Astaghfirullah Meaning, Arabic Text, Hadith and Benefits
Istighfar, also known as Astaghfirullah, is the act of seeking forgiveness from Allah. In this post, we will explore its meaning in English, how to write it in Arabic, its benefits from the Quran and Sunnah, pronunciation, the power of Istighfar, and much more.
Astaghfirullah Meaning In English
Al-Istighfaar means seeking for forgiveness. Astaghfirullah means I seek forgiveness from Allah.
No one is free from sins, but the cure is seeking forgiveness, praise be to Allah.
Astaghfirullah in Arabic Text
Here is how to write Astaghfirulllah in Arabic text:
أَسْتَغْفِرُ ٱللَّٰه
No one is free from sins as stated by the Prophet SAW: “All the children of Adam commit sin and the best of them are those who repent.”
The sin committed by the children of Adam may be falling short of an obligation or carrying out a prohibition. No one is free from sins, but the cure is seeking forgiveness, praise be to Allah.
It is reported that Satan said: “I ruin the son of Adam with sins and they also destroy me with La-ilaha-illa- Allah and Istighfaar.
Benefits of Astaghfirullah
There are numerous benefits of saying Astaghfirullah, including:
- It protects the supplicant from the harmful consequences of their sins.
- It increases Allah’s blessings, both material and spiritual.
- It is a way to find inner peace and tranquility.
- It purifies one from the psychological effects of sins.
- Astaghfirullah transforms evil deeds into good deeds.
- Allah unconditionally forgives those who sincerely seek forgiveness.
- Allah provide a way out of every distress and offer sustenance from unexpected sources with Frequent Istighfar
- It opens the doors to sustenance.
- It opens the door to mercy.
- Istighfar opens the door to knowledge.
- It is a gateway to productivity.
- Istighfar is a means of attaining forgiveness, as Allah commands seeking forgiveness in numerous verses of the Qur’an.
Benefits of Seeking Forgiveness
- Brings abundant rain and grants gardens and rivers to those who seek it.
- Attracts Allah’s blessings, providing sustenance in wealth and children.
- Facilitates acts of obedience, increases supplication, and eases sustenance.
- Removes the barrier between humans and Allah, dispelling loneliness.
- Makes the world seem insignificant to the seeker.
- Repels devils, both human and jinn.
- Allows one to experience the sweetness of faith and obedience.
- Gains Allah’s love.
- Increases wisdom and faith.
- Facilitates sustenance and removes worries, grief, and sadness.
- Causes Allah to turn towards the seeker and rejoice in their repentance.
- Brings glad tidings from angels upon the death of the seeker.
- Provides shade from the throne on the Day of Judgment while others are in heat and sweat.
- Makes the seeker among the righteous on the right side of Allah’s allies.
- Achieves purity for the individual and society from evil deeds.
- Invokes prayers from the bearers of the throne of our generous Lord for the seeker.
Ways To Say Astaghfirullah
أسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الَّذِي لا إلَهَ إلا هُوَ الحَيُّ القَيُومُ وَأتُوبُ إلَيهِ
Transliteration: Astaghfirullah-alladhi la ilaha illa Huwal-Haiyul-Qayyumu, wa atubu ilaihi.
Meaning: I seek the forgiveness of Allah, there is no true god except Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, and I turn to Him in repentance.
Another way:
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ
Transliteration: Astaghfirullah wa’atubu ilaih
Meaning: I seek forgiveness to Allah and repent towards Him.
Astaghfirullah in the Quran
Allah (SWT) has emphasized the virtue and significance of seeking forgiveness in many places in His noble book, including:
- Command to Seek Forgiveness:
One of the virtues of seeking forgiveness is that Allah has commanded His servants to do so in numerous verses of the Quran. For instance, He states:
وَاسْتَغْفِرُواْ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
and ask forgiveness of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
Surah Baqara 199
Seeking forgiveness involves verbally asking Allah for forgiveness while repenting sincerely in the heart.
Indeed, merely seeking forgiveness with words, without heartfelt repentance, is not beneficial. In such cases, it is seeking forgiveness for any shortcomings in fulfilling duties and avoiding prohibitions.
The understanding here is that it is not specifically seeking forgiveness for a particular sin but seeking forgiveness for sins in general.
- Allah has praised those who seek His forgiveness in this way.
وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالَاسْحَارِ
and those who seek forgiveness before dawn.
Surah Al Imran verse 17
- Istighfar is among the qualities of the righteous
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُواْ اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَى مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allāh and seek forgiveness for their sins – and who can forgive sins except Allāh? – and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.
Al Imran 135
- Allah forgives those who seek forgiveness
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ يَجِدِ اللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allāh will find Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
Surah An Nisaa 110
- Istighfar brings blessings and goodness and wards off calamities.
فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا (10) يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاء عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا (11) وَيُمْدِدْكُمْ بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَارًا (12) مَّا لَكُمْ لا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا (13) وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا (14)
And said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver (10) He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers (11) And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers (12) What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to Allāh [due] grandeur (13) While He has created you in stages? (14)
Surah Nuh verse 10-14
- Istighfar brings Allah’s mercy
لَوْلا تَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
He said, “O my people, why are you impatient for evil before [i.e., instead of] good? Why do you not seek forgiveness of Allāh that you may receive mercy?”
Surah Naml 46
- Istighfar is among the means to ward off punishment.
وَما كانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ
But Allāh would not punish them while you, [O Muḥammad], are among them, and Allāh would not punish them while they seek forgiveness.
Surah Anfal 33
- Istighfar brings strength and goodness.
وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُمْ مَتاعاً حَسَناً إِلى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى وَيُؤْتِ كُلَّ ذِي فَضْلٍ فَضْلَهُ
And [saying], “Seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him, [and] He will let you enjoy a good provision for a specified term and give every doer of favor his favor [i.e., reward]. But if you turn away, then indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a great Day.
Surah Hud 3
Astaghfirullah in the Sunnah
Al-Aghar Al-Muzannee (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (SAW), whose past and future sins have been forgiven, said:
“Sometimes I perceive a veil over my heart,” meaning a cover or fog, “and I supplicate Allah for forgiveness a hundred times in a day.” He would say Astaghfirullah a hundred times a day.
If the Prophet (SAW), whose past and future sins were forgiven, did this, what about us?
Our hearts are often deadened by numerous sins, preventing us from paying attention to our actions. Consequently, those heedless of this matter seek forgiveness infrequently.
The Prophet (SAW) also stated that among Allah’s blessings is that when His servants sin and ask for forgiveness, He forgives them.
He reported: “If you do not commit sins, Allah would replace you with a people who would commit sins and seek forgiveness from Allah, and Allah would certainly forgive them.”
This encourages us to seek forgiveness frequently to attain the level of those who constantly seek it. As reported by Abu Dawud, the Prophet (SAW) said:
“If anyone constantly seeks pardon (from Allah), Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide sustenance for him from where he expects not.”
The hadiths regarding the virtues of seeking forgiveness, commending those who do it, and exhorting towards it are numerous.
Therefore, my brother, you should seek forgiveness frequently. Let your most frequently spoken words be: “O Allah forgive me,” “O Allah have mercy on me,” “I ask Allah for forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance,” and similar phrases.
The excellence of Istighfar is reflected in Allah’s statement: “If your sins should pile up to the sky and you seek pardon of Me, I would forgive you.”
Thus, if a person’s sins were to reach the sky and they seek Allah’s Forgiveness, Allah will forgive them.
Allah has said that whoever does evil or wrongs their soul and then seeks forgiveness from Allah will find Him Most-Forgiving and Most-Merciful.
No matter the sin, if you seek Allah’s Forgiveness, He will forgive you. The Prophet (SAW) also instructed women to give charity and diligently seek forgiveness from Allah, noting that the majority of Hell’s dwellers are women. This shows that seeking forgiveness is a barrier to entering Hell.
Therefore, my brother, seek forgiveness frequently by saying: Astaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah) and Allahummagh-firlee war-hamnee (O Allah! Forgive me and have mercy on me).
These words are easy to say and beneficial. Allah alone grants success.
