Skip to content
Forgiveness
Hadith

Sayyid al-Istighfar (Master of seeking forgiveness)

ٱللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَىٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا ٱسْتَطَعْتُ…

Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu…

O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I abide by Your covenant and promise as best I can. 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, for none forgives sins but You.

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6306

What this supplication is

Sayyid al-Istighfar — the master of seeking forgiveness — gathers the whole of tawbah in one sentence: acknowledging Allah as Lord, one's servitude, the covenant, the sin, and the hope that only He forgives. The narration promises Paradise for the one who says it with certainty and dies that day or night.

When to recite it

Once in the morning with certainty, and once in the evening; also any time of remorse.

Scholarly note· Whoever says it in the day with certainty and dies before evening is among the people of Paradise — part of the full narration.

Duas are a mercy in themselves — sincerity of heart matters more than eloquence. For a personal religious ruling about this supplication or your circumstances, consult a qualified scholar.

Report a correction— help us keep Destiny Map accurate

Found an incorrect reference, an imprecise translation, a typo, a broken link or a calendar error on this page? Corrections to religious content are our highest priority. Tell us what is wrong and, if you have it, the correct source — we review every report.

For a personal religious ruling, please consult a qualified scholar in your locality instead of emailing — we cannot issue fatwas.

Open an email with this page prefilled

Learn more about this dua

Related duas

رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَاسِرِينَ

Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves; if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers.

Quran 7:23
Meaning & context

رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ ٱلْوَهَّابُ

Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself; indeed, You are the Bestower.

Quran 3:8
Meaning & context

ٱللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ ٱلْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

O Allah, You are Pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.

Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3513; Sunan Ibn Majah 3850
Meaning & context