The master supplication for forgiveness

Sayyid al-Istighfar is the name used in Sahih al-Bukhari for a comprehensive supplication taught by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Its title is often translated as “the master supplication for seeking forgiveness.”

The Arabic text

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 بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ.

Transliteration: 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.

The meaning, phrase by phrase

The supplication begins with worship and identity: Allah is the Lord, none has the right to be worshipped but Him, He created us, and we are His servants. It then expresses commitment “as much as I am able,” teaching honesty rather than a claim of perfection.

Next comes refuge from the harm of one’s own deeds. The believer acknowledges Allah’s blessings and also acknowledges personal sin. Gratitude and accountability appear together. The final request is direct: forgive me, because no one forgives sins except You.

When to say it

Sahih al-Bukhari 6306 connects this supplication to the day and the night. The hadith describes saying it during the day with firm faith and also saying it at night with firm faith. For practical daily use, many Muslims include it in their morning and evening adhkar.

How to learn it

Learn one phrase at a time. Read the meaning before repeating the Arabic. Listen to a reliable recitation, but verify the written wording against the cited hadith. Once memorized, pause briefly at the acknowledgements of blessing and sin so the words do not become automatic.

A note about promises in the hadith

The hadith contains a great promise for the person who says this supplication with certainty and dies before the next morning or evening. That promise should be transmitted as the Prophet ﷺ stated it, without turning it into a mechanical guarantee detached from faith and sincerity.