Parenting Perspective 

Teaching children specific duas for forgiveness helps them to connect their everyday mistakes to their relationship with Allah Almighty, while also learning the importance of making amends with people. A dua made after hurting someone reminds them that seeking true forgiveness has two essential parts: offering an apology to the person and asking Allah to forgive their mistake. Keeping the duas simple and meaningful will make it easier for children to remember and use them with sincerity. 

Teach Simple, Child-Friendly Duas 

You can start with short, easy-to-remember duas that your child can repeat after they have offered an apology to someone. Good examples include: 

• “Astaghfirullah” (I seek Allah’s forgiveness). 

• “Allahumma ighfir li” (O Allah, forgive me). 

These simple but powerful words help to instil the habit of turning to Allah immediately after a mistake has been made. 

Introduce Duas of the Prophet ﷺ 

As they get older, you can share short prophetic duas that highlight the quality of humility. A beautiful one to teach is: 

• “Rabbighfir li wa tub ‘alayya, innaka Anta At-Tawwabur-Raheem” (O my Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance. Indeed, You are the Oft-Returning, the Most Merciful). 

Pair the Dua with Restorative Action 

Explain to your child the correct sequence of making amends. You can say, “After you say you are sorry to the person you have hurt, it is also important to make dua so that Allah forgives you too. Both parts matter.” This helps them to see that making dua is not a substitute for offering a human apology, but is instead a vital companion to it. 

By teaching these duas, you are helping your child to develop both a sense of accountability towards people and a beautiful habit of sincerity with Allah Almighty. 

Spiritual Insight 

Seeking forgiveness from Allah through dua is a powerful act that cleanses the heart and restores a person’s spiritual connection. Islam teaches that when we wrong another person, our repentance requires both offering an apology to them and seeking the pardon of Allah. Teaching our children to make dua in these moments makes this a deeply spiritual and lasting habit. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Noor (24), Verses 31: 

‘….And all of you turn to Allah (Almighty) for forgiveness, O believers, so that you may find success.’ 

This verse reminds us that our ultimate success lies in returning to Allah Almighty with humility and repentance after we have made a mistake. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the greatest example of this. 

It is recorded in Riyadh Al Saliheen, Hadith 13, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘By Allah, I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.’ 

This teaches us that constantly seeking forgiveness (istighfar) was a core part of the Prophet’s ﷺ own practice, even though he was free from sin. By guiding your child to say these short duas after they have made a mistake, you are nurturing in them the humility to turn back to Allah and the discipline to repair their human relationships. They learn through this process that true and complete forgiveness is both vertical (between them and Allah) and horizontal (between them and other people).