Narrated by Abu Bakr as-Siddiq
Abu Bakr asked the Prophet ﷺ: "Teach me a supplication to say in my prayer." He said: "Say: O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly, and none forgives sins but You, so forgive me with forgiveness from You and have mercy on me; You are the Forgiving, the Merciful."
Sahih al-Bukhari 834, Sahih Muslim 2705
What this hadith teaches
If the best man after the prophets needed to say "I have wronged myself", then all of us do.
Reference and grade
- Grade
- Sahih: agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim
- Narrator
- Abu Bakr as-Siddiq
- Chapter
- How to pray
The hadith in Arabic نص الحديث
قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا وَلاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ، وَارْحَمْنِي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Arabic text of Sahih al-Bukhari 834, as given on sunnah.com.