Dua at-Tawbah (Repentance)

This Du'a is taught by the fourth Imam (a) and is Du'a #31 in Saheefa as­sajjadiyyah. The du'a is a touching plea by one who acknowledges the enormity of the sins he has committed. His hope lies only in the mercy and forgiveness of Allah.

Using Qur'anic concepts of repentance, and its acceptance, Imam teaches us how to be sincere in seeking it. The Du'a reiterates the conditions of repentance, the physical signs present on a true repenter, and the legitimate hopes given to one who truly seeks forgiveness. It is a beautifully elegant way of expressing the remorse and hope of a faithful believer who has sinned.

“There is nothing more beloved to Allah than a believer who is repentant, male or female.” [Holy Prophet (s)]

(when describing those who repent) . . “they planted the trees of their sins in front of their eyes and hearts, and watered them with the water of regret. They gained the fruits of peace, followed by the pleasure of Allah, and respect (in His eyes).” [Imam ‘Ali (a)]

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.

O Allah,

O one whom the description of the describers

fails to describe.

O one whom the hope of those who hope

does not surpass

O one with whom the reward of the doers of good

is not lost.

O one who is the ultimate object

of the fear of the worshippers.

O one who is the ultimate aim

of the awe of the pious.

This is the position of one,

whom the sins have alternated between hands,

who is led by the reins of offenses,

and over whom Shaytan has gained mastery.

So he has fallen short of what You commanded him,

through neglect,

and has performed what You forbade him,

through delusion,

like one who is ignorant of Your power over him,

or like the one who denies the grace of Your favour on him.

Until, when the eye of guidance opened for him,

and the clouds of blindness dispersed from him,

he realized the injustice he had done to himself,

اللهم يا من لا يصفه نعت الواصفين ويا من لا يجاوزه رجاء الراجين ويا من لا يضيع لديه أجر المحسنين ويا من هو منتهى خوف العابدين ويا من هو غاية خشية المتقين هذا مقام من تداولته أيدي الذنوب وقادته أزمة الخطايا واستحوذ عليه الشيطان فقصَّر عما أمرت به تفريطا وتعاطى ما نهيت عنه تعزيزا كالجاهل بقدرتك عليه

أو كالمنكر فضل إحسانك إليه حتى إذا انفتح له بصر الهدى وتقشعت عنه سحائب العمى أحصى ما ظلم به نفسه

and pondered over that in which he had opposed his Lord.

Then he saw his great disobedience as enormous

and his great opposition as serious.

So he turned towards You, hoping in You,

ashamed before You,

and he directed his wishes to You,

relying on You.

He turned to you in his longing, with certainty,

and aimed for You in fear, with sincerity,

his longing freed from anything longed for, except You

and his fear removed from anything feared, except You.

So he stood in Your presence, pleading,

lowered his eyes to the ground, humbly,

bent his head before Your might, in lowliness

he confessed to You submissively of his secrets

which You know better than he,

and humbly enumerated his sins

which You have counted better than him.

He cried for Your help for

the dreadful (state) into which

he has fallen in Your knowledge,

and the ugly (sins) which have disgraced him

in Your judgement,

the sins whose pleasures have turned away,

and departed, whose pleasures have departed and passed away

and whose evil consequences have stayed, but whose consequences have stayed and clung.

and stuck fast.

He will not deny, O my God, Your justice if You punish him,

nor will he consider it too great for Your pardon

if You pardon him and have mercy on him,

for surely You are the generous Lord,

He who is not overcome by the forgiving of great sins.

وفكر فيما خالف ربه فرأى كثير عصيانه كثيرا وجليل مخالفته جليلا فأقبل نحوك مؤملاً لك مستحيياً منك ووجّه رغبته إليك ثقةً بك فأمَّك بطمعه يقينا وقصدك بخوفه إخلاصا قد خلا طمعه من كل مطموع فيه غيرك وأفرخ روعه من كل محذور منه سواك فمثَّل بين يديك متضرعا وغمَّض بصره إلى الأرض متخشعا وطأطأ رأسه لعزتك متذللا وأبثَّك من سره ما أنت أعلم به منه خضوعا وعدَّد من ذنوبه ما أنت أحصى لها خشوعا واستغاث بك من عظيم ما وقع به في علمك وقبيح ما فضحه في حكمك من ذنوب أدبرت لذاتها فذهبت وأقامت تبعاتها فلزمت لا ينكر يا إلهي عدلك إن عاقبته ولا يستعظم عفوك إن عفوت عنه ورحمته لأنك الرب الكريم الذي لا يتعاظمه غفران الذنب العظيم

O Allah, so here I am,

I have come to You,

in obedience to Your command in which

You have commanded supplication,

expecting fulfilment of Your promise in which

You have promised to answer,

for You have said:

Call upon me and I will answer you (40:60)

O Allah, so bless Muhammad and his family,

and meet me with forgiveness

as I have met You with my confession,

raise me from the obstacles of sins

as I have lowered myself for You,

and cover me with Your covering

as You have not hastened to punish me.

O Allah,

then make firm my intention to obey You

strengthen my insight in worshipping You,

give me the success to perform actions

which will wash away the pollution of offenses from me,

and cause me to die on Your creed

and the creed of Your Prophet Muhammad,

peace be on him.

O Allah,

I repent to You in this position, from;

my sins, the major ones and the minor,

my evil deeds, the hidden ones and the open,

my errors, past and recent,

the repentance of one who does not tell his soul

to disobey (again),

nor does he think he might return to offenses.

اللهم فها أنا ذا قد جئتك مطيعاً لأمرك فيما أمرت به من الدعاء متنجزاً وعدك فيما وعدت به من الإجابة إذ تقول ادعوني أستجب لكم

اللهم فصل على محمد وآله والقني بمغفرتك كما لقيتك بإقراري وارفعني عن مصارع الذنوب كما وضعت لك نفسي واسترني بسترك كما تأنيتني عن الانتقام مني

اللهم وثبِّت في طاعتك نيتي وأحكم في عبادتك بصيرتي ووفقني من الأعمال لما تغسل به دنس الخطايا عني وتوفني على ملتك وملة نبيك محمد عليه السلام إذا توفيتني

اللهم إني أتوب إليك في مقامي هذا من كبائر ذنوبي وصغائرها وبواطن سيئاتي وظواهرها وسوالف زلاّتي وحوادثها توبة من لا يحدِّث نفسه بمعصية ولا يضمر أن يعود في خطيئة

And You have said, O my God, in Your firm Book,

that You accept repentance from your servants,

that You pardon sins,

and that You love the repenters.

Then accept my repentance, as You have promised,

and pardon my evil deeds as You have guaranteed.

and and grant me Your love, as You have laid down,

And You have my agreement, my Lord,

that I will never return to what You dislike,

and my guarantee that I will not go back

to what You disapprove,

and my promise that I will give up

all acts of disobedience to You.

o Allah, You know better what I have done,

so forgive me what You know,

and change me, by Your power, to what You love.

O Allah,

and on me are obligations;

some of which I remember,

and some of which I have forgotten,

while all of them are before Your eye which does not sleep,

and Your knowledge which does not forget,

so compensate their owners,

and remove their burden from me,

lighten their weight for me,

and protect me from committing them again.

O Allah,

surely I cannot be faithful to my repentance

except with Your protection,

nor can I refrain from offenses

except with Your strength,

so strengthen me with a sufficient strength,

and guard me with a preventive protection.

وقد قلت يا إلهي في محكم كتابك إنك تقبل التوبة عن عبادك وتعفو عن السيئات وتحب التوابين فاقبل توبتي كما وعدت واعف عن سيئاتي كما ضمنت وأوجب لي محبتك كما شرطت ولك يا رب شرطي ألا أعود في مكروهك وضماني ألا أرجع في مذمومك وعهدي أن أهجر جميع معاصيك

اللهم إنك أعلم بما عملت فاغفر لي ما علمت واصرفني بقدرتك إلى ما أحببتاللهم وعليَّ تبعاتٌِ قد حفظتهن وتبعاتٌ قد نسيتهن وكلهن بعينك التي لا تنام وعلمك الذي لا ينسى فعوِّض منها أهلها واحطط عني وزرها وخفف عني ثقلها واعصمني من أن أقارف مثلها اللهم وإنه لا وفاء لي بالتوبة إلا بعصمتك ولا استمساك بي عن الخطايا إلا عن قوتك فقوني بقوةٍ كافية وتولني بعصمة مانعة

O Allah,

many a servant repents to you,

while in Your knowledge of the unseen,

(You know) he will break his repentance,

and return to his sin and evil deeds,

but I seek refuge in You that I should be like that.

So make this repentance of mine,

a repentance after which I will need no repentance,

and a repentance which will cause;

the erasing of what has passed

and safety in what remains.

O Allah, I ask pardon for my ignorance,

and I ask You to disregard my evil deeds.

Therefore, admit me to the shelter of Your mercy,

through Your grace,

and cover me with Your well­being,

through Your favour.

O Allah, I repent to You from everything

that opposes Your will,

or removes Your love,

of the thoughts of my heart,

glances of my eye,

and the utterances of my tongue.

a repentance through which every body part

will remain safe in itself, from Your punishment,

and be safe from what the transgressors fear

of Your painful punishment.

O Allah, so have mercy on:

my being alone before You,

the pounding of my heart in Your fear,

and the trembling of my limbs in Your awe.

My Lord, my sins have placed me in a disgraceful

position in Your presence.

If I remain silent, no­one will speak on my behalf,

and if I seek intercession, I am not worthy of it.

اللهم أيما عبدٍ تاب إليك وهو في علم الغيب عندك فاسخٌ لتوبته وعائدٌ في ذنبه وخطيئته فإني أعوذ بك أن أكون كذلك فاجعل توبتي هذه توبةً لا أحتاج بعدها إلى توبة توبةً موجبةً لمحو ما سلف والسلامة فيما بقي

اللهم إني أعتذر إليك من جهلي وأستوهبك سوء فعلي فاضممني إلى كنف رحمتك تطوّلا واسترني بستر عافيتك تفضلا

اللهم وإني أتوب إليك من كل ما خالف إرادتك أو زال عن محبتك من خطرات قلبي ولحظات عيني وحكايات لساني توبةً تسلم بها كل جارحةٍ على حيالها من تبعاتك وتأمن مما يخاف المعتدون من أليم سطواتك

اللهم فارحم وحدتي بين يديك ووجيب قلبي من خشيتك واضطراب أركاني من هيبتك فقد أقامتني يا رب ذنوبي مقام الخزي بفنائك فإن سكت لم ينطق عني أحد وإن شفعت فلت بأهل الشفاعة

O Allah,

bless Muhammad and his family,

Let Your generosity intercede for my offenses,

Return my evil deeds with Your pardon,

Do not repay me with the punishment I deserve,

Spread over me Your graciousness,

Wrap over me Your covering.

Do unto me that which is done by a great (person)

when a humble servant pleads with him,

and he is merciful to him.

Or like what would be done by a rich man

when a poor slave appears before him,

so he raises him.

O Allah,

There is no protector for me besides You,

so let Your might be my protector.

And there is no intercessor for me with You,

so let Your grace be my intercessor.

My offenses have terrified me,

so let Your pardon assure me.

All that I have spoken (in this Du'a) is,

not from ignorance of the evil effects (of my deeds),

nor from forgetfulness of my objectionable acts in the past

but so that Your heaven and what is in it,

and Your earth and what is on it, may hear

the remorse that I have expressed to You,

and the repentance through which I have sought Your shelter.

Then perhaps some of them will pity my unfortunate position,

or feel compassion for my unfortunate condition,

so that I may get from him,

a prayer more worthy of being listened to with You,

than my prayer,

or an intercession stronger with You ,

than my intercession,

through which will be my deliverance from Your anger,

and my success in winning Your pleasure.

اللهم صل على محمد وآله وشفِّع في خطاياي كرمك وعد على سيئاتي بعفوك ولا تجزني جزائي من عقوبتك وابسط عليَّ طولك وجللني بسترك وافعل بي فعل عزيزٍ تضرع إليه عبدٌ ذليلٌ فرحمه أو غنيٍّ تعرض له عبدٌ فقير فنعشه

اللهم لا خفير لي منك فليخفرني عزُّك ولا شفيع لي إليك فليشفع لي فضلك وقد أوجلتني خطاياي فليؤمنّي عفوك فما كل ما نطقت به عن جهلٍ مني بسوء أثري ولا نسيان لما سبق من ذميم فعلي ولكن لتسمع سماؤك ومن فيها وأرضك ومن عليها ما أظهرت لك من الندم ولجأت إليك فيه من التوبة فلعلَّ بعضهم برحمتك يرحمني لسوء موقفي أو تدركه الرِّقَّة عليَّ لسوء حالي فينالني منه بدعوةٍ هي أسمع لديك من دعائي أو شفاعةٍ أوكد عندك من شفاعتي تكون بها نجاتي من غضبك وفوزتي برضاك

O Allah,

if remorse is (sufficient) repentance in Your sight,

then surely I am the most remorseful.

And if the giving up of disobedience is turning to You,

then I am the first of those who turn to You.

And if seeking of forgiveness removes the sins,

then surely I am of those who seek Your forgiveness.

O Allah,

as You have commanded repentance,

and guaranteed acceptance,

as You have urged supplication,

and promised to answer,

so bless Muhammad and his family,

and accept my repentance,

and do not turn me back disappointed in Your mercy,

for indeed You are the Oft­-Returning to the sinners,

and the merciful to the offenders who turn (to You).

O Allah,

bless Muhammad and his family

as you have guided us through him.

and bless Muhammad and his family,

as You have delivered us through him.

Bless Muhammad and his family,

a blessing which will intercede for us on the of Judgement,

and the day of need,

Surely You have power over all things,

and that is easy for You.

اللهم إن يكن الندم توبةً إليك فأنا أندم النادمين وإن يكن الترك لمعصيتك إنابةً فأنا أول المنيبين وإن يكن الاستغفار حطةً للذنوب فإني لك من المستغفرين

اللهم فكما أمرت بالتوبة وضمنت بالقبول وحثثت على الدعاء ووعدت الإجابة فصل على محمد وآله واقبل توبتي ولا ترجعني مرجع الخيبة من رحمتك إنك أنت التواب على المذنبين والرحيم للخاطئين المنيبيناللهم صل على محمد واله كما هديتنا به وصل على محمد واله كما استنقذتنا به وصل على محمد واله صلوة تشفع لنا يوم القيامة ويوم الفاقة إليك إنك على كل شيئ قدير وهو عليك يسير