PRAYERS OF REPENTANCE

A Muslim may choose any language and wording to express feelings of remorse and return to God as long as they do not contain expressions contrary to the prophetic teachings.  At the same time, prayers taught by Allah Himself in the Final Revelation, the Quran, or through His Prophet are superior in that they comprise of direct, comprehensive words reflecting humility and proper etiquette of addressing the divine.  Using the words of God in itself is an act of worship for which one will receive additional reward.  Also, the Prophet knew his Lord best and was the most humble of men and intimately close to His Lord.  Consequently, his prayers have a special potency in attracting divine grace, not to mention that many of these words were revealed by God through Gabriel.

I highly encourage my new Muslim brothers and sisters to memorize the words of God and His Prophet to approach their Lord in repentance.  You can say them in English at first, because unlike salah these prayers are not required to be said in Arabic.  But with time, please try to memorize the Arabic text using the transliteration provided.  For one, it brings us back to the source of revelation.  For another, Arabic is the language that unifies all Muslims together.  Remember, God is the source of our strength!

First, we will learn the ‘best prayer of forgiveness.’ The Prophet Muhammad, may Allah praise him, said:

‘Anyone who says it during the day, firmly believing in it, and dies before the evening; or says it in the evening, firmly believing in it, and dies before the following morning, will be among the people of Paradise.’

Transliterated Text

“Allah-humma ’Anta Rób-bee laa ’ilaaha il-la ’Ant.  Kha-laq-ta-ni wa ana ’abduka wa ana ’alaa ’ah-dika wa wa’dika mas-ta-tó’t.  ’A’oodhu bika min sharri ma san’at.  ’Aboo-u la-ka bi ni’mati-ka ’alayy, wa ’aboo-u bi dhan-bee faghfir-lee fa ’in-nahu laa yaghfir udh-dhunuba ’il-la ’Ant.”

“O Allah, You are my Lord.  There is no true god besides You. You created me and I am your slave, following Your covenant and Your promise as much as I can.  I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done.  I acknowledge before You Your blessings bestowed on me and I confess to You my sins.  So forgive me, for surely, no one can forgive sins except You.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawood)

Prayers from Quran

1. “Rub-bana in-nana samiAAna munadiyan yunadee lil-eemani an aminoo birub-bikum faamanna rub-bana faighfir lana thunoobana wakaffir AAanna sayyi-atina watawaffana maAAa al-abrar.”

“Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller [i.e., Prophet Muhammad] calling to faith, [saying], ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed.  Our Lord so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous.”(Quran 3:193)

2. “Rabbi ighfir wairham waanta khayru ar-rahimeen.”

“My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of the merciful.”(Quran 23:118)

3. “Rabbana thalamna anfusana wa-in lam taghfir lana watarhamna lanakoonanna minal-khaasireen.”

“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.”(Quran 7:23)

Short Prayers of the Prophet

1. When a person would accept Islam, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would teach him salah and instruct him to beseech God with the words:

“Allah-humma igh-fir lee war-ham-nee wah-dinee war-zuqnee.”

“O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, and provide for me.”(Saheeh Muslim)

2. Whoever says:

“‘Subhan-Allahi wa-bi-hamdi-hi.’

100 times, his sins will be removed from him even if they are like the foam on the ocean.”(Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

3.The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught us words to be said at the end of a gathering to atone for whatever takes place in it.

“Subhana-kalla humma wa-bi-hamdika.  Ash-hadu al-laa ilaa-haa illaa anta.As-tagh-fi-roo-ka wa-atoobu ilaay-ka.”

“How perfect are You, O Allah, and praised! I testify that there is no true god besides You.  I ask Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.” Al-Tirmidhī, Abu Da'wūd, Hakīm

Have you succumbed to harmful habits that are hurting your faith and testimony? We’ve all been there at one time or another. If guilt and shame now dot your life, and regrets are filling in the blanks of your story, take heart. God offers love, forgiveness, and restoration. If this fits you, here is a prayer for repentance and restoration that can help you find renewed joy, hope, and life:

A Prayer for Repentance and Restoration

Lord Jesus, I’m tired of the sin struggle in my life. I feel distant from You. My choices have not led me into the right places. I’ve listened to the whispers of my enemy instead of Your words in Scripture, and the result has been disastrous.

I once walked with you, my heart tender to Your leading. Yet little by little, I exchanged Your truths for temptations and deceit that led me away from You. Instead of taking thoughts captive and confessing them immediately, I allowed them to grow totally out of control. Repentance was not in my vocabulary. Blame, cover-ups, or trying to reason and rationalize sin never work. They only give birth to deeper sin entanglements.

You created me in Your own image, Lord. You know my thoughts before I speak them. You x-ray my heart and see through my excuses and intentions. Your Spirit warned me, but I ignored You. Disappointment and discouragement have taken their toll on me.

So today I’m confessing my desperate need for You. You have promised that if we will confess our sin, You will forgive us and make us clean again. Lord, I truly need Your forgiveness. Repentance is on my heart and lips. I want to turn around and head another direction—back to You, Lord. But I need Your help.

Just as You created the world out of nothing, Lord, create a clean heart out of my “nothingness.” You paid for my sin with your own death. Restore my life and the fellowship we once shared together. You don’t condemn me, and You won’t disown me; I am Your child forever. But I take all the blame—I own my own sin. I am the one who broke fellowship with You and am crushed over the way I treated You and Your name.

Lord, root out the darkness and light up my life with Your holy presence. Help me understand what went wrong. Show me how my destructive patterns first began. What did I allow to become more important than loving and honoring You? Why did I seek satisfaction in others or other things than You? You are the only One Who provides all my needs. You fill up the soul with deep down joy and peace beyond all understanding.

Lord, may your restoration include new boundaries around my life. I can’t flirt with sin and not be hurt. In restoring me, teach me how to say no again to things which could harm myself or my testimony. If my actions have wounded others, show me where and to whom I need to ask forgiveness or how to make amends. Help me to surround myself with positive encouragers who will hold me accountable and who will speak the truth in love. Truly, shame melts away and we are healed when we confess to others and ask for their help.

I understand that my repentance won’t eliminate the consequences of my sin. Knowing that You don’t hold our sins to our account—You remember them no more--and that You place them as far as the east is from the west both humbles me and fills me with amazement and gratitude. No consequence could ever be as painful as knowing how my sin hurt You or how You suffered for me out of love. Your crucifying death gave me eternal life with You. Lord, You place grace next to my regrets and give me hope for a new future.

Thank You, Lord, that sin does not disqualify us. Instead, like a runner who has fallen but who gets up again, I, too, am willing to start again and finish the race You have set for me.  

With Your restoration, Lord, perhaps I can help others find their way back to You again. I will not give my enemy the victory. Instead, I will accept Yours. Instead of a meltdown, with Your help I will allow Your Spirit to give me a hot heart for You, one that seeks You and wants to live for You the rest of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for Your sweet forgiveness and promised restoration.

Pray this prayer for salvation:

Lord, I admit I am a sinner. I need and want Your forgiveness. I accept Your death as the penalty for my sin, and recognize that Your mercy and grace is a gift You offer to me because of Your great love, not based on anything I have done. Cleanse me and make me Your child. By faith I receive You into my heart as the Son of God and as Savior and Lord of my life. From now on, help me live for You, with You in control.
In Your precious name,
Amen

Rebecca Barlow Jordan is an inspirational author, speaker, and passionate follower of Jesus who loves to encourage others heart to heart. She has written 11 books and over 1700 other articles, greeting cards, and other inspirational pieces. 

This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.