The 365 · Sunnah · Day 106 · Speech
Reciting Sayyid al-Istighfār Morning and Evening
The hadith
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
The Prophet ﷺ: 'The master of seeking-forgiveness is to say: Allāhumma anta rabbī, lā ilāha illā ant; khalaqtanī wa-anā ʿabduk; wa-anā ʿalā ʿahdika wa-waʿdika mā staṭaʿt; aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿt; abūʾu laka bi-niʿmatika ʿalayya, wa-abūʾu bi-dhanbī, fa-ghfir lī fa-innahu lā yaghfiru adh-dhunūba illā ant. Whoever says it during the day with conviction and dies that day before evening will be among the people of Paradise; whoever says it at night with conviction and dies before morning will be among the people of Paradise.' (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6306, Shaddād ibn Aws.)
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ: 'Mästarhandlingen för att söka förlåtelse är att säga: Allahumma anta rabbi, la ilaha illa ant... Den som säger det under dagen med övertygelse och dör den dagen innan kväll kommer att vara bland paradisets folk; den som säger det på natten med övertygelse och dör innan morgonen kommer att vara bland paradisets folk.' (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306.)
Sahih Bukhari 6306 (Shaddād ibn Aws)
The story
Shaddād ibn Aws preserved this hadith. The Companions practiced this morning and evening as a structural anchor. The classical scholars: this duʿāʾ is one of the most operationally weighted in the Sunnah because of its explicit Paradise-conditional promise.
Why it's here
Sayyid al-istighfār is the Prophet's ﷺ named master of seeking-forgiveness formulas. The structurally severe promise: whoever recites it with conviction and dies before the day-or-night ends, is among the people of Paradise. The cost is approximately 30 seconds twice daily; the structural reward is the named Paradise-promise.
Try it today
1. Memorize the full duʿāʾ. 2. Recite once each morning (after Fajr or before sunrise) and once each evening (after ʿAṣr or before sunset). 3. Recite with conviction (mūqinan bihā): with presence of heart, not mechanical mumbling. 4. Reflect on the structural elements: lordship-affirmation, servanthood-acknowledgment, covenant-confession, refuge-seeking, blessings-acknowledgment, sin-confession, forgiveness-petition.
In your day
Schedule it on the calendar: morning recitation as part of Fajr-routine; evening recitation as part of ʿAṣr-routine. The cost is the time-allocation; the benefit is the named Paradise-conditional promise.
A reflection to carry
Sayyid al-istighfār: morning and evening with conviction. If you die that day, you are among the people of Paradise. (Bukhārī 6306, Shaddād ibn Aws.)
Read the longer reflection
The Prophetic-named master of seeking-forgiveness formulas. Structural elements: lordship-affirmation, servanthood-acknowledgment, covenant-confession, refuge-seeking, blessings-acknowledgment, sin-confession, forgiveness-petition. The structurally severe promise: morning recitation with conviction → if you die before evening = Paradise; evening → if you die before morning = Paradise. Cure: memorize the full duʿāʾ (about 30 seconds); recite once each morning (after Fajr or before sunrise) and once each evening (after ʿAṣr or before sunset); recite with conviction (mūqinan bihā) with presence of heart; reflect on the structural elements.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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