Istighfar (Arabic: ٱسْتِغْفَار, romanized: istighfār) is the act of seeking forgiveness of Allah in Islam.
This is usually done by saying "I seek the forgiveness of Allah" (Arabic: أَسْتَغْفِرُ ٱللَّٰهَ, romanized: astaghfiru llāha), or "I seek the forgiveness of Allah, my Lord, and turn to him (in repentance)" (Arabic: أَسْتَغْفِرُ ٱللَّٰهَ رَبِّي وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ, romanized: astaghfiru llāha rabbī wa-atūbu ilayhi).
"Istighfar" is derived from the Arabic root غ-ف-ر, which is related to the covering of a thing with that which will keep it clean.
Istighfar, and some other words from the same root such as Ghafir, Al-Ghafoor, Ghaffar, occur in the Qur'an more than seventy times.
[3] In the Qur'an, there are numerous verses on the issue of istighfar, in which Allah commands the believers to always seek his forgiveness and turn to Him.
Some examples of these verses are: Seeking forgiveness has three conditions, with an additional fourth one if the sin involves the violation of another person's rights: Among the etiquette of seeking forgiveness are: Note: Istighfar can be done at any time, above mentioned are a few Sunnahs followed by Prophet Muhammed's teachings.
Though, there is some relevant evidence showing the fact that prophets and angels were also engaged in asking for divine forgiveness.
(Al Quran 42:5) [10] رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا آمَنَّا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ Rabba-nā inna-nā Ãman-nā fa-ʾaghfir la-nā ḏunūba-nā wa-qinā ʿaḏāba -n-nār.