Dua for Repentance
3 Things to Know About Seeking Forgiveness
Every child of Adam errs, and the best of those who err are those who turn back to Allah in repentance, for His door of forgiveness is always open to the one who returns. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught the believers the master of seeking forgiveness, a beautiful supplication in which the servant acknowledges their Lord, their sin and their need for His pardon. The dua for repentance turns the heart back to Allah, seeking His forgiveness with humility and hope in His boundless mercy.
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
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 bidhanbi, faghfir li fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa 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 much as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me, and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.”
Repentance is not only words, but a sincere turning of the heart that involves leaving the sin, regretting it, and resolving not to return to it. This guide explains the dua for repentance and three things to know about seeking forgiveness, so that the believer may turn back to Allah whenever they fall, reciting the master of seeking forgiveness, repenting with sincerity, and holding onto the certainty that Allah loves those who turn to Him and forgives all sins for the one who returns to Him in truth.
The Master of Seeking Forgiveness
The Prophet (pbuh) taught the believers the master of seeking forgiveness, the beautiful supplication quoted above, in which the servant affirms that Allah is their Lord, acknowledges that He created them and that they are His servant, admits their sin and the blessings of Allah upon them, and asks for forgiveness, recognising that none forgives sins but Allah. This supplication gathers the essence of repentance: the acknowledgement of Allah, the admission of sin, and the seeking of His pardon.
The Prophet (pbuh) taught the great reward of this supplication, saying that whoever says it during the day with firm conviction and dies that day before evening will be among the people of Paradise, and likewise whoever says it at night with conviction and dies before morning. This shows how beloved sincere repentance is to Allah and how great its reward. The dua for repentance carries this master supplication, turning the heart back to Allah with humility and hope in His mercy.
Three Things to Know About Seeking Forgiveness
Repentance turns the believer back to the mercy of Allah. These three things help the believer seek forgiveness.
- Recite the master of seeking forgiveness, acknowledging your Lord, your sin and your need for pardon.
- Repent with sincerity, leaving the sin, regretting it, and resolving not to return to it.
- Hold onto hope, for Allah forgives all sins for the one who returns to Him in truth.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ
Innallaha yuhibbut-tawwabin
Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentance
Turning Back to Allah
The dua for repentance turns the heart back to Allah, seeking His forgiveness with humility and hope. By reciting the master of seeking forgiveness, repenting with sincerity, and holding onto hope in the mercy of Allah, the believer seeks forgiveness in the best way. The door of repentance is always open, and the believer who returns to Allah in truth, leaving their sin and seeking His pardon, finds that Allah loves those who turn to Him and forgives all sins for the one who comes back to Him.
This supplication pairs naturally with the dua for hope and the dua for guidance. Together they help the believer turn back to the mercy and guidance of Allah.
The Prophet (pbuh) taught the master of seeking forgiveness, by which the servant turns back to the mercy of Allah. Learn the duas for life with us on YouTube, where the supplications are recited aloud, on TikTok for a reminder to seek the forgiveness of Allah, and on Facebook where readers share their journey of repentance.
Frequently Asked Questions
The dua for repentance is the master of seeking forgiveness the Prophet (pbuh) taught: Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtani wa ana abduk, O Allah You are my Lord, there is no god but You, You created me and I am Your servant, so forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.
The Prophet (pbuh) taught that whoever says the master of seeking forgiveness during the day with firm conviction and dies before evening, or at night and dies before morning, will be among the people of Paradise, showing the great reward of sincere repentance.
Sincere repentance involves leaving the sin, feeling regret for it, and resolving not to return to it. If the sin involved the rights of others, the believer also returns those rights or seeks the pardon of the person wronged.
Yes, Allah declares in His Book that He forgives all sins for the one who turns to Him in sincere repentance, and tells His servants never to despair of His mercy. No sin is too great for the forgiveness of Allah for the one who returns.
The believer seeks forgiveness whenever they fall into sin, and also makes seeking forgiveness a regular habit, for even the Prophet (pbuh) sought the forgiveness of Allah many times each day. The door of repentance is always open.
It is never too late to repent as long as the believer is alive and the final signs have not come, for Allah accepts the repentance of His servant until the last breath approaches. The believer should hasten to turn back to Allah without delay.