Sorry in Arabic, asif, asifa and excuse me

To say sorry in Arabic, a man says anā āsif (أَنَا آسِف) and a woman says anā āsifa (أَنَا آسِفَة). The word changes with the person speaking, not the person you are speaking to. For excuse me, say ʿafwan (عَفْوًا), and to accept an apology, say lā baʾs (لَا بَأْس), "it's alright".

Sorry, excuse me and pardon

• Āsif / āsifa: I am sorry. Add jiddan for "very sorry".
• Aʿtadhir: I apologise. A little more formal, and the same for anyone.
• ʿAfwan: excuse me, pardon. It is also the reply to "thank you".
• Maʿdhiratan: my apologies, excuse me.
• Sāmiḥnī (to a man) or sāmiḥīnī (to a woman): forgive me.

Accepting an apology

Lā baʾs means "no harm". Lā ʿalayk means "never mind, it is not on you". In Egypt and the Levant, maʿlesh does the same job and is heard everywhere. A warm way to close it is to give the salam, or to make dua for the person.

Making peace in Islam

Islam asks Muslims not to let a falling-out last. The Prophet ﷺ said: "It is not lawful for a man to cut off his brother for more than three nights, each turning away when they meet. The better of the two is the one who begins with the salam" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6077). So saying sorry, or simply greeting first, is a good deed.

Astaghfirullah, "I seek Allah's forgiveness", is for asking Allah to forgive you. It is a beautiful habit, but it does not replace apologising to the person you wronged.

1. Sahih al-Bukhari 6077, from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.