A repenter wants to know some du’aa’s he can recite

Praise be to Allaah.

All praise be to Allaah for the great blessing
which He has bestowed upon you by guiding you to the way of truth after you
had been astray, and for your return to Him after you had been a sinner, neglecting
His laws. We ask Him, may He be glorified, to complete His favour upon you by
guiding you further and making you adhere steadfastly to His religion. As regards
what you should do about your past and how you can make up for what you have
missed, you will find detailed answers in the book “..”I
Want to Repent, But…”,

With regard to du’aa’s to do with repentance that you
can recite every day and whilst at work, al-hamdulillah there are many such
du’aa’s, among the greatest of which are as follows:

“Rabbi’ghfir wa’rham wa anta khayru’l-raahimeen
(My Lord! Forgive and show mercy, for You are the Best of those who show mercy!)”
[al-Mu’minoon 23:118 – interpretation of the meaning].

“Rabbanaa ‘ghfar lanaa dhunoobanaa wa israafanaa
fi amrinaa (Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and transgressions (in keeping
our duties to You).” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:147 – interpretation of the
meaning].

Shaddaad ibn Aws (may Allaah be pleased with him)
reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best prayer for seeking forgiveness is
to say: ‘Allaahumma anta rabbi la ilaaha illa anta, Khalaqtani wa ana
‘abduka wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’dika ma astata’t.
A’oodhu bika min sharri ma sana’tu, aboo’u laka bi ni’matika
‘alayya wa aboo’u laka bi dhanbi, faghfir li fa innahu laa yaghfiru’l-dhunoob
illaa anta (O Allaah, You are my Lord. None has the right to be worshipped
but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant
and my promise (to You) as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the
evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed
upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins,
for nobody can forgive sins except You).” Whoever says this during the
day, having faith in it and dies before the evening comes, will be among the
people of Paradise, and whoever says it during the night, having faith in it,
and dies before the morning comes, will be among the people of Paradise.”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 5831).

Abu Moosa reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite the following du’aa’:
“Allaahumma’ghfir li khatee’ati wa jahli wa israafi fi amri
wa maa anta a’lam bihi minni. Allaahumma’ghfir li jiddi wa hazli wa
khata’i wa ‘amdi wa kullu dhaalika ‘indi. Allaahumma’ghfir
li maa qaddamtu wa maa ajjartu wa ma asrartu wa maa a’lamtu wa maa anta
a’lam bihi minni. Anta’l-muqaddim wa anta’l-mu’akhkhir wa
anta ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer ( Allaah, forgive me for my sin.
My ignorance and my transgression (in keeping my duty to You), and whatever
You know about me better than I do. O Allaah, forgive me for sins committed
in earnest and in jest, by mistake and deliberately, and I have done all of
that. O Allaah, forgive me for what I have done in the past and what I will
do in the future, what I have done in secret and what I have done openly, and
whatever You know about me better than I do. You are the One Who raises and
lowers people’s status, and You are Able to do all things).” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, 5919, and Muslim, 4896. This version reported by Muslim).

Ibn ‘Umar reported that the people counted for the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) when he recited one hundred times in one gathering: “Raabi’ghfir
li wa tubb ‘alayya innaka anta’l-tawwaab ul-ghafoor (My Lord,
forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are the Acceptor of Repentance,
the All-Forgiving).” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3356. He said, This is a
ghareeb saheeh hasan hadeeth). May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.