Istighfar: how to seek forgiveness and why it opens doors
The words of istighfar, the master supplication of forgiveness, and the reported effects of keeping it on the tongue.
Referenced from Qur'an and Sahih al-Bukhari · Last updated 31 August 2026
Istighfar is asking Allah for forgiveness. It is the simplest act of worship and among the most consequential.
What is Sayyidul Istighfar?
The master supplication of forgiveness:
*Allahumma anta Rabbi, la ilaha illa 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 'alayya, wa abu'u bidhanbi faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa anta.*
"Whoever says it during the day with certainty and dies before evening is among the people of Paradise; and whoever says it at night with certainty and dies before morning is among the people of Paradise." (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306)
How often did the Prophet ﷺ seek forgiveness?
"By Allah, I seek Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day." (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307) In another report, a hundred times. He had no sins to erase — which tells you istighfar is not only a remedy, it is a station.
What does istighfar bring?
Nuh عليه السلام said to his people: "Seek forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send rain from the sky upon you in showers, and give you increase in wealth and children, and make for you gardens and rivers." (Qur'an 71:10-12)
And: "Whoever keeps to istighfar, Allah will make for him a way out of every hardship, relief from every anxiety, and provide for him from where he does not expect." (Sunan Abi Dawud 1518)
When is istighfar best?
The pre-dawn hours. Allah praises "those who seek forgiveness before dawn" (Qur'an 3:17) and "in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness" (Qur'an 51:18). This is exactly the window of Tahajjud — which is why the night prayer and istighfar belong together.
What if I repeat the same sin?
Return again. The condition of repentance is sincerity now, not a guarantee about the future. A servant who sins and returns, and sins and returns, is being dealt with by a Lord who said: "Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you" — as long as he keeps returning. (Sahih al-Bukhari 7507)
References
Sahih al-Bukhari — 6306hadith
Sayyidul Istighfar and its reward.
Sahih al-Bukhari — 6307hadith
The Prophet ﷺ sought forgiveness more than seventy times a day.
Qur'an — Surah Nuh 71:10-12quran
The worldly and heavenly effects of istighfar.
Qur'an — Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:18quran
Seeking forgiveness in the hours before dawn.
Sunan Abi Dawud — 1518hadith
A way out of every hardship for the one who keeps to istighfar.
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