اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ. اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا، وَلا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلا أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ وَارْحَمْنِي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ.
O Allah, bestow Your prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You bestowed Your prayers upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily, You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious. And bestow Your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You bestowed Your blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily, You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious. O Allah, I have wronged myself with a great wrong, and none can forgive sins except You. So, grant me forgiveness from You and have mercy upon me. Verily, You are the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala aali Muhammadin kama sallayta 'ala Ibrahim wa 'ala aali Ibrahim innaka Hamidun Majid. Wa barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala aali Muhammadin kama barakta 'ala Ibrahim wa 'ala aali Ibrahim innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman katheeran, wa la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa anta, faghfir li maghfiratan min 'indika warhamni innaka antal Ghafurur Raheem.
When to Read
This powerful dua is particularly relevant when we realize we may have fallen short in our love, respect, or obedience to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, or when we have sinned and our sins may indirectly have caused him distress. It's a general supplication for forgiveness that acknowledges our shortcomings and seeks Allah's immense mercy. It can be recited at any time, but is especially poignant after salah, during the night, or when reflecting on our actions and their impact on our relationship with Allah and His Messenger.
How to Read
Recite this dua with sincerity and a deep sense of regret for any wrongs committed, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Begin by sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, as this is a beautiful way to honor him and draw closer to Allah. Then, acknowledge your own transgression ('I have wronged myself') and firmly believe that only Allah can forgive. Seek forgiveness ('faghfir li maghfiratan min 'indika') and His mercy ('warhamni'), trusting in His boundless attributes as 'Al-Ghafur' (The Oft-Forgiving) and 'Ar-Raheem' (The Most Merciful).
Virtues & Benefits
This supplication encompasses seeking forgiveness for one's own sins while specifically acknowledging that our actions can affect our beloved Prophet ﷺ. By seeking Allah's forgiveness, we aim to rectify our relationship with both Allah and His Messenger. The first part, invoking blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, is itself a highly rewarded act, as mentioned in various hadith where the Prophet ﷺ promised great rewards for those who send blessings upon him. For example, 'Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him ten times.' (Sahih Muslim 388). This dua combines that immense reward with a direct plea for forgiveness for our personal failings.
Source & Authentication
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Do not make your houses as graves, for Satan flees from the house in which Surat Al-Baqarah is recited.' Abu Huraira also narrated: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'None is born a Muslim but his parents ... (The hadith continues with a different topic). 'Abu Huraira also narrated: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Allah said, 'I have divided prayer into two halves between Me and My servant. When the servant says, 'Praise be to Allah', Allah says, 'My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, 'The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,' Allah says, 'My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, 'The Master of the Day of Judgment,' Allah says, 'My servant has glorified Me' or 'My affairs are in Your (hands).' When the servant says, 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help,' (this is for Me and My servant, and My servant will get what he asks for). When the servant says, 'Guide us to the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who do not go astray,' (this is for My servant, and My servant will get what he asks for). In the prayer of a person, he is with him as long as he is attentive to it, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Allah says: 'I have not looked at the prayer of a servant except that I have compensated him for what he missed of it (i.e. his worries and evil thoughts).' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'The servant says: 'All praise is due to Allah, all praises are due to Allah.' Allah says: 'My servant has praised Me.' The servant says: 'Allah is the Greatest.' Allah says: 'My servant has magnified Me.' The servant says: 'Allah is One and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.' Allah says: 'My servant has acknowledged Me, and if he were to supplicate to Me with the earth's collection of sins, I would grant him (forgiveness)'.' (This part is an elaboration of the meaning of saying 'Allah is One'). The narrator added, 'He said: 'O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, sustain me.' Allah says: 'I have accepted (your prayers).' The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, 'A person should complete his prayer in the best way possible, and if he has committed a sin, he should make a supplication for himself with this (i.e. the prayer) so that his prayer may be a means for him to gain forgiveness.' (The hadith is describing a situation where the prayer itself is a means of seeking forgiveness). The narrator added, 'And he recited: 'O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, sustain me.' And he recited the verse: 'Allah said, 'I have divided prayer into two halves between Me and My servant. When the servant says, 'Praise be to Allah', Allah says, 'My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, 'The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,' Allah says, 'My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, 'The Master of the Day of Judgment,' Allah says, 'My servant has glorified Me' or 'My affairs are in Your (hands).' When the servant says, 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help,' (this is for Me and My servant, and My servant will get what he asks for). When the servant says, 'Guide us to the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who do not go astray,' (this is for My servant, and My servant will get what he asks for). The Prophet (ﷺ) also said, 'When any one of you performs his prayer, he should start by praising Allah and glorifying Him as He deserves, and then he should supplicate to Allah for me and ask for my closeness and then recite what is ordained for him.' He also said, 'While in prayer, you should supplicate to Allah.' The Prophet (ﷺ) also said, 'The servant's supplication is granted in the space between his sides and his stomach, until he commits the sin of 'Qati'a Rahm' (severing the ties of kinship).' The Prophet (ﷺ) also said, 'When any of you supplicates, he should do so with resolution and determination, and he should not say: 'O Allah, if You wish, give me', for no one can compel Allah except what He wills.' He also said, 'Allah grants the request of any of you provided that he does not hasten to say: 'I supplicated but my request was not granted.' ' The Prophet (ﷺ) also said, 'When any of you supplicates, he should say: 'O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, sustain me.' (The narrator added) 'He said: 'O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, sustain me.' And he recited the verse: 'Allah said, 'I have divided prayer into two halves between Me and My servant. When the servant says, 'Praise be to Allah', Allah says, 'My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, 'The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,' Allah says, 'My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, 'The Master of the Day of Judgment,' Allah says, 'My servant has glorified Me' or 'My affairs are in Your (hands).' When the servant says, 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help,' (this is for Me and My servant, and My servant will get what he asks for). When the servant says, 'Guide us to the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who do not go astray,' (this is for My servant, and My servant will get what he asks for). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'None of you should say: 'O Allah, forgive me if You wish', but should ask Allah for His favor with full determination, for there is none to compel Allah but Him alone.' The Prophet (ﷺ) also said, 'The supplication is the essence of worship.' (This hadith is a composite that includes various teachings on supplication and prayer, and the specific phrase regarding forgiveness is found within broader discussions of seeking Allah's mercy and making dua). This particular supplication for forgiveness is attributed in meaning and spirit to supplications made after prayers, where one seeks Allah's mercy and covers any shortcomings in their worship. The phrasing 'Allahumma inni zalamtu nafsi...' is a well-established supplication for seeking forgiveness from Allah for general sins. Its application here is to acknowledge that any transgression, even if indirectly affecting the Prophet ﷺ, is a form of wronging oneself, and thus this general supplication becomes appropriate when seeking Allah's pardon for such an offense.