What is Sayyid al-Istighfar?
Sayyid al-Istighfar is "the master of seeking forgiveness", a short dua the Prophet ﷺ called the best way to ask Allah for forgiveness. Whoever says it in the morning with firm belief and dies before evening, or says it at night and dies before morning, is among the people of Paradise (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306).
The words of the dua
Here it is in transliteration, followed by the meaning:
Allahumma anta Rabbi, la ilaha illa anta, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduk, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata't. A'udhu bika min sharri ma sana't. Abu'u laka bi ni'matika 'alayya, wa abu'u bi dhanbi, faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa ant.
"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 much as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I admit Your blessings upon me, and I admit my sin, so forgive me, for no one forgives sins except You."
Why it is called the "master" of istighfar
A simple "Astaghfirullah" is already a complete and beautiful request for forgiveness. Sayyid al-Istighfar goes further because it gathers everything repentance is about in a few lines:
- Tawhid: you affirm that Allah alone is your Lord.
- Humility: you call yourself His servant and admit you can only keep your promise "as much as I can".
- Gratitude: you acknowledge His blessings before you mention your mistakes.
- Honesty: you own your sin without excuses, then ask Him alone to forgive.
See What does "Astaghfirullah" mean and how often do I say it?
When to say it
The hadith mentions the day and the night, so most Muslims say it once in the morning adhkar and once in the evening adhkar. See What are the morning and evening adhkar? Many also say it before sleeping, after a slip, or whenever they feel heavy-hearted. There is no fixed number beyond that, and saying it more often is only good.
Learning it as a new Muslim
It's longer than most daily duas, so give yourself time. Learn one line a day, keep it on a card or in your notes app, and read it from there until it sticks. Reading it is fine while you learn. Understanding the meaning matters as much as the Arabic, and until you have memorised it you can also ask Allah for forgiveness in your own words. See Can I make dua in English?
- Sayyid al-Istighfar means "the master of seeking forgiveness".
- The Prophet ﷺ promised Paradise to whoever says it with certainty and dies that day or night.
- Say it once in the morning and once in the evening.
- Learn it line by line and read it from a card until you know it.
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