A dua from the Sunnah

Sayyid al-Istighfar, the best dua for forgiveness

Sayyid al-Istighfar, the dua the Prophet ﷺ called the master of all prayers for forgiveness, begins Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa ant, “O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no god but You,” and is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari 6306.

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ

Transliteration

Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduk, 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 ant

Meaning

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 blessings upon me, and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for no one forgives sins except You.

Urdu meaning

اے اللہ! تو میرا رب ہے، تیرے سوا کوئی معبود برحق نہیں۔ تو نے مجھے پیدا کیا اور میں تیرا بندہ ہوں۔ میں اپنی طاقت کے مطابق تجھ سے کیے ہوئے عہد اور وعدے پر قائم ہوں۔ میں اپنے کیے ہوئے اعمال کے شر سے تیری پناہ مانگتا ہوں۔ میں تیرے حضور تیری جانب سے ملنے والی نعمتوں کا اقرار کرتا ہوں۔ ایسے ہی اپنے گناہوں کا بھی اعتراف کرتا ہوں۔ لہذا میری مغفرت فرما، کیوں کہ تیرے سوا کوئی گناہوں کی مغفرت کرنے والا نہیں ہے

Urdu meaning adapted from the translation by Rowwad Translation Center (HadeethEnc.com).

Sahih al-Bukhari 6306 Sahih

Where this dua comes from

The Prophet ﷺ called this the master of all prayers for forgiveness. He said whoever says it during the day with firm faith and dies before evening, or says it at night with firm faith and dies before morning, is among the people of Paradise.

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6306. Authentic (sahih): Sahih al-Bukhari's narrations are accepted as authentic by scholarly consensus. Sources checked October 21, 2026.

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Translations are approximate. For religious rulings, please ask a qualified scholar.