Sayyid al-Istighfar — The Master Plea for Forgiveness
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَىٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
Allahumma 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 bini'matika 'alayya, wa abu'u bidhanbi faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa ant
O Allah, You are my Lord. None has the right to be worshipped except You. You created me and I am Your servant. I keep Your covenant and promise as much as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me. None forgives sins except You.
When to recite it
- Once in the morning, and it may also be said in the evening.
- Whenever you want to ask for forgiveness with the wording the Prophet, peace be upon him, singled out.
Meaning and practice
Sayyid al-Istighfar is the supplication beginning Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa ant. In Sahih al-Bukhari it is described as the foremost way of seeking forgiveness. The person who says it with certainty in the daytime and dies before evening, or says it at night and dies before morning, is among the people of Paradise — as the hadith itself states.
It is one recitation, not a hundred. The value is in the meaning: you affirm that Allah is your Lord, that you are His servant, that you fall short, and that only He forgives.
Read the Arabic slowly if you are still learning it. The transliteration on this page is a support, not a substitute for learning the words.
Source note: Sahih al-Bukhari, the master supplication for forgiveness. Recommended count: 1.
Related dhikr
Frequently asked questions
Do I repeat Sayyid al-Istighfar 100 times?
The report is about saying it in the morning or the evening, not about a hundred repetitions. The short Astaghfirullah is the phrase people usually count in larger numbers.
Where is this dua recorded?
It is in Sahih al-Bukhari, on the authority of Shaddad ibn Aws.