Istaghfara

To seek God’s forgiveness by asking Him to cover and pardon one’s sins.

What it means

Istaghfara means to ask for forgiveness (maghfira), and in Islamic usage to ask God to pardon one’s sins. The Quran presents it as a path open to all: “Seek forgiveness of your Lord; He is ever Forgiving” (71:10), and it describes the God-conscious as those who remember God and seek forgiveness for their sins when they err (3:135). Muslims say astaghfir Allāh, “I seek God’s forgiveness”, after prayers and in daily life. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself sought forgiveness more than seventy times a day, according to Sahih al-Bukhari, which shows that the practice is for the best of people and not only for sinners. The noun is istighfār.

Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 41, listed as ISTAGHFARA. The definition is restated here.