The one he called the chief way of asking
Said once at either end of the day, with a promise attached.
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ بِنِعْمَتِكَ وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي إِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
Allāhumma anta rabbī lā ilāha illā ant, khalaqtanī wa anā ʿabduk, wa anā ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika mā-staṭaʿt. Aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿt. Abūʾu bi-niʿmatika wa abūʾu bi-dhanbī fa-ghfir lī, innahu lā yaghfiru-dh-dhunūba illā ant
“O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I am on Your covenant and Your promise as much as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour to me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me. None forgives sins but You.”
Known as sayyid al-istighfār, the chief of the ways of asking forgiveness.
Where this comes from
Whoever says it in the morning or the evening and dies that day or that night enters the Garden. The clause in the middle is the honest one: as much as I am able. It does not claim the covenant was kept.
The full narration
Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone says in the morning or in the evening: "O Allah! Thou art my Lord; there is no god but Thee, Thou hast created me, and I am Thy servant and hold to Thy covenant and promise as much as I can; I seek refuge in Thee from the evil of what I have done: I acknowledge Thy favour to me, and I acknowledge my sin; pardon me, for none but Thee pardons sins, and dies during the daytime or during the night." he will go to Paradise
Source
Sunan Abī Dāwūd · 5070
- Al-Albani: Sahih
- Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid: Sahih
- Zubair Ali Zai: Isnaad Sahih