What is Sayyid al-Istighfar, the master supplication for seeking forgiveness?

Sayyid al-Istighfār is the supplication that the Prophet (ﷺ) called the best form of seeking forgiveness, narrated by Shaddād ibn Aws: "Allāhumma anta Rabbī, lā ilāha illā anta, khalaqtanī wa anā ʿabduka, wa anā ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika mā istaṭaʿtu, aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿtu, abū'u laka bi-niʿmatika ʿalayya wa abū'u bi-dhanbī faghfir lī, fa-innahu lā yaghfiru al-dhunūba illā anta" — "O Allah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I hold to Your covenant and promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for none forgives sins but You" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306). The Prophet (ﷺ) added that whoever says it during the day with firm conviction and dies before evening, or says it at night with conviction and dies before morning, will be among the people of Paradise. Its closing words echo the Qur'anic question, "and who can forgive sins except Allah?" (Quran 3:135). It is part of the established morning and evening adhkār and requires no special ritual — only sincerity and certainty in what one is saying.

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