Allah’s general wilāyah extends to all of creation, His special wilāyah is reserved for the believers who are extra-devoted to Him.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Then, my servant continues to draw near to me with voluntary worship until I love Him, and when I love him, I become his hearing that he hears with, his sight that he sees with, his hand by which he grasps, and his feet by which he walks.” (Bukhārī)
رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
(1x)
Our Lord, indeed we have believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. (3:16)
This is the du‘ā’ of the people of piety and faith. In this du‘ā’, we learn a permissible and commendable form of tawassul (asking Allah through something).
In this case, we are asking through one of the greatest actions of a human being: imān. It is as though we are saying, ‘O Allah, we have believed. Therefore, through and because of our belief, forgive us and protect us from Hell-fire.’
رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
(101x)
My Lord, forgive and have mercy. You are the Best of those who are merciful. (23:118)
Rabbi-ghfir wa-rḥam wa Anta khayru-r-rāḥimīn.
– Forgive: wipe away my sins and conceal them from people.
– Have mercy: Guide me and give me the ability to say and do the correct thing.
– The combination of maghfirah (forgiveness) and raḥmah (mercy) is the one most frequently seen in the du‘ās of the Qur‘ān.
– This āyah indicates that one should not become deceived with one’s actions, as good deeds can sometimes make one arrogant. Similarly, it is a reminder that one should cling on to the mercy of Allah ‘azza wa jall. (al-Ālūsī)
– Raḥmah is mercy, compassion, nurturing love, and kindness.
رَبِّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَسْأَلَكَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَغْفِرْ لِي وَتَرْحَمْنِي أَكُنْ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
(1x)
My Lord, I seek Your protection from asking You anything about which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and have mercy upon me, I shall be amongst the losers. (11:47)
Rabbi innī aʿūdhu bika an as’alaka mā laysa lī bihī ʿilm, wa il-lā taghfir lī wa tarḥamnī aku-m-mina-l-khāsīrīn.
رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ
(1x)
Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith. Do not put in our hearts any hatred toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are the Most Compassionate, the Ever-Merciful. (59:10)
Rabbana-ghfir lanā wa li-ikhwānina-l-ladhīna sabaqūnā bil-īmān, wa lā tajʿal fī qulūbinā ghilla-l-lil-ladhīna āmanū Rabbanā innaka Ra’ūfu-r-Raḥīm.
– Pray for your brothers and sisters in faith wherever they may be in the world.
– Pray for your deceased brothers and sisters: those who have recently left the world and those who left the world a long time ago, those you personally knew and those whose names may be unknown to you, yet you are tied to them through the bond of imān.
– Pray for yourself.
– Pray for forgiveness. Pray for love. Pray for pure hearts. Pray for an end to the hatred, bitterness and infighting amongst the Ummah.
– Pray for all of the above through this brief, yet comprehensive du’ā in the Qur’ān.
رَبَّنَا أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
(1x)
Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are All-Powerful over everything. (66:08)
Rabbanā atmim lanā nūranā wa-ghfir lanā innaka ʿalā kulli shay’in Qadīr.
This is the du‘ā’ the believers will make on the Day of Judgement when the light of the hypocrites will be extinguished. To reach to their ultimate destination, Jannah, this ‘light’ (nūr) will be essential in guiding them to it. This ‘nūr’ is also the same light which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will recognize us with.
… In order to be rewarded with this nūr in the hereafter, we must strive to attain the ‘nūr’ of knowledge, guidance and imān in this world.
This is why the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would recite the following du‘ā’ on the way to the Masjid:
اَللّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِيْ قَلْبِيْ نُوْرًا ، وَفِيْ بَصَرِيْ نُوْرًا ، وَفِيْ سَمْعِيْ نُوْرًا ، وَعَنْ يَّمِيْنِيْ نُوْرًا ، وَعَنْ يَّسَارِيْ نُوْرًا ، وَفَوْقِيْ نُوْرًا ، وَتَحْتِيْ نُوْرًا ، وَأَمَامِيْ نُوْرًا ، وَخَلْفِيْ نُوْرًا ، وَاجْعَلْ لِيْ نُوْرًا
O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my sight and light in my hearing. Place light on my right and place light on my left. Place light above me and place light beneath me. Place light in front of me, place light behind me and grant me light. (Bukhārī)
اَللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّيْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، خَلَقْتَنِيْ وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ ، وَأَنَا عَلَىٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ، أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ ، أَبُوْءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوْءُ بِذَنْبِيْ ، فَاغْفِرْ لِيْ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
(1x)
O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no god except You. You have created me, and I am Your slave, and I am under Your covenant and pledge (to fulfil it) to the best of my ability. I seek Your protection from the evil that I have done. I acknowledge the favours that You have bestowed upon me, and I admit my sins. Forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.
Allāhumma Anta Rabbī, lā ilāha illā Ant, khalaqtanī wa ana ʿabduk, wa ana ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika mā’staṭaʿt, aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿt, abū’u laka bi niʿmatika ʿalayya wa abū’u bi-dhambī fa-ghfir lī fa-innahū lā yaghfiru-dh-dhunūba illā Ant.
اَللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ الْمَلِكُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، أَنْتَ رَبِّيْ وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ ، ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِيْ وَاعْتَرَفْتُ بِذَنْبِيْ ، فَاغْفِرْ لِيْ ذُنُوْبِيْ جَمِيْعًا ، إِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، وَاهْدِنِيْ لِأَحْسَنِ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَهْدِيْ لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، وَاصْرِفْ عَنِّيْ سَيِّئَهَا لَا يَصْرِفُ عَنِّيْ سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ ، وَالْخَيْرُ كُلُّهُ فِيْ يَدَيْكَ ، وَالشَّرُّ لَيْسَ إِلَيْكَ ، أَنَا بِكَ وَإِلَيْكَ ، تَبَارَكْتَ وَتَعَالَيْتَ ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوْبُ إِلَيْكَ
(1x)
O Allah, You are the King, there is no god worthy of worship except You. You are my Lord and I am Your slave. I have wronged myself and I confess my sins. Forgive all of my sins; indeed no one forgives sins except You. Guide me to the best of character, for no one guides to the best of it except You; and turn the evil of it away from me, for no one turns it away except You. Here I am at Your service, seeking Your pleasure; all good is in Your hands and no evil is attributed to You. I am from You and I am returning to You. You are Most Blessed and You are Most Exalted. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You.
Allāhumma Antal-Maliku lā ilāha illā Ant, Anta Rabbī wa ana ʿabduk, ẓalamtu nafsī waʿtaraftu bi-dhambī, fa-ghfir lī dhunūbī jamīʿā, innahū lā yaghfiru-dh-dhunūba illā Ant, wa-hdinī li-aḥsani-l-akhlāqi lā yahdī li-aḥsanihā illā Ant, wa-ṣrif ʿannī sayyi’ahā lā yaṣrifu ʿannī sayyi’ahā illā Ant, labbayka wa saʿdayk, wal-khayru kulluhū fī yadayk, wa-sh-sharru laysa ilayk, ana bika wa ilayk, tabārakta wa taʿālayt, astaghfiruka wa atūbu ilayk.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ خَطِيْئَتِيْ وَجَهْلِيْ وَإِسْرَافِيْ فِيْ أَمْرِيْ ، وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّيْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ جِدِّيْ وَهَزْلِيْ وَخَطَئِيْ وَعَمْدِيْ وَكُلُّ ذٰلِكَ عِنْدِيْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ ، وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ ، وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّـيْ ، أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ
(1x)
O Allah, forgive my mistakes, ignorance, transgression in my matters, and what You are more Knowledgeable of than me. O Allah, forgive me for what I did in earnestness and in jest; unintentionally or intentionally; as I have committed all of these (types of sins). O Allah, forgive me for what I have already done, what I am yet to do, what I did publicly, what I did privately, and what You are more Knowledgeable of than me. You are the One who brings forward and You are the One who defers. You are All-Powerful over everything.
Allāhumma-ghfirlī khaṭī’atī wa jahlī wa isrāfī fī amrī, wa mā Anta aʿlamu bihī minnī, Allāhumma-ghfir lī jiddī wa hazlī wa khaṭa’ī wa ʿamdī wa kullu dhālika ʿindī, Allāhumma-ghfirlī mā qaddamtu wa mā akh-khart, wa mā asrartu wa mā aʿlant, wa mā Anta aʿlamu bihī minnī, Anta-l-Muqaddimu wa Anta-l-Muakh-khir, wa Anta ʿalā kulli shay’in Qadīr.
Explanation coming soon……
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ كَرِيْمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّيْ
(1x)
O Allah, You are the Ever-Pardoning, the Generous; You love to pardon so pardon me.
Allāhumma innaka ʿAffuwwun Karīmun tuḥibb-ul-ʿafwa faʿfu ʿannī.
اَللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّ مُحَمَّدٍ اغْفِرْ لِيْ ذَنْبِيْ ، وَأَذْهِبْ غَيْظَ قَلْبِيْ ، وَأَعِذْنِيْ مِنْ مُضِلَّاتِ الْفِتَنِ
(1x)
O Allah, Lord of Muḥammad forgive my sins, remove the anger of my heart and protect me from misleading trials.
Allāhumma Rabba Muḥammad, ighfir lī dhambī, wa adh-hib ghayẓa qalbī, wa aʿidhnī min muḍillāti-l-fitan.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ ذَنْبِيْ كُلَّهُ ، دِقَّهُ وَجِلَّهُ ، وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ ، وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّهُ
(1x)
O Allah, forgive for me all of my sins: the minor and major, the first and the last, the public and the private.
Allāhumma-ghfir lī dhambī kullah, diqqahū wa jillah, wa awwalahū wa ākhirah, wa ʿalāniyatahū wa sirrah.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنّيْ ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِيْ ظُلْمًا كَثِيْرًا ، وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، فَاغْفِرْ لِيْ مَغْفِرَةً مِّنْ عِنْدِكَ ، وَارْحَمْنِيْ ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمُ
(1x)
O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly and no one forgives sins except You; so grant me forgiveness from You and have mercy upon me. You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Allāhumma innī ẓalamtu nafsī ẓulman kathīrā, wa lā yaghfiru-dh-dhunūba illā Ant, fa-ghfir lī maghfirata-m-min ʿindik, war-ḥamnī, innaka Anta-l-Ghafūru-r-Raḥīm.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ ، وَارْحَمْنِيْ ، وَعَافِنيْ ، وَاهْدِنِيْ وَارْزُقْنِيْ
(1x)
O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, grant me wellbeing, guide me and grant me sustenance.
اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِيْ وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَاىَ كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْ خَطَايَاىَ بِالْمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ
(1x)
O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced the East from the West. O Allah, purify me from my sins as white cloth is purified from dirt. O Allah, wash away my sins with snow, water and hail.
Allāhumma bāʿid baynī wa bayna khaṭāyāya kamā bāʿadta bayna-l-mashriqi wa-l-maghrib, Allāhumma naq-qinī min khaṭāyāya kamā yunaq-qa-th-thawbul-abyaḍu mina-d-danas, Allāhumma-ghsilnī min khaṭāyāya bil-māi’ wa-th-thalji wal-barad.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ
(1x)
Allāhumma-ghfir lil-mu’minīna wa-l-mu’mināt.