5 du‘as
Forgiveness
A clean slate with your Lord
1The du'a of Yunus
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
Lā ilāha illā anta subḥānaka innī kuntu minaẓ-ẓālimīn.
There is no god but You. Glory be to You; I have certainly been among the wrongdoers.
The story
Yunus عليه السلام called out with this from the belly of the whale. The Prophet ﷺ said no Muslim supplicates with it for anything except that Allah answers him (Tirmidhi 3505, graded sahih by al-Albani).
Qur'an 21:87 · Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3505
2Pardon and well-being
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ
Allāhumma innī as'alukal-'afwa wal-'āfiyata fid-dunyā wal-ākhirah.
O Allah, I ask You for pardon and well-being in this world and the Hereafter.
The story
Ibn 'Umar said the Prophet ﷺ never left these words, morning and evening. This is the opening of a longer supplication.
Sunan Abi Dawud 5074 · Sunan Ibn Majah 3871, graded sahih by al-Albani
3The master of seeking forgiveness
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 'abduk, wa ana 'alā 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastaṭa't, a'ūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣana't, abū'u laka bi-ni'matika 'alayy, wa abū'u laka bi-dhanbī 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 hold to 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 none forgives sins but You.
The story
The Prophet ﷺ called this the master of all prayers for forgiveness, and said whoever says it with conviction in the day and dies before evening, or at night and dies before morning, is among the people of Paradise.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6306
4I have greatly wronged myself
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا، وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ، وَارْحَمْنِي، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Allāhumma innī ẓalamtu nafsī ẓulman kathīran, wa lā yaghfirudh-dhunūba illā ant, faghfir lī maghfiratan min 'indik, warḥamnī, innaka antal-Ghafūrur-Raḥīm.
O Allah, I have greatly wronged myself, and none forgives sins but You. So forgive me with forgiveness from You, and have mercy on me. You are the Forgiving, the Merciful.
The story
Abu Bakr asked the Prophet ﷺ for a du'a to say in his prayer, and was taught this.
Sahih al-Bukhari 834 · Sahih Muslim 2705
5You love to pardon
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Allāhumma innaka 'afuwwun tuḥibbul-'afwa fa'fu 'annī.
O Allah, You are the Pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.
The story
'Aishah asked what she should say if she knew which night was Laylat al-Qadr, and the Prophet ﷺ taught her this.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3513, graded sahih by al-Albani