Astaghfirullah (Arabic: أستغفر اللّٰه) translates to "I seek forgiveness from Allah." It is short for Astaghfirullah rabbi min kulli zambiyon wa atoobu ilaiyh, the dhikr for Istighfaar (seeking forgiveness and repentance) from Allah. Astaghfirullah may be said by itself or as part of the complete dua, which is:
أسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ رَبي مِنْ كُلِ ذَنبٍ وَأتُوبُ إلَيهِ
Transliteration: Astaghfirullah rabbi min kulli zambiyon wa atoobu ilaiyh
Translation: I ask forgiveness of my sins from Allah, who is my Lord, and I turn towards Him.
Astaghfirullah is commonly recited as dhikr or as an act to seek repentance from Allah for one's sins. While Astaghfirullah is the most common dhikr used for forgiveness, variations such as Allahummaghfirli are also used by Muslims.
Astaghfirullah: As-tagh-fi-rul-laah
As: pronounced like "us" with emphasis on the s.
Sounds like "us."
Tagh: pronounced like "tugh" with emphasis on the gh at the end.
Sounds like: t plus ugh in "ugh," so t-ugh.
Fir: pronounce with more emphasis on fi and less stress on the r.
Sound like Mir in Mirror.
Ullah: pronounced as "ullah" with a heavy emphasis on the ull and less stress on the h, almost like ullaah.
Sounds like ullough in the name Mccullough.
Putting It All Together: As-tagh-fir-ulllaah
Emphasis: The primary focus lies within the first syllable, "Astagh," which may be difficult to pronounce for someone without knowledge of the Arabic and South Asian dialects.
Flow: Maintain a steady flow between the syllables, avoiding breaks between them. This can be achieved by sufficient practice.
Practice: Repeat the dhikr several times. Slowly at first, then in one go by, eventually increasing your speed. The hack to practice is to search for audios of the dhikr. You can do this by searching on YouTube or Google and repeating the dhikr after the video. It will help you get a gist of what syllables require more emphasis and improve your pronunciation.
Seeking forgiveness and repenting from one's sins is a repeated theme in the blessed Quran. Asking for forgiveness and Allah's forgiveness for His believers are repeatedly mentioned, and Muslims have been encouraged to repent. The Quran thus includes several words that stem from the root of غ-ف-ر (gha-fa-ra). This is the same Arabic root from which Astaghfirullah and istighfar are built.
Many of the words that stem from the same root are mentions of Allah's names that describe his attribute of forgiving His believers even when they stray away from Him but then repent. For instance:
The above-mentioned names of Allah appear a total of 91 times in the Quran. One of Allah's unlimited beautiful attributes is His mercy and ability to forgive His believers even when they commit sin after sin and stray towards the path of evil and the immoral.
Many verses in the Quran encourage Muslims to seek Allah's forgiveness. These include:
"And those who, if they commit a shameful act or some wrong against themselves, remember God and seek forgiveness for their sins: For who can forgive except God? They should not be perverse about their doings, knowingly." (3:135)
He who does evil or acts against his interests (by disbelieving), then prays for God's forgiveness, will find God compassionate and merciful. (4:110)
But God would not choose to punish them while you are in their midst nor afflict them when they are seeking forgiveness. (8:33)
Reciting Astaghfirullah has also been mentioned in the Hadith. A few references are given below:
Ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who says: 'Astaghfir ullah-alladhi la ilaha illa Huwal-Haiyul-Qayyumu, wa atubu ilaihi (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),' his sins will be forgiven even if he should have run away from the battlefield (while he was engaged in fighting for the Cause of Allah)." – Riyad-as-Salihin 1874
Abu Hurrairah narrated that I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "I swear by Allah that I seek Allah's Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day." [Riyad-as-Salihin 1870]
The above-mentioned Hadith also encourages believers to constantly indulge in the act of seeking forgiveness (istighfar) from their Lord, as Allah is indeed all-forgiveness and merciful.
Muslims use Astaghfirullah in various situations. The most common are:
Astaghfirullah is a shield that protects Muslims from committing sins. It is a means through which a Muslim remains hopeful; even though they may have committed grievous sins, the door of forgiveness is open. It is the hope that Allah Azzawajal will forgive our sins and wrongdoings if we repent with sincerity.
The dhikr of Astaghfirullah may also be repeated when one has knowingly harmed another human being. Recite Astaghfirullah, but also seek forgiveness from the person you may have harmed. Sometimes, one may be consumed by overwhelming anxiety or guilt after they've committed sins or strayed far away from their faith. Muslims may also recite Astaghfirullah to seek relief from the regret or guilt of their sin and shame.
Astaghfirullah in Islamic culture is also used to express disapproval of another person's actions. For instance: "Astaghfirullah, they are committing grave injustice!" Astaghfirullah can also be used to express humbleness and to seek protection from pride and arrogance. So, for instance, when someone praises another person for something, they may say Astaghfirullah as gratitude to Allah for whatever blessing they are blessed with.
An example is as follows:
Person A: "Your new car is perfect! You surely worked hard and outdid yourself!"
Person B: "Astaghfirullah, Allah has blessed me with everything I have."
Astaghfirullah is also often recited as dhikr after one's mandatory prayers or simply for the remembrance of Allah (dhikr). It has been reported that the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite Astaghfirullah as dhikr.
Astaghfirullah or أستغفر اللّٰه translates to "I seek Forgiveness from Allah"
Istighfar refers to the act of supplication to Allah to protect the supplicant from worldly desires and sins. Astaghfirullah is the actual dhikr that one says to ask for forgiveness for sins and immoral or wrong acts.
By reciting Astaghfirullah, you ask Allah to forgive your sins and express guilt and regret for indulging in sinful acts.
