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Duas for forgiveness

What are the best words to recite for istighfar?

What are the best words to recite for istighfar (forgiveness)?

The dua, Sayyid ul Istighfar, was called the Master of Istighfar by the Prophet (peace be on him)

Sayyid ul Istighfar

Shaddad bin Aus narrated that the Prophet (peace be on him) said:

 The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is:

 اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ

 Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Khalaqtani wa ana `Abduka, wa ana `ala `ahdika wa wa`dika mastata`tu, A`udhu bika min Sharri ma sana`tu, abu’u Laka bini`matika `alaiya, wa abu’u laka bidhanbi faghfir lee fa innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta.

O Allah! You are my Rabb. There is no true god except You. You have created me, and I am Your slave, and I hold to Your Covenant as far as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge the favors that You have bestowed upon me, and I confess my sins. Pardon me, for none but You has the power to pardon.

The Prophet (peace be on him) added. “If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.” (Bukhari)

Astaghfirullah

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used recite astagfirullah 100 times a day.

You can recite astaghfirullah, (I seek forgiveness) or you can say astagfirullahil azeem (I seek forgiveness from Allah the Mighty) or astaghfirullahal azeem, alladhi la ilaha illa huwal hayyul qayyum wa aatubu ilaih

I seek the forgiveness of Allah the Mighty, Whom there is none worthy of worship except Him, The Living, The Eternal, and I repent unto Him

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

astaghfirullah wa atubu illayhi

I seek the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him

one hundred times each day. (Ibn Majah)

Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be on him) said:

The one who [regularly] says Istighfaar, Allah will open a path for him from all difficulties, remove him from all sorrow, and grant him sustenance from unimagined and unexpected sources. (Abu Dawud)

Shaykh Haytham Tamim

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Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.