Dua for forgiveness: istighfar from the Quran and Sunnah
The best dua for forgiveness is Sayyid al-Istighfar, “Allahumma anta rabbi…”, which the Prophet ﷺ called the master of seeking forgiveness. Here it is with Arabic and meaning, alongside the simplest form, “Astaghfirullah”, the du‘a in salah, and the du‘as of forgiveness in the Quran.
Last updated: 4 October 2026
Sayyid al-Istighfar
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
“O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I keep 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 except You. (Sayyid al-Istighfar)”
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari. Arabic text: Hisn al-MuslimThe simplest form
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ
Astaghfirullaha wa atubu ilayh.
“I seek Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. (One hundred times a day.)”
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Arabic text: Hisn al-MuslimForgiveness at the end of the prayer
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْماً كَثِيراً، وَلاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ وَارْحَمْنِي، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الغَفورُ الرَّحيمُ
“O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly, and none forgives sins except You, so grant me forgiveness from You and have mercy on me. You are the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
Abu Bakr asked the Prophet ﷺ for a du‘a to say in his prayer, and he taught him this.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Arabic text: Hisn al-MuslimAfter the salam
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ ثَلاَثَاً اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلاَمُ، وَمِنْكَ السَّلاَمُ، تَبَارَكْتَ يَا ذَا الْجَلاَلِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
“I seek Allah’s forgiveness (three times). O Allah, You are Peace and from You comes peace. Blessed are You, Owner of Majesty and Honour.”
Source: Sahih Muslim. Arabic text: Hisn al-MuslimDuas of forgiveness from the Quran
Adam and Hawwa
قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ
“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers. (The du‘a of Adam and Hawwa.)”
Al-A‘raf 7:23 (Quran). Arabic: Tanzil (Uthmani, Hafs)ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
“Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
Al ‘Imran 3:16 (Quran). Arabic: Tanzil (Uthmani, Hafs)وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ وَٱرْحَمْ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
“My Lord, forgive and have mercy, for You are the best of those who show mercy.”
Al-Mu’minun 23:118 (Quran). Arabic: Tanzil (Uthmani, Hafs)Allah’s mercy is greater
“Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins” (Az-Zumar 39:53). No sin is too great to return from. For worry and grief, see the dua for anxiety; for more Quranic du‘as, the Rabbana duas; and for all topics, our daily duas.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dua for forgiveness?
The Prophet ﷺ called the du‘a “Allahumma anta rabbi…” Sayyid al-Istighfar, the master of seeking forgiveness, and said whoever says it with certainty and dies that day or night enters Paradise (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306).
How many times a day did the Prophet ﷺ seek forgiveness?
He said: “By Allah, I seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307), and in Sahih Muslim (2702), one hundred times.
What are the conditions of sincere repentance (tawbah)?
Scholars list: stopping the sin, regretting it, resolving not to return to it and, if it wronged someone, putting it right with them. Repentance is accepted until death approaches or the sun rises from the west.
Is there a prayer of repentance?
Yes. Whoever commits a sin, then purifies himself well, prays two rak‘ahs and asks Allah for forgiveness, Allah forgives him (Sunan Abi Dawud 1521, Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 406; graded sahih).
Learn the duas of the Quran
Three free one-to-one lessons in UK time, with meaning and pronunciation.