5th Kalima (Astaghfar): Arabic, Transliteration, Meaning & Benefits

By Effat Saleh · Founder of islamtics · Sources: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan Ibn Majah · Last updated: May 10, 2026

The 5th Kalima, known as Kalima Astaghfar or the Kalima of Repentance, is the Islamic dua a Muslim recites to ask Allah’s forgiveness for every sin, whether committed knowingly or unknowingly, openly or in secret. It sits between the 4th Kalima (Tawheed) and the 6th Kalima (Radde Kufr) in the traditional list of six kalimas taught in South Asian Islamic schools.

This guide gives you the full Arabic text, an English transliteration, a word-by-word meaning, the Quran and hadith sources that anchor it, when to recite it, and how to memorise it. Where competitor pages say only “this is a hadith”, we explain what scholars actually say, and we walk through the verses and hadiths the wording draws from.

What Is the 5th Kalima (Kalima Astaghfar)?

The 5th Kalima is the Kalima of Astaghfar, a fixed Arabic dua a Muslim recites to seek Allah’s forgiveness for every sin — known or unknown, intentional or by mistake, public or in private. The word astaghfar comes from the root gh-f-r, meaning “to cover” or “to forgive”, which is also where the divine names Al-Ghaffar (the Forgiver) and Al-Ghafur (the Most Forgiving) come from.

In the South Asian madrasa tradition, six short kalimas are taught to every child as a complete summary of belief and practice: Tayyab (testimony of faith), Shahadat (witnessing), Tamjeed (glorification), Tawheed (oneness), Astaghfar (repentance), and Radde Kufr (rejection of disbelief). The 5th Kalima is the one a believer turns to whenever they feel the weight of a fault and want to return to Allah without delay.

What makes this dua distinctive is its scope. It does not ask forgiveness for one specific sin or category. It asks forgiveness for every sin a person has done, including the ones they have forgotten or never noticed. The Prophet Muhammad himself sought Allah’s forgiveness more than 70 times a day, even though Allah had already forgiven him (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307). The 5th Kalima carries that same spirit into the daily life of every believer.

5th Kalima in Arabic, Transliteration & English Translation

Below is the full text of the 5th Kalima in Arabic script, followed by an English transliteration and an English translation. Recite it slowly the first few times, then build it into your daily adhkar after each salah.

اَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ رَبِّىْ مِنْ كُلِِّ ذَنْۢبٍ اَذْنَبْتُهٗ عَمَدًا اَوْ خَطَا ًٔ سِرًّا اَوْ عَلَانِيَةً وَّاَتُوْبُ اِلَيْهِ مِنَ الذَّنْۢبِ الَّذِىْ اَعْلَمُ وَ مِنَ الذَّنْۢبِ الَّذِىْ لَآ اَعْلَمُ اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوْبِ وَ سَتَّارُ الْعُيُوْبِ وَ غَفَّارُ الذُّنُوْبِ وَ لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ اِلَّا بِاللهِ الْعَلِىِّ الْعَظِيْمِ

English Transliteration

Astaghfirullaha Rabbi min kulli dhanbin adhnabtuhu ‘amadan aw khata-an sirran aw ‘alaaniyatan, wa atubu ilayhi minadh-dhambil-ladhi a’lamu wa minadh-dhambil-ladhi la a’lamu, innaka anta ‘allaamul-ghuyub, wa sattaarul-‘uyub, wa ghaffaarudh-dhunub, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil-‘aliyyil-‘azeem.

English Translation

“I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, from every sin I committed knowingly or unknowingly, secretly or openly, and I turn towards Him in repentance from the sin that I know and from the sin that I do not know. Surely You are the Knower of all that is hidden, the Concealer of faults, and the Forgiver of sins. There is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.”

Word-by-Word Meaning of the 5th Kalima

Breaking the dua phrase by phrase makes it much easier to memorise and to feel what you are saying. Each line below maps a small section of the Arabic to its literal English meaning so you can see how the parts fit together.

Notice the structure: it begins with the request (astaghfiru), widens it to cover every kind of sin, then names three of Allah’s attributes — Knower of the unseen, Concealer of faults, Forgiver of sins. It ends with la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, the same phrase the Prophet called “a treasure from the treasures of Paradise” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6384).

Astaghfar vs Istighfar — A Note on Spelling and Meaning

You will see this dua titled both as “Kalima Astaghfar” and “Kalima Istighfar”. Both are correct, and both refer to the same act. The Arabic verb in the dua itself is astaghfir (“I seek forgiveness”), the first-person singular form. The Arabic noun for the act is istighfar (“seeking forgiveness”).

So astaghfir is the verb you say; istighfar is the practice you do; and astaghfar is a relaxed transliteration of the verb often used as a noun in South Asian Urdu and Bengali. None of the three is wrong. When scholars speak of the topic in English, they almost always use istighfar. When South Asian books name the kalima, they usually use Astaghfar. They are the same dua.

Is the 5th Kalima from the Quran or Hadith?

This is the question most readers want answered honestly. The short answer: the wording of the 5th Kalima as we read it today is not narrated as a single verbatim hadith with one chain. It is a compiled dua whose phrases are drawn from the Quran and from several authentic istighfar duas of the Prophet Muhammad. Scholars in the South Asian tradition arranged the six kalimas as a teaching tool, and the 5th was built around the most beloved Prophetic istighfar.

Sayyid al-Istighfar — the Prophet’s Master Istighfar (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306)

The Prophet taught one istighfar he called Sayyid al-Istighfar, “the master of seeking forgiveness”. Shaddad ibn Aws narrated that the Prophet said: “Whoever says it during the day with firm faith and dies on that day before evening, he will be among the people of Paradise; and whoever says it during the night with firm faith and dies before morning, he will be among the people of Paradise” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306).

The wording of Sayyid al-Istighfar is different from the 5th Kalima, but the spirit is the same: a believer admits past failure, asks Allah’s cover, and seeks His forgiveness. The 5th Kalima generalises that act into a phrase a beginner can carry on their tongue from childhood.

How the 5th Kalima Is Derived

The opening “Astaghfirullaha Rabbi” appears in many Prophetic duas. The pairing “knowingly or unknowingly, secretly or openly” matches a hadith narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, where the Prophet asked Allah’s forgiveness for “what I have done knowingly and what I have done in ignorance, what I did in secret and what I did openly” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6398). The closing “la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah” is itself a Prophetic phrase praised in Sahih al-Bukhari 6384.

So the 5th Kalima is best understood as an authentic Sunnah-shaped dua: every clause has roots in the Quran or sound hadith, even if the full sentence is not one continuous narration. It is fully permissible to recite, and the reward of istighfar applies — but if you want a hadith with one chain end-to-end, recite Sayyid al-Istighfar.

Quranic Verses on Seeking Forgiveness

The Quran returns to istighfar in dozens of places. Five verses in particular are the foundation of the believer’s hope every time the 5th Kalima is recited.

• Surah An-Nisa 4:110 — “Whoever does evil or wrongs himself, then seeks Allah’s forgiveness, will find Allah Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.” This is the verse every sinner needs the moment guilt rises.
• Surah Al-Baqarah 2:199 — “Seek Allah’s forgiveness. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Allah commands istighfar even after correct worship.
• Surah Az-Zumar 39:53 — “Say, O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Surely Allah forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” The verse scholars call “the most hopeful verse in the Quran.”
• Surah Nuh 71:10–12 — “Seek your Lord’s forgiveness, for He is truly Most Forgiving. He will shower you with abundant rain, supply you with wealth and children, and give you gardens and rivers.” Istighfar tied directly to worldly provision.
• Surah An-Nasr 110:3 — “Glorify the praise of your Lord and seek His forgiveness. He is certainly Accepter of Repentance.” The last surah revealed about a clear command — instructed the Prophet to keep doing istighfar at the height of victory.

Notice how Surah Nuh promises rain, wealth, and children for those who keep istighfar — three of the most concrete worldly benefits the Quran ties to a single act of worship. That is the Quranic backing every recitation of the 5th Kalima rests on.

Hadiths on Istighfar

The Prophet’s personal practice of istighfar is the strongest model for any Muslim. Four authentic hadiths describe how often and why he sought Allah’s forgiveness.

• Sahih al-Bukhari 6307 — Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said: “By Allah, I seek Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” Seventy times. Daily. From the man whose past and future sins were already forgiven.
• Sahih Muslim 2702 — Al-Agharr al-Muzani reported the Prophet said: “O people, repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness. I myself repent to Him a hundred times a day.” A hundred is the upper benchmark for the daily believer.
• Sunan Abu Dawud 1518 — Ibn ‘Abbas reported the Prophet would say in a single sitting: “Rabbighfir li wa tub ‘alayya, innaka anta-t-tawwabu-l ghafur” — “My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance. You are the Accepter of Repentance, the Forgiver.” Up to a hundred times in one sitting.
• Sunan Ibn Majah 3819 — Ibn ‘Abbas reported the Prophet said: “Whoever clings to istighfar, Allah will appoint for him a way out of every hardship, relief from every anxiety, and provision from where he never imagined.” A single hadith with three guaranteed outcomes: a way out, relief, and provision.

If you want a hadith count for daily practice, settle on the Prophet’s own benchmark: between 70 and 100 times a day. The 5th Kalima is one excellent way to fulfil that Sunnah, and short phrases like “astaghfirullah” or “rabbighfir li” count toward the same total.

7 Benefits of Reciting the 5th Kalima

Each of the seven benefits below is anchored to a verse or hadith, not generic motivation. Recite the 5th Kalima with these promises in mind and the dua starts to feel different.

1. Forgiveness of every sin. Allah promises forgiveness for “all sins” without exception when a believer turns to Him sincerely (Surah Az-Zumar 39:53).
2. Allah’s concealment of your faults. The dua addresses Allah as Sattaarul-‘Uyub, “the Concealer of faults” — and one of His direct gifts to those who seek forgiveness is that He hides their faults from creation.
3. Rain, wealth, and children. Surah Nuh 71:10–12 explicitly ties continuous istighfar to abundant rain, increased wealth, and offspring.
4. A way out of every hardship. The hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas (Sunan Ibn Majah 3819) promises Allah will create a way out for the one who keeps istighfar — even when the situation looks closed.
5. Relief from anxiety. The same hadith promises relief from every anxiety. This is one of the few authentic prescriptions in Islam tied directly to mental and emotional weight.
6. Provision from unexpected sources. The third promise of Sunan Ibn Majah 3819: rizq from a place the believer never imagined. Many of the early generation’s reported provisions came after long nights of istighfar.
7. Following the Sunnah of the Prophet. The Prophet did istighfar 70 to 100 times daily (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307, Sahih Muslim 2702). Reciting the 5th Kalima is one practical way to follow that Sunnah every day.

When and How Often to Recite the 5th Kalima

There is no fixed number prescribed for the 5th Kalima specifically. Use the Prophet’s own daily count as the benchmark: between 70 and 100 times. Spread the recitation across the natural pauses of the day so it stays steady rather than rushed.

• After every fard salah — three times. The Prophet would say astaghfirullah three times immediately after the tasleem (Sahih Muslim 591).
• Morning and evening adhkar — once or three times in each session. Treat it as part of your daily morning and evening remembrance.
• The last third of the night — Allah descends to the lowest heaven and asks who is seeking forgiveness so He may forgive them (Sahih al-Bukhari 1145).
• Whenever you slip — the moment a sin is recognised, recite immediately. The Prophet said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin” (Sunan Ibn Majah 4250).

How to Memorise the 5th Kalima (Step-by-Step)

The 5th Kalima is one of the longer kalimas, but it has a clear structure that makes memorisation easier when you split it into parts.

1. Day 1. Memorise the opening: Astaghfirullaha Rabbi min kulli dhanbin adhnabtuhu. Repeat 20 times after each salah.
2. Day 2. Add the four conditions: ‘amadan aw khata-an sirran aw ‘alaaniyatan. Now recite the whole opening together 20 times.
3. Day 3. Add the turn of repentance: wa atubu ilayhi minadh-dhambil-ladhi a’lamu wa minadh-dhambil-ladhi la a’lamu.
4. Day 4. Add the three attributes: innaka anta ‘allaamul-ghuyub, wa sattaarul-‘uyub, wa ghaffaarudh-dhunub. Use the rhythm of the three rhyming words to lock it in.
5. Day 5. Add the closing: wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil-‘aliyyil-‘azeem. Recite the full kalima 30 times in one sitting.
6. Day 6 onward. Recite three times after every fard salah and once in your morning and evening adhkar. Within two weeks, it will be on your tongue without effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Make the 5th Kalima part of your daily routine. Recite it after every salah, build it into your morning and evening adhkar, and turn to it the moment you slip. Allah promised forgiveness, relief, and provision to anyone who clings to istighfar — there is no smaller act of worship with a larger return.

All Six Kalimas