Humans are flawed; in one way or another, everyone commits sins. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) knows that, but He wants us not to give in to the temptations of this world, and when we do, we should return to Him with all honesty and seek his forgiveness. Making dua for forgiveness and repentance holds great significance. It shows one's intention that they are seeking Allah's kindness and mercy and that they are taking responsibility for their actions.
Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) assures us in the Quran that "Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful" (Quran 39:53).
Seeking forgiveness and repenting is an act that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) emphasized and taught us to do as well. Narrated by Abu Hurairah, He heard Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) say, "I swear by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) that I seek Allah's Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day" [Riyad as-Salihin 1870].
Praising Allah Duas
The Prophet (SAW) said: "By Allah, I seek the forgiveness of Allah, and repent to Him more than Seventy times in a day".
The Prophet (SAW) said: "O people, repent to Allah, for I verily repent to Him one hundred times a day".
'Astaghfirullaahal-'Adheemal-lathee laa 'ilaaha 'illaa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyoomu wa 'atoobu 'ilayhi.
I seek the forgiveness of Allah the Mighty, Whom there is none worthy of worship except Him, the Living, the Eternal, and I repent to Him(Allah will forgive him even if he has deserted the army's ranks.)
The Prophet (SAW) said: "The closest that the Lord comes to the slave is in the last portion of the night. So, if you are able to be among those who remember Allah in this hour, then be among them".
The Prophet (SAW) said: "The closest that the slave comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so invoke Allah much (in prostration)".
Every human being sins, but the best of sinners are those who repeatedly repent. There is no one fixed dua for forgiveness; you can say 'Astaghfirullah' 100 times a day, or you can say a proper dua over and over again. There are numerous duas that can be found through Hadith and Quran, some of which will be discussed below.
The best way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is by reciting Syedul Astaghfar. Prophet ﷺ says regarding this, "The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is: O Allah, You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship except You. You have created me, and I am Your servant, and I am faithful to Your covenant and promise as much as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me, and I admit my sins. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
The Prophet (ﷺ) added. "If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise." (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306)
In this dua for forgiveness, a servant praises Allah and recognizes His ability to forgive. He admits all his wrongdoings in the past and humbly asks Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) to forgive his sins. This is exactly why it is called the leader of duas for forgiveness, because a human opens his heart in front of His Lord and sits with his sins to realize what wrong he has been doing.
This dua was recited by the Prophet Yunus when he was in the belly of the whale. Despite the difficulties, he didn't lose hope in the mercy of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and asked for repentance. It is one of he most well-known du'as for forgiveness and relief from hardship.
Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Sa'd narrated from his father, from Sa'd that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"The supplication of Dhun-Nun (Prophet Yunus) when he supplicated, while in the belly of the whale, was: 'There is none worthy of worship except You, Glory to You, Indeed, I have been of the transgressors. (Lā ilāha illā anta subḥānaka innī kuntu minaẓ-ẓālimīn)’
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
So indeed, no Muslim man supplicates with it for anything, ever, except Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) responds to him." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3505)
This dua is a recognition of tauheed and humility. It is accepting the fact that, as humans, we've transgressed enough and no one except Allah can forgive us for that.
In the Quran, there is a beautiful supplication made by Adam and Eve when they disobeyed Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and got astray. It is one of the earliest recorded du'as for forgiveness in the Quran.
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَاۗ اَنْفُسَـنَا وَاِنْ لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُوْنَنَّ مِنَ الْخٰسِرِيْنَ
Translation: Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will certainly be lost.
[Qur’an | Surah Al-A’raf | 7:23]
This dua is a recognition of faults without shifting blame to anyone else. It is a hope that only if Allah forgives will we be headed in the right direction. This dua recognizes humans' tendency to err and also the essential role of Allah's mercy.
The dua for forgiveness can be recited at any time of the day. The best time to recite the dua is after obligatory prayers or at the time of tahajjud.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "The closest that the Lord comes to the slave is in the last portion of the night. So, if you are able to be among those who remember Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) in this hour, then be among them". (Hisnul Muslim 251)
It is not necessary to make wudu and then recite this dua. It can be recited whenever you want; however, doing wudu before it is a superior act. The dua can be made on Friday or during rain, or in prostration. It is best to recite this dua in the heart and not out loud.
When making dua for seeking forgiveness and repentance, one must do it with genuine intention that they acknowledge what they have done wrong and that they will never repeat it. It should be made with sincerity and the intention of not making the same mistakes again. One should be remorseful of their act and should not deny their mistakes; instead, acknowledge them and pray to seek Allah's forgiveness. Other than the dua, there are many sunnah practices that can be made when a person is repenting.
The first and foremost act of repentance is to have a true remorse over the sin. Leave the sin immediately and start taking internal breaks from it. The best way is to say Astaghfirullah numerous times a day. Astaghfirullah opens the gates to the blessings of Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). It clears up all the obstacles and makes a person nearer to his Lord.
Make a prayer of repentance as guided by the Prophet ﷺ. This prayer is made after committing any sin, major or minor. It takes courage to return to Allah after being sinful. This two-rakah prayer is a desire to reconnect with Allah and seek His mercy to start fresh.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"There is no one who commits a sin, then purifies himself (makes wudu) and prays two rak'ahs, then asks Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) for forgiveness, but He will forgive him." (Sunan Abi Dawud 1521)
Charity is a good deed that has the power to wash away sins. When there is a firm desire in the heart to ask for forgiveness, then it is better to give sadqah. Anything as little as a penny that is given in the way of Allah to seek forgiveness is considered by the Lord of the Worlds.
Seek forgiveness from Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) with the genuine intention that you will not make the same mistakes again, supplicate in abundance and pray for His mercy and forgiveness.
To repent of sins, one should make dua abundantly and be involved in doing good rather than the bad. One should avoid doing any act that displeases Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and seek forgiveness for the sins one has done.