Duas for forgiveness & tawbah. After a slip, before a slip
The first supplication Allah (SWT) taught humanity is the supplication of repentance: the words Adam (AS) and Hawa (AS) said after their slip in the garden. It is the template every tawbah has followed since.
10 sourced Du'as Arabic, transliteration, meaning, and source
Rabbana la tu'akhidhna in nasina aw akhta'na. Rabbana wa la tahmil 'alayna isran kama hamaltahu 'ala-lladhina min qablina. Rabbana wa la tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bih, wa'fu 'anna, wa-ghfir lana, wa-rhamna, anta Mawlana fa-nsurna 'ala-l-qawmi-l-kafirin.
“Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or err. Our Lord, lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, burden us not with what we have no strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against those who reject faith.”
Quran 2:286
The closing two verses of Surat al-Baqarah, whoever recites them at night, they suffice him.
La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka, inni kuntu mina-dh-dhalimin.
“There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.”
Quran 21:87 · Jami at-Tirmidhi 3505 (sahih)
The prayer of Prophet Yunus (AS) in profound distress: it begins with Allah's oneness, glorifies Him above every imperfection, and honestly admits one's own wrong. It is a sound dua when you feel trapped, regretful, or desperate for relief.
“Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent.”
Quran 66:8
A prayer for complete light and forgiveness on the Day believers will need both. It asks Allah (SWT) to carry faith to its good completion, not merely to give a promising beginning.
Allahumma anta Rabbi, la ilaha illa Anta, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduk, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika ma-stata't, a'udhu bika min sharri ma sana't, abu'u laka bi ni'matika 'alayya, wa abu'u laka bi dhanbi, faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfiru-dh-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 Your promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin. So forgive me, for no one forgives sins except You.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6306
The Prophet ﷺ said whoever recites this with conviction in the morning and dies that day before evening is of the people of paradise. Same at evening.
Allahumma inni as'aluka-l-'afwa wa-l-'afiyata fi-d-dunya wa-l-akhira. Allahumma inni as'aluka-l-'afwa wa-l-'afiyata fi dini wa dunyaya wa ahli wa mali. Allahumma-stur 'awrati wa amin raw'ati. Allahumma-hfadhni min bayni yadayya wa min khalfi, wa 'an yamini wa 'an shimali, wa min fawqi, wa a'udhu bi 'adhamatika an ughtala min tahti.
“O Allah, I ask You for pardon and well-being in this life and the next. O Allah, I ask You for pardon and well-being in my religion, my worldly affairs, my family, and my wealth. O Allah, conceal my faults and set my fears at ease. O Allah, guard me from in front of me and behind me, to my right and to my left, and from above me. I seek refuge in Your greatness lest I be taken unaware from beneath me.”
Sunan Abi Dawud 5074, Sunan Ibn Majah 3871 (sahih)
Allahumma inni dhalamtu nafsi dhulman katheeran, wa la yaghfiru-dh-dhunuba illa ant, faghfir li maghfiratan min 'indik, warhamni, innaka anta-l-Ghafuru-r-Raheem.
“O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly, and none forgives sins except You. So grant me forgiveness from Yourself and have mercy on me. Indeed, You are the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 834
Abu Bakr asked the Prophet ﷺ for a du'a to say in his salah, and this was the answer he was given.