Du'as for Forgiveness
Istighfar in the Sunnah is not a plea shouted once in crisis; it was the Prophet's ﷺ daily habit. The du'as below are the best-attested of them — the one he named the chief of seeking forgiveness, the words Adam himself was given, and the du'a he taught Abu Bakr to say inside the prayer.
Updated July 16, 2026
- Bukhari 6306
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata't, a'udhu bika min sharri ma sana't, abu'u laka bini'matika 'alayya, wa abu'u laka bidhanbi faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa anta.
“O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I hold to Your covenant and Your promise as much as I am able. 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.”
Sayyid al-Istighfar — 'the chief of seeking forgiveness', said morning and evening.
Source: Bukhari 6306
- Surah Al-A'raf 7:23
قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَتَرۡحَمۡنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡخَٰسِرِينَ
Rabbana zalamna anfusana wa in lam taghfir lana wa tarhamna lanakunanna minal-khasirin.
“They said: Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, surely we are of the lost”
The words Adam and his wife said after their lapse — the Quran's model of owning a wrong rather than excusing it.
Source: Quran 7:23
- Bukhari 834
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا، وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ، وَارْحَمْنِي، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Allahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathiran, wa la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa anta, faghfir li maghfiratan min 'indik, warhamni, innaka antal-Ghafurur-Rahim.
“O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly, and none forgives sins but You. So forgive me with forgiveness from You, and have mercy on me — indeed You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”
The du'a the Prophet ﷺ taught Abu Bakr to say in his prayer.
Source: Bukhari 834
Quranic du'as on this page: Arabic text — Tanzil Uthmani (public domain); English translation — Marmaduke Pickthall, “The Meaning of the Glorious Koran” (1930), public domain. Translations of hadith du'as are our own.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best du'a for forgiveness?
The Prophet ﷺ named Sayyid al-Istighfar — 'the chief of seeking forgiveness' — the du'a in Bukhari 6306 beginning 'Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta'. The hadith attaches Paradise to whoever says it with certainty and dies that day or night.
What du'a did Adam say?
'Rabbana zalamna anfusana...' — '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' (Quran 7:23).
How often did the Prophet ﷺ seek forgiveness?
The reports describe istighfar as a constant habit rather than an occasional act — Muslim 2702 records him saying he sought Allah's forgiveness a hundred times a day.
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