A forgiveness supplication from the Sunnah, narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari.
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 bi ni'matika 'alayya, wa abu'u laka bidhanbi, faghfir lee, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa anta
O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I abide by Your covenant and promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me, and I acknowledge my sin. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6306. This narration appears in Sahih al-Bukhari — the most rigorously authenticated hadith collection in Sunni Islam.
Recite this in the last ten nights of Ramadan, particularly when seeking Laylatul Qadr. Aishah (RA) asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) what to say on that night, and he taught her this exact dua.
Sahih al-Bukhari is considered the most authentic collection of hadith after the Quran. Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH) spent sixteen years selecting the roughly 7,000 narrations in this collection from over 600,000 he had examined, applying strict criteria to chain authenticity. 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.
Niyat bundles 40+ duas (this one is Hisnul Muslim #73) with full Arabic, transliteration, English & Bengali meanings, and reminder scheduling. Free on iPhone.
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