1.Sayyid al-istighfar, the best way of asking forgiveness
Authentic Prophetic duaاللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
Allāhumma anta Rabbī, lā ilāha illā ant, khalaqtanī wa anā `abduk, wa anā `alā `ahdika wa wa`dika mastaṭa`t, a`ūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣana`t, abū'u laka bini`matika `alayya, wa abū'u laka bidhanbī, faghfir lī, fa'innahu lā yaghfirudh-dhunūba illā ant.
O Allah, You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship but You. You created me and I am Your slave. I keep Your covenant and my pledge to You as far as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I admit to Your blessings upon me, and I admit to my sins, so forgive me, for none forgives sins but You. (Hisn al-Muslim translation (sunnah.com), following the wording of Sahih al-Bukhari)
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6306 · in Sahih al-BukhariHisn al-Muslim no. 79 The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever says it during the day with firm faith in it and dies that day before evening will be among the people of Paradise, and whoever says it at night with firm faith and dies before morning will be among the people of Paradise. (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306 · in Sahih al-Bukhari)
2.I seek Allah's forgiveness and turn to Him (100 times in the day)
Authentic Prophetic duaأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ
Astaghfirullāha wa atūbu ilayh.
I seek the forgiveness of Allah and turn to Him in repentance. (Hisn al-Muslim translation (sunnah.com))
Say 100 timesSource: Sahih Muslim 2702 · in Sahih Muslim; see also Sahih al-Bukhari 6307Hisn al-Muslim no. 96 This is the Prophet's ﷺ own daily practice: he said he sought Allah's forgiveness a hundred times a day (Muslim 2702) and more than seventy times a day (Bukhari 6307). It is not tied to the morning or evening.
3.I seek the forgiveness of Allah, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer
Authentic Prophetic duaأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ
Astaghfirullāhal-ladhī lā ilāha illā huwal-Ḥayyul-Qayyūmu wa atūbu ilayh.
I seek the forgiveness of Allah, besides whom none has the right to be worshipped, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all, and I turn to Him in repentance. (Hisn al-Muslim translation (sunnah.com), adapted to follow the Arabic)
Source: Sunan Abi Dawud 1517 · Sahih (al-Albani)Hisn al-Muslim no. 250 The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever says this is forgiven, even if he had fled from the battlefield. (Sunan Abi Dawud 1517 · Sahih (al-Albani))
Al-Tirmidhi's version (3577) and Hisn al-Muslim add "al-'Azim" after "Allah"; Abu Dawud's text does not have it.
4.My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance
Authentic Prophetic duaرَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَتُبْ عَلَىَّ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
Rabbighfir lī wa tub `alayya, innaka antat-Tawwābur-Raḥīm.
My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance; You are the Accepter of repentance, the Merciful. (Sunan Abi Dawud translation (sunnah.com), adapted to follow the Arabic)
Source: Sunan Abi Dawud 1516 · Sahih (al-Albani) Ibn 'Umar said they counted the Prophet ﷺ saying this a hundred times in a single sitting (Sunan Abi Dawud 1516). Al-Tirmidhi's version (3434) ends "at-Tawwabul-Ghafur".
5.O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly
Authentic Prophetic duaاللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا وَلاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ، وَارْحَمْنِي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Allāhumma innī ẓalamtu nafsī ẓulman kathīran, wa lā yaghfirudh-dhunūba illā ant, faghfir lī maghfiratan min `indik, warḥamnī, innaka antal-Ghafūrur-Raḥīm.
O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly, and none forgives sins but You. So forgive me with forgiveness from You, and have mercy on me; You are the Forgiving, the Merciful. (Hisn al-Muslim translation (sunnah.com), adapted to follow the Arabic)
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 834 · in Sahih al-BukhariHisn al-Muslim no. 57 Abu Bakr asked the Prophet ﷺ for a dua to say in his prayer, and he taught him this (Sahih al-Bukhari 834).
6.O Allah, forgive me all my sins (in prostration)
Authentic Prophetic duaاللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي كُلَّهُ دِقَّهُ وَجِلَّهُ وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ وَعَلاَنِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّهُ
Allāhummaghfir lī dhanbī kullah, diqqahu wa jillah, wa awwalahu wa ākhirah, wa `alāniyatahu wa sirrah.
O Allah, forgive me all my sins, the small and the great, the first and the last, the open and the hidden. (Hisn al-Muslim translation (sunnah.com))
Source: Sahih Muslim 483 · in Sahih MuslimHisn al-Muslim no. 46 The Prophet ﷺ said this in prostration (Sahih Muslim 483).
7.My Lord, forgive me my mistakes and my ignorance
Authentic Prophetic duaرَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي خَطِيئَتِي وَجَهْلِي وَإِسْرَافِي فِي أَمْرِي كُلِّهِ، وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّي، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي خَطَايَاىَ وَعَمْدِي وَجَهْلِي وَهَزْلِي، وَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ عِنْدِي، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ، أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ، وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Rabbighfir lī khaṭī'atī wa jahlī, wa isrāfī fī amrī kullih, wa mā anta a`lamu bihi minnī. Allāhummaghfir lī khaṭāyāya wa `amdī, wa jahlī wa hazlī, wa kullu dhālika `indī. Allāhummaghfir lī mā qaddamtu wa mā akhkhartu, wa mā asrartu wa mā a`lantu, antal-Muqaddimu wa antal-Mu'akhkhir, wa anta `alā kulli shay'in qadīr.
My Lord, forgive me my mistakes, my ignorance and my excess in all my affairs, and what You know better than I do. O Allah, forgive me my errors, what I did deliberately, my ignorance and my jesting, for all of that is in me. O Allah, forgive me what I have done before and what I may do after, what I hid and what I showed. You are the One who brings forward and the One who puts back, and You are Able to do all things. (Sahih al-Bukhari translation (sunnah.com), adapted)
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6398 · in Sahih al-Bukhari Abu Musa said the Prophet ﷺ used to supplicate with this (Sahih al-Bukhari 6398).
8.Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves
From the Quranرَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
Rabbanā ẓalamnā anfusanā wa-in lam taghfir lanā watarḥamnā lanakūnanna mina l-khāsirīna
Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
Adam and his wife after eating from the tree (7:22-23).
9.My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me
From the Quranرَبِّ إِنِّى ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى فَٱغْفِرْ لِى
Rabbi innī ẓalamtu nafsī fa-igh'fir lī
My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
Musa, after he struck a man who then died (28:15-16). The same ayah goes on: "So He forgave him."
10.My Lord, forgive me and my parents
From the Quranرَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيْتِىَ مُؤْمِنًا وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارًۢا
Rabbi igh'fir lī waliwālidayya waliman dakhala baytiya mu'minan walil'mu'minīna wal-mu'mināti walā tazidi l-ẓālimīna illā tabāran
My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house a believer and the believing men and believing women. And do not increase the wrongdoers except in destruction. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
Nuh, at the close of his surah (71:26-28), for himself, his parents, whoever enters his house a believer, and all believing men and women.
11.My Lord, forgive and have mercy
From the Quranرَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ وَٱرْحَمْ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
Rabbi igh'fir wa-ir'ḥam wa-anta khayru l-rāḥimīna
My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of the merciful. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
The last ayah of Surah al-Mu'minun, where Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ: "And say..."
12.Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our excesses
From the Quranرَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِىٓ أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
Rabbanā igh'fir lanā dhunūbanā wa-is'rāfanā fī amrinā wathabbit aqdāmanā wa-unṣur'nā ʿalā l-qawmi l-kāfirīna
Our Lord, forgive us our sins and the excess [committed] in our affairs and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
The devoted followers who fought alongside earlier prophets and did not weaken (3:146-147).
13.Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us
From the Quranرَبَّنَآ إِنَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
Rabbanā innanā āmannā fa-igh'fir lanā dhunūbanā waqinā ʿadhāba l-nāri
Our Lord, indeed we have believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
Those who fear Allah, described in 3:15-17.
14.Our Lord, we have heard a caller to faith
From the Quranرَّبَّنَآ إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِى لِلْإِيمَـٰنِ أَنْ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِرَبِّكُمْ فَـَٔامَنَّا ۚ رَبَّنَا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّـَٔاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ ٱلْأَبْرَارِ
Rabbanā innanā samiʿ'nā munādiyan yunādī lil'īmāni an āminū birabbikum faāmannā rabbanā fa-igh'fir lanā dhunūbanā wakaffir ʿannā sayyiātinā watawaffanā maʿa l-abrāri
Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)] calling to faith, [saying], 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die among the righteous. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
People of understanding, continuing their dua (3:190-194).
15.Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who came before us
From the Quranرَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَٰنِنَا ٱلَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِى قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Rabbanā igh'fir lanā wali-ikh'wāninā alladhīna sabaqūnā bil-īmāni walā tajʿal fī qulūbinā ghillan lilladhīna āmanū rabbanā innaka raūfun raḥīmun
Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
Those who came after the Muhajirun and the Ansar (59:8-10).
16.Our Lord, forgive me, my parents and the believers
From the Quranرَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلْحِسَابُ
Rabbanā igh'fir lī waliwālidayya walil'mu'minīna yawma yaqūmu l-ḥisābu
Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and the believers the Day the account is established. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
Ibrahim, closing his dua (14:35-41).
17.Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us and have mercy on us
From the Quranرَبَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
Rabbanā āmannā fa-igh'fir lanā wa-ir'ḥamnā wa-anta khayru l-rāḥimīna
Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and You are the best of the merciful. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
A party of Allah's servants, quoted on the Day of Judgement to those who mocked them (23:109-110).
18.Your forgiveness, our Lord
From the Quranغُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
Ghuf'rānaka rabbanā wa-ilayka l-maṣīru
[We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
The Messenger and the believers (2:285).
19.Our Lord, perfect our light for us
From the Quranرَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Rabbanā atmim lanā nūranā wa-igh'fir lanā innaka ʿalā kulli shayin qadīrun
Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent. (Saheeh International (quran.com); transliteration: quran.com word by word)
The Prophet ﷺ and the believers on the Day of Resurrection, as their light runs before them (66:8).