Lit. “The Master of Seeking Forgiveness.”

Sins are the greatest obstacles on our journey to Allah. Thus, istighfār (seeking forgiveness) must be an essential part of our lives.

Allah ﷻ loves to forgive.

There is no one who forgives like Allah. No matter what we may have done, Allah is waiting for us to turn to Him with sincerity and humility and to beg Him for forgiveness. However, we must be sincere and mindful when seeking forgiveness.

Anyone who truly knows himself, recognizes the rights of Allah, and is sincere in his quest will find that reflecting on his bad deeds leaves him feeling devoid of good deeds. He will meet Allah in a state of pure destitution and complete poverty. This is because when he examines the faults of his soul and the shortcomings of his deeds, he realizes they are not worthy of Allah. This “commodity” is not enough to secure safety from His punishment, let alone earn a great reward from Him.

If he performs sincere deeds and finds time to devote himself to Allah, he will understand that this is purely from Allah’s favor upon him — not from himself — for he did not truly deserve it. He remains constantly aware of Allah’s favor toward him and the faults within his own soul and deeds. Whenever he reflects, he sees this clearly.

This is among the most beneficial forms of knowledge for a devoted servant. For this reason, the Master of Seeking Forgiveness is the following supplication:

Narrated Shaddād ibn Aws (رضي الله عنه):

The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“The most superior way of asking forgiveness from Allah ﷻ is:

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

Allahumma anta Rabbi, la ilaha illa anta. Khalaqtani wa ana ʿabduka, wa ana ʿala ʿahdika wa waʿdika mastataʿtu. Aʿudhu bika min sharri ma sanaʿtu. Abu’u laka biniʿmatika ʿalayya wa abu’u laka bidhanbi, faghfir li fa innahu la yaghfiru adh-dhunuba illa anta.

‘O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no deity except You. You created me and I am Your servant. I uphold Your covenant and promise as best as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favors upon me, and I acknowledge my sins. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.’”

The Prophet ﷺ added:

“If someone recites it during the day with firm faith in it and dies that day before evening, he will be among the people of Paradise. And if someone recites it at night with firm faith in it and dies before morning, he will be among the people of Paradise.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (6306)
Grade: Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic)

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Explanation

This supplication contains the servant’s acknowledgment that Allah alone is worthy of worship. It affirms that He is the Creator and that the servant belongs to Him. It recognizes the servant’s inability to fully fulfill what is due to Allah.

It includes the admission that the servant is under Allah’s command and control — his forelock is in His hand — and that he cannot escape Him. No one can help him besides Allah. He affirms his commitment to Allah’s commands and prohibitions, conveyed through His Messenger ﷺ, and that he strives to fulfill them according to his ability — not according to what is truly due to Allah, for that is beyond human capacity.

After affirming belief in Allah’s covenant and promise, the servant seeks protection from the evil consequences of his shortcomings.

In essence, he says:

“If You do not protect me from the evil of my faults, I will perish. I confess my sins and take refuge in Your favor. From You comes grace and bounty, and from me come sins and mistakes. I beg You to forgive my sins, erase them, and save me from their consequences. None but You can forgive my sins.”

This supplication was called the Master of Seeking Forgiveness because it embodies complete servitude. In it, the servant admits the faults of his soul and deeds while recognizing the immense favors of Allah upon him.

End quote.

— Adapted from the book Tawbah: Turning to Allah in Repentance by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (رحمه الله).