Istighfar is seeking Allah’s forgiveness. These entries bring together an acknowledgement of dependence on Allah, a request for pardon, and words of returning to Him.
Read the meaning of each supplication as well as its wording. The individual pages preserve the source reference and explain the prayer’s language; the linked prophet stories offer further reading about repentance and mercy.
Sayyidul Istighfar
Occasion: Words of remembrance for morning and evening
اللَّهُمَّ أَنتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ، خَلَقتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهدِكَ وَوَعدِكَ مَا استَطَعتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِن شَرِّ مَا صَنَعتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنبِي فَاغفِر لِي فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغفِرُ الذُّنوبَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ
Pronunciation reading aid
Allahumma anta rabbee la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtanee wa-ana 'abduk, wa-ana 'ala 'ahdika wawa'dika mas-tata't, a'oothu bika min sharri ma sana't, aboo-o laka bini'matika 'alay, wa-aboo-o bithanbee, faghfir lee fa-innahu la yaghfiruth-thunooba illa ant
English meaning
O Allah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You, You created me and I am Your servant and I abide to Your covenant and promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil of which I have committed. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sin except You.
Explanation
Sayyidul Istighfar begins with Allah's lordship, oneness, and creation of the supplicant, followed by an affirmation of servanthood and commitment as far as one is able. It then seeks refuge from one's own wrongdoing, acknowledges Allah's favor and personal sin, and asks the One who alone forgives for forgiveness.
Source: Hisn al-Muslim 79
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Seeking forgiveness and turning to Allah
Occasion: Repentance and seeking forgiveness
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: ((مَن قَالَ أَستَغفِرُ اللَّهَ العَظيمَ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الحَيُّ القَيّوُمُ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيهِ، غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ وَإِن كَانَ فَرَّ مِنَ الزَّحفِ)).
Pronunciation reading aid
Approximate Arabic reading aid; listen to the recording on the individual page.
Waqāla ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam: man qāla astaghfiru allāha al-'aẓīma alladhī lā ilāha illā huwa alḥayyu al-qayyūmu wa'atūbu ilayhi, ghafara allāhu lahu wa'in kāna farra mina az-zaḥfi.
English meaning
He also said: ‘Whoever says:(I seek Allah’s forgiveness, besides whom, none has the right to be worshipped except He, The Ever Living, The Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, and I turn to Him in repentance.) Allah would forgive him even if he was one who fled during the advance of an army.
Explanation
This formula seeks forgiveness from Allah the Magnificent, affirms that none deserves worship except Him, names Him as the Ever-Living and Self-Subsisting, and declares a return to Him in repentance. The wording grounds the request for pardon in Allah’s uniqueness, enduring life, sustaining power, and the worshipper’s renewed turning.
Source: Hisn al-Muslim 250
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Acknowledgement in the Du’a of Yunus
Occasion: Invocations for anguish
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ سُبحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظّالِمِينَ
Pronunciation reading aid
La ilaha illa anta subhanaka innee kuntu minath-thalimeen
English meaning
None has the right to be worshipped except You. How perfect You are, verily I was among the wrong-doers.
Explanation
The prayer of Yunus joins three movements in a few words: affirming that only Allah deserves worship, declaring Him perfect, and admitting personal wrongdoing. It neither excuses the speaker nor loses hope; confession is placed directly beside praise and exclusive devotion to Allah.
Source: Hisn al-Muslim 124
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