Sayyidul Istighfar, the master of forgiveness.

Sayyidul Istighfar means "the master of seeking forgiveness". The Prophet ﷺ taught it and said that whoever says it in the day with firm faith and dies before evening is among the people of Paradise, and the same for whoever says it at night and dies before morning.¹

Dua 1: Sayyidul IstighfarMorning and evening

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

Allāhumma anta rabbī lā ilāha illā ant, khalaqtanī wa ana ʿabduk, wa ana ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika mastaṭaʿt, aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿt, abūʾu laka bi-niʿmatika ʿalayya, wa abūʾu laka bi-dhambī, faghfir lī, fa-innahū lā yaghfirudh-dhunūba illā 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 best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour on me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6306, from Shaddad ibn Aws

Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.

Guide

When and how to say it.

When to say it

Say it once in the morning, after Fajr, and once in the evening, after Asr or Maghrib. It is part of the morning and evening adhkar, so if you already say those you are saying it. The promise is for the one who says it muqinan biha, with certainty in it, so read it slowly enough to mean each line.

Meaning, line by line

Transliteration	Meaning
Allahumma anta rabbi, la ilaha illa ant	O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You
khalaqtani wa ana abduk	You created me and I am Your servant
wa ana ala ahdika wa wa'dika mastata't	and I keep Your covenant and promise as far as I am able
a'udhu bika min sharri ma sana't	I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done
abu'u laka bi ni'matika alayya	I admit to You Your blessings on me
wa abu'u laka bi dhanbi	and I admit to You my sin
faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa ant	so forgive me, for none forgives sins except You

Why it is the "master" of istighfar

It holds every part of repentance in a few lines. It begins with tawhid, then admits that you are Allah's servant, renews your promise to Him, seeks refuge from the harm of your own deeds, thanks Him for His favours and confesses your sin, and only then asks for forgiveness. A simple astaghfirullah is also istighfar, but this dua teaches how to ask.

How to learn it

Learn it in four parts: the first two lines, the covenant, the refuge, and the confession with the request. Say it after Fajr and Maghrib for a week, reading from the card above, and most of it will stay with you.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6306.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6306, from Shaddad ibn Aws

Questions

Good to know.

What does Sayyidul Istighfar mean?

"The master of seeking forgiveness". The Prophet ﷺ gave it this name because it is the most complete dua for forgiveness.

What is the reward of Sayyidul Istighfar?

Whoever says it with certainty in the day and dies before evening, or at night and dies before morning, is among the people of Paradise (Bukhari 6306).

How many times should I say Sayyidul Istighfar?

The hadith mentions once in the day and once at night. There is no fixed higher number, so you may say it more often.

Is Sayyidul Istighfar in the Quran?

No. It is a dua from the hadith, narrated by Shaddad ibn Aws in Sahih al-Bukhari.