Forgiveness

Evening Seeking Forgiveness

A forgiveness supplication recorded in the Abu Dawud 1517 tradition.

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ الَّذِي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ

Astaghfirullahal-'azeemal-ladhi la ilaha illa huwal-hayyul-qayyumu wa atubu ilayh

Meaning

I seek forgiveness from Allah the Almighty, besides whom there is no god, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer, and I repent to Him.

Reference

Source: Abu Dawud 1517. Sunan Abi Dawud is one of the six canonical hadith collections; most of its supplication narrations are authentic or hasan.

When to recite

Recite this morning and evening, ideally daily. The hadith promises that whoever says it sincerely in the morning and dies that day, or says it sincerely in the evening and dies that night, enters Paradise.

About this dua

Sunan Abi Dawud is one of the six canonical hadith collections (Kutub al-Sittah). Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani (d. 275 AH) focused on legal and devotional hadith. Most narrations are sound; he noted weak ones explicitly when included. Istighfar — seeking forgiveness — is one of the most repeated themes in the Sunnah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself sought forgiveness more than seventy times daily, despite being sinless. The act is less about specific wrongdoings than about a posture of humility.

Save this dua in Niyat

Niyat bundles 40+ duas (this one is Hisnul Muslim #82) with full Arabic, transliteration, English & Bengali meanings, and reminder scheduling. Free on iPhone.

Download Niyat

Arabic text and references are presented as recorded in the source collections. For detailed authenticity grading or in-depth tafsir, consult a qualified scholar.