رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Rabbighfir warham wa Anta khayrur-rahimin
My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of those who show mercy.
The final verse of Surah Al-Mu'minun — Allah's direct instruction on how to ask Him. Two requests (forgiveness and mercy) followed by a declaration of His supreme qualification to grant them: "You are the best of those who show mercy." When you call Allah "khayrur-rahimin," you acknowledge that all human mercy — from parents, friends, doctors — is a fraction of His. Every act of compassion you have ever received was a sample; His is the source. This du'a is brief by design: sometimes the most powerful prayers are the shortest, because they trust Allah to fill in what words cannot express.
Related Du'as
رَبَّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الْأَبْرَارِ
Our Lord, forgive us our sins and expiate our misdeeds, and cause us to die with the righteous.
Sahihرَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
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.
Sahihرَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Our Lord, indeed we have believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
Sahihاللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِّنْ عِندِكَ وَارْحَمْنِي إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly, and none forgives sins except You. So grant me forgiveness from Yourself and have mercy on me. Indeed, You are the Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Sahih