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Duas for forgiveness

What are the best words to recite for istighfar?
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May 26, 2021
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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]

Astaghfirullah

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used recite astagfirullah 100 times a day. This can be said in different ways:

astaghfirullah, – I seek forgiveness

astagfirullahil azeem – I seek forgiveness from Allah the Mighty

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

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

astaghfirullah wa atubu illayhi – I seek the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him

As reported in Ibn Majah, he repeated this one hundred times each day.

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 – Dua of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

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]

Dua of Yunus (peace be upon him)

لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

La illaha illa Anta Subhanak, inni kuntu min adh-dhalimeen

There is no God but You; Glory be to You, Truly I have been one of the wrongdoers. [Surah al-Anbiyah; 21:87]

Sa’d ibn Waqas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

“The supplication made by the Companion of the Fish (Prophet Yunus, peace be upon him) in the belly of the fish was (the above). If any Muslim supplicates in these words, his supplication will be accepted/responded to.”

In another hadith he said, “I know words that will cause Allah to remove one’s distress. These are the words (of supplication) of my brother Yunus, peace be upon him.”  [Tirmidhi and Nasa’i in `Amal al-yawmi wa al-layla and al-Hakim]

Dua for all sins

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي كُلَّهُ، دِقَّهُ وَجِلَّهُ، وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّهُ

Allahumma-ghfir li dhanbi kullahu, diqqahu wa jillahu, wa awwalahu wa akhirahu, wa ‘ala niyatahu wa sirrahu

O Allah!  Forgive me all my sins, great and small, the first and the last, those that are apparent and those that are hidden. [Muslim]

Dua from last ayah of Surat al Baqarah

رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرٗا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآۚ أَنتَ مَوۡلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ

Rabbana la tu’a-khidhna in-nasina aw akta’na, Rabbana wa la tahmil ‘alaiyna isran kama hamaltahu ‘alal-ladheena min qablina.  Rabbana wala tuham-milna mala taqata-lana beh.  Wa’fu-‘anna, waghfir-lana war hamna, Anta maulana fansurna ‘alal qawmil kaafireen

Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which Thou didst lay on those before us;  Our Lord! lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.  Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness.  Have mercy on us, Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against Faith. [Surat al-Baqarah; 2:286]

Dua of Adam (peace be upon him)

رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

Rabbanaa zalamnaaa anfusanaa wa-in lam taghfir lanaa wa tarhamnaa lanakoonanna minal khaasireen

“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” [Surah Al Araf; 7:23]

Dua for Laylatul Qadr

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي ‏”‏ ‏.‏

“Say: ‘Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa’fu ‘anni

O Allah, You are Forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me.’ [Ibn Majah]

Aisha said, “I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, if I know what night the Night of Power is, what do you think I should say during it?’ He said, ‘Say: “O Allah, You are Pardoning and you love pardon, so pardon me.”‘” [Tirmidhi]

Dua for parents to be forgiven

وَٱخۡفِضۡ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحۡمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱرۡحَمۡهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرٗا

Wakhfid lahumaa janaahaz zulli minar rahmati wa qur Rabbir hamhumaa kamaa rabbayaanee sagheera

And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, “My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.” [Surat al Isra; 17: 24]

Duas from Surat Al Imran

ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ١٦

Allazeena yaqooloona Rabbanaaa innanaaa aamannaa faghfir lanaazunoobanaa wa qinaa ‘azaaban Naar

”Our Lord! surely we believe, therefore forgive us our faults and save us from the chastisement of the fire” [Al-Imran 16]

3. وَمَاكَانَ قَوْلَهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَافِىٓ أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

Wa maa kaana qawlahum illaa an qaaloo

Rabbanagh fir lanaa zunoobanaa wa israafanaa feee amirnaa wa sabbit aqdaamanaa

wansurnaa ‘alal qawmil kaafireen

All that they said was: “Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and anything We may have done that transgressed our duty: Establish our feet firmly, and help us against those that resist Faith.” [Al-Imran 3:147]

Dua to be freed from hell fire

اللّهُمَّ أَعْتِقْ رِقَابَنَا مِنَ النَّارِ

Allahumma a’atiq riqabana , wa riqaba aba’ina wa ummahatina, wa jamea al muslimeen min al naar.

‘O Allah, liberate our necks, and those of our fathers and mothers and all the Muslims, from (hell) fire”

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.

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