What is the best du'a for forgiveness?

The best du'a for seeking forgiveness is Sayyid al-Istighfar — the "chief of seeking forgiveness" — which the Prophet ﷺ named as such himself. It combines four things in one short supplication: affirming Allah's lordship and oneness, acknowledging your servitude to Him, admitting His favour upon you, and confessing your sin. The Prophet ﷺ attached a promise to it that he attached to no other du'a.

The du'a

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— Sahih al-Bukhari 6306, from Shaddad ibn Aws رضي الله عنه

*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 bi dhanbi, faghfir li, 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. I keep Your covenant and promise as much as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me, and I acknowledge my sin. Forgive me, for none forgives sins but You."

Why this one is the chief

The Prophet ﷺ did not merely recommend this wording — he gave it a rank. In the narration of Shaddad ibn Aws, he said:

"The chief of seeking forgiveness is that you say: O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You..."— Sahih al-Bukhari 6306, from Shaddad ibn Aws

The name Sayyid al-Istighfar (the master of seeking forgiveness) is his ﷺ own, and it tells you the scholars regard this as the most complete and most virtuous form of asking Allah's pardon. What makes it so is that it gathers together everything a servant needs to bring: tawhid at the opening, humility in "You created me and I am Your servant," resolve in "I keep Your covenant as much as I am able," need in "I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done," gratitude in acknowledging His favour, and honesty in acknowledging the sin — then the request itself, sealed with the reason it will be answered: none forgives sins but Him.

When to say it

The Sunnah ties this du'a to the two ends of the day. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Whoever says it during the day, being certain of it, and dies that day before evening, is among the people of Paradise; and whoever says it at night, being certain of it, and dies before morning, is among the people of Paradise."— Sahih al-Bukhari 6306, from Shaddad ibn Aws

The same promise is reported in Sunan an-Nasa'i 5522 and Sunan Ibn Majah 3872, and Imam at-Tirmidhi records it in Jami at-Tirmidhi 3393. The condition the narration attaches is yaqin — saying it with a present, certain heart, not as a formula on the tongue.

How many times

The narration gives no count. It specifies a time — morning or evening — and a state of heart, not a number. Say it once, in the morning and in the evening, with attention to what you are saying.

If you want more than one

Sayyid al-Istighfar is the best, but the door of seeking forgiveness is wide, and the Prophet ﷺ taught other wordings for other moments. Buraydah رضي الله عنه narrated the same du'a, with the same promise for whoever says it in the morning or the evening (Sunan Abu Dawud 5070).

And the Qur'an itself records the words of the prophets when they turned back to Allah, as in the supplication of Musa عليه السلام:

"My Lord, forgive me" (Qur'an 7:151, cited in al-Mu'allimi's *al-Farq bayna al-Inabah wa al-Tawbah*)

Al-Mu'allimi notes there a fine distinction worth carrying into your own practice: tawbah (repentance) presupposes a prior slip, while inabah (turning back) can be a return to Allah after mere heedlessness, even without a sin. Seeking forgiveness belongs to both.

Key takeaways

Sayyid al-Istighfar is the best du'a for forgiveness, named as such by the Prophet ﷺ himself in Sahih al-Bukhari 6306.
Say it in the morning and in the evening, with a certain and present heart — the promise in the narration is tied to that sincerity, not to repetition.
It gathers tawhid, servitude, gratitude and confession of sin in one supplication, which is why the scholars rank it above other wordings.
No fixed number is prescribed for it; the Sunnah specifies the time, not a count.
Other authentic wordings exist for the same purpose, so if you forget this one, ask forgiveness with whatever you remember — the door is not narrowed to a single formula.

What is the best du'a for forgiveness?

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