Islamic phrase · meaning and usage
Astaghfirullah meaning
Also written Astaghfirullah, Astagfirullah, Astaghfirallah, Astaghfur Allah, Estagfurullah
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ
astaghfirullāh
“I seek forgiveness from Allah”
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Astaghfirullah (أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ) means “I seek forgiveness from Allah”. It is called istighfār. The Prophet ﷺ said it more than seventy times a day, and Muslims say it three times after every prayer.
What Astaghfirullah means
The verb comes from ghafara, to cover. To ask for maghfirah is to ask Allah to cover a sin, forgive it and protect you from its harm. The pattern astaf‘ilu means “I seek”, so astaghfiru is “I seek forgiveness”.
Istighfar is not only for big sins. The Prophet ﷺ, who was forgiven, still said it many times a day, and it is said after acts of worship too, for any shortcoming in them.
Word by word
| Arabic | Say | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| أَسْتَغْفِرُ | astaghfiru | I ask for forgiveness |
| اللَّهَ | Allāha | (from) Allah |
When to say it
- Three times right after the obligatory prayer.
- When you remember a sin or a mistake.
- When you hear or see something wrong (meaning “may Allah forgive us”).
- Many times a day, as general dhikr.
- Before dawn: the Qur’an praises “those who seek forgiveness before dawn” (3:17).
How to reply
No reply is needed. If someone says it after a mistake, you may answer with a dua such as ghafarallāhu lanā wa lakum (“may Allah forgive us and you”).
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ
astaghfirullāha wa atūbu ilayh
I seek Allah’s forgiveness and I repent to Him.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6307
Where it comes from
In the Qur’an
فَقُلْتُ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارًۭا ﴿١٠﴾ يُرْسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًۭا ﴿١١﴾ وَيُمْدِدْكُم بِأَمْوَٰلٍۢ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّٰتٍۢ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَٰرًۭا ﴿١٢﴾
And said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا
And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
In the hadith
“By Allah, I seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6307
“O people, repent to Allah, for I repent to Him a hundred times a day.”
Sahih Muslim 2702
After finishing the prayer, the Prophet ﷺ said astaghfirullah three times, then Allāhumma antas-salām wa minkas-salām, tabārakta yā dhal-jalāli wal-ikrām.
Sahih Muslim 591
Common mistakes
- Saying it without regret. Istighfar with the tongue is good; full repentance (tawbah) adds regret, stopping the sin, and resolving not to return.
- Thinking it is only for major sins. It is daily dhikr, said after worship too.
- Swallowing the “gh”. Say astaghfiru with the gargled ghayn (غ), not “astag-firullah” with a hard g.
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Frequently asked questions
What does astaghfirullah mean?
Astaghfirullah means “I seek forgiveness from Allah”. Saying it is called istighfar.
How many times should I say astaghfirullah?
Three times after each obligatory prayer (Muslim 591). The Prophet ﷺ said it more than 70 times a day (Bukhari 6307), and in another report 100 times (Muslim 2702).
What is the best form of istighfar?
The Prophet ﷺ called a longer dua sayyid al-istighfār, the master of seeking forgiveness (Bukhari 6306). See the full text.
Why do people say astaghfirullah when they hear something bad?
It means “may Allah forgive”: a reaction to sin or bad speech, asking forgiveness and distancing oneself from it.
Is it astaghfirullah or astagfirullah?
Both spellings are common. The Arabic letter is ghayn (غ), so “gh” is closer to the sound.
Related phrases
How this page works and sources
Qur’an text and its English meaning are taken from the same Uthmani text and translation the Niyat app uses, and each ayah links to its place in our Qur’an reader. Hadith are cited by collection and number (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa’i, Sunan Ibn Majah); where a narration has a weak chain we say so. Hadith wording is summarised in plain English. Where the schools of law differ, the page says so in one line. The sound button uses your browser’s own Arabic voice; nothing is sent anywhere.
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