Duas for Forgivness - Istighfar
O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you.
[hadith Qudsi]
رَبَّنََآ إنَّنَآ ءَاَمنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَ قِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Rabbana innanā amanna, faghfir lana, dhunoobana wa-qinna 'adhāāban-naar
(Our Lord! we have indeed believed: forgive us, then, our sins, and save us from the agony of the Fire)
[surah Ali' Imran; 3:16]
http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa
سُبْحَنَ رَبِّنَآ إنَّا كُنَّا ظَلِمِينَ
Subhāna Rabbina inna kunna dhalimeen
(Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!)
[68:29]
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 (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (salAllahu allayhi wasalam) said, "The supplication made by the Companion of the Fish (Prophet Yunus (as)) 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 report we read, "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"
[at-Tirmidhi; 3500, an-Nisa'i in `Amal al-yawmi wa al-layla; #656, al-Hakim 1:505 and 2:383. The latter declared it sound (sahih) and Dhahabi confirmed him]
سُبْحَنَكَ تُبْتُ إلَيْكَ وَ أنَاْ أوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Subhānaka tubtu ilaiyka wa 'ana awwal-ul mu'mineen
(Glory be to Thee! To Thee I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe)
[surah al-A'raf, 7:143]
اللَّهُمَّ اعْفِرْلِى ذَنْبِئ كُلَّهُ، و جِلَّهُ، وَ أوَّلَهُ وَ آخِرَهُ عَلا نِيَتَهُ وَ سِرَّهُ
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 1:350]
اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أسْألُكَ يَا اللَّهُ بِأنَّكَ الْوَاحِدُّ الأحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْيَلِدْ وَ لَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُواً أحَدٌ، أنْ تَغْفِرَ لِي ذُنُوبِي إنَّكَ أنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الَّرحِيمُ
Allahumma inni asaluka ya Allahu bi annakal Wahidul Ahadus-Samadul ladhi, lam ya-lid wa lam youlad, wa lam yakullahu kufuwan Ahad, an taghfirali dhunoobi innaka Antal Ghafūūrur Raheem
(O Allah! I ask You, O Allah, You are the One, the Only, Self Sufficient Master, who was not begotten and begets not and non is equal to Him. Forgive me my sins, surely you are Forgiving, Merciful.)
[Abu Dawud, an Nasa'i, ibn Majah, at Tirmidhi]
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَ بِحَمْدِكَ، أشْهَدُ أنْ لا إلهَ إلَّا أنْتَ، أسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَ أتُوبُ إلَيْكَ
Subhanakal-Lahumma wa bihamdik, ash-hadu allaillaha illa ant, astaghfiruka wa'atoobu ilaiyk
(Glory be to You, O Allah, and all Praise, I testify that there is no deity but You, I seek Your Forgiveness and to You do I repent.)
[3 times] [recommended for at the end of meetings, atoning for infractions during it]
[at Tabari, an Nasa'i, al Hakim]
اللَّهُمَّ اِنّى اسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِذَنْبِى وَ اسْئَلُكَ رَحْمَتَكَ
Allahumma inni astaghfiruka li dhanbi wa as'aluka rahmatak
(O Allah! I ask You for Forgiveness for my sins, and for Your Mercy.)
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْلِى خَطَايَاىَ وَ ذُنُوْبِى كُلِّهَا
Allahummaghfirli khatāyaya wa dhunubi kullaha
(O Allah! Forgive all my sins and ommissions.)
رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنآ إِننَسِيَنآ أوْ أخْطَأْ نَا رَبَّنَا وَ لا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَه عَلَى اْلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ج رَبَّنَا وَ لا تُحَمّلْنَا مَا لا طَاقَةَ لَنَابِهِ وَاْعْفُعَنَّا وَ اْغْفِرْلَنَا وَاْرْحَمْنَآ أنتَ مُوْلَنَا فَاْنصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَفِرِينَ
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)
[surah al-Baqarah; 2:286]
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَمَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلا أَنْتَ
Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, 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 Laka bidhanbi faghfirli innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta
(O Allah! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.)
Shaddad ibn Aws (radiAllahu anhu) relates that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said that he (Sayyid al-Istighfar) most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is to say (the above du'a). That "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."
[sahih al-Bukhari; 8,75,318, at-Tirmidhi; 3393, an-Nasa'i; 5522, Ahmad; 16662]
