Worship
Repentance in Islam: Allah Forgives All Sins
Feeling far from Allah because of past sins? The Quran says “do not despair of the mercy of Allah.” Learn Sayyid al-Istighfar and how to make sincere tawbah.
Reviewed by the Nouf Quran Academy teaching team · Updated
Guilt can push people away from the mosque, the Quran and other Muslims — exactly when they need them most. The message of the Quran is the opposite: come back.
۞قُلۡ يَٰعِبَادِيَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسۡرَفُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُواْ مِن رَّحۡمَةِ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًاۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
“Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful”
وَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ سُوٓءًا أَوۡ يَظۡلِمۡ نَفۡسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسۡتَغۡفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٗا رَّحِيمٗا
“And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful”
The master supplication for forgiveness
Narrated Shaddad bin Aus:The Prophet (ﷺ) said "The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is: '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 bini`matika `alaiya, wa abu'u laka bidhanbi faghfir lee fa innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta." The Prophet (ﷺ) added. "If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise
The Prophet ﷺ sought forgiveness every day
Narrated Abu Huraira:I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying." By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day
Allah is as His servant thinks of Him
Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running
Steps of sincere repentance
- Stop the sin.
- Feel genuine regret.
- Resolve not to return to it.
- If it involved someone else’s rights, return them or seek their forgiveness.
- Follow it with good deeds, and keep saying Astaghfirullah.
Frequently asked questions
Will Allah forgive me if I keep repeating the same sin?
Keep repenting sincerely each time. Allah says “do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins” (Quran 39:53).
What is Sayyid al-Istighfar?
It is the supplication the Prophet ﷺ called the most superior way of asking forgiveness, beginning “Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta…” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306).