Nasai

1303. Commentary:

➊ Every human being is subject to shortcomings; therefore, one should continue to acknowledge one’s faults, whether one is aware of them or not. This is the characteristic of a servant, even if he is a Siddiq (the most truthful). Moreover, this supplication is for every member of the Ummah. “Great oppression” refers to the abundance of sins and mistakes, from which no member of the Ummah is safe. And Allah knows best.

➋ This blessed hadith refutes the position that the term “believer” (mu’min) can only be applied to someone who has no sins upon him. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu was the greatest believer in this Ummah, yet the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught him this supplication.

Hadith Commentary:
The relevance of this hadith to the chapter is somewhat difficult to translate.
Some have said that supplicating to Allah Ta'ala is only beneficial when He hears and sees; so when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam instructed Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu to make this supplication, it became evident that He hears and sees.
I say: Subhan Allah, observe the subtle understanding of Imam Bukhari— in this supplication, Allah Ta'ala is addressed in the imperative form and with the second person pronoun (kaaf of address), and addressing Allah Ta'ala in this manner is only correct when He hears, sees, and is present; otherwise, who would address an absent one? Thus, from this supplication, the purpose of the chapter is established.
Secondly, it is mentioned in the hadith: when any of you performs prayer, he whispers to his Lord, and uttering something in a whisper is only effective when the one addressed hears well. So, by combining this hadith with that hadith, it is derived that Allah Ta'ala's hearing is limitless; He, while being above the Throne (‘arsh), hears the whisper of the one praying, and this is precisely the purpose of the chapter.
(Wahidi)

Hadith Commentary:
1.
Some commentators have said that the mentioned hadith does not correspond to the chapter heading because it does not mention Allah Ta’ala being All-Hearing (Samī‘) and All-Seeing (Basīr).
The answer to this has been given by Allamah Kirmani rahimahullah: some sins are such that they are seen or heard; the implication of this supplication is that Allah Ta’ala also sees and hears those sins, and then, according to the servant’s supplication, forgiveness is granted.
(Fath al-Bari: 13/459)
2.
The purpose of the hadith at this point is that the One whom the supplicant calls upon must necessarily be All-Hearing, so that He hears the call of the supplicant at every moment, and He must be All-Seeing,
so that by seeing his condition, He, with His perfect power, conveys to him what he seeks. If He were not so,
then the supplicant’s call would be wasted and futile.
The supplication of the servant and its acceptance by Allah Ta’ala is proof that He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing, All-Powerful, Living, and All-Knowing. Allah Ta’ala has described the helplessness of such false deities who neither hear nor see in these words:
“And who is more astray than one who calls upon, besides Allah, those who will not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection,
and they (such false deities)
are unaware of their supplication and call.” (: al-Ahqaf: 5)
Furthermore, there are several necessary attributes for the one to whom supplication is made, as follows:
© “Existence,” because supplication is not made to one who does not exist.
© “Self-sufficiency,” because no one asks from one who is poor and needy.
© “All-Hearing,” because no one calls upon the deaf.
© “Generosity,” because no one asks from the miserly.
© “Mercy,” because no one pleads with the hard-hearted.
© “Power,” because no one calls upon the weak and helpless.
(Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid by al-Ghunayman: 1/196)
3.
On the basis of these realities, the mentioned hadith is exactly in accordance with the chapter heading, because in this supplication, a person addresses Allah Ta’ala, and addressing Allah Ta’ala is only correct when He hears, sees, and is present.
Otherwise, who addresses the absent?
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The relevance of these hadiths to the chapter heading is in two ways:
٭ The context indicates that the mentioned supplication for seeking refuge (isti‘adhah) should be recited after the tashahhud, as Allamah Kirmani rahimahullah writes:
For every position in the prayer, there is a specific remembrance and supplication, so the mentioned isti‘adhah will be after completing all the pillars, because there are four positions in the prayer that are more important: standing (qiyam), bowing (ruku‘), prostration (sujud), and tashahhud.
In standing (qiyam), there is recitation (of Qur’an); for bowing (ruku‘) and prostration (sujud), there are specific tasbihat and supplications; for tashahhud, this isti‘adhah is prescribed, which is recited before the final salutation (salam).
٭ The hadiths explain one another; thus, Abdullah bin Tawus narrates from his father Tawus that he used to recite the isti‘adhah after the tashahhud.
Then he would narrate it as a marfu‘ (attributed to the Prophet) from Aisha radi Allahu anha.
In addition, it is narrated from Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“When any of you finishes the final tashahhud, let him seek refuge from four things.”
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Masajid, Hadith: 1324 (588))

(2)
When Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu heard from the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that he had been given the choice to recite any preferred supplication after the tashahhud, it is possible that he asked the Prophet at that very moment, and the Prophet instructed him to recite the mentioned supplication.
(Fath al-Bari: 2/414)
Other supplications besides these may also be recited, as it is narrated from Ali ibn Abi Talib radi Allahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to recite this supplication after the tashahhud and before the final salutation (salam):

(اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَفْتُ وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّي أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ)

“O Allah! Forgive me my former and latter sins, those I have concealed and those I have done openly, and whatever excesses I have committed, and those sins of which You are more knowledgeable than I am. You are the One Who brings forward and You are the One Who delays. There is no deity worthy of worship except You.”
(Sahih Muslim, Salat al-Musafirin, Hadith: 1821 (771))

Hadith Commentary: The narration of Hazrat Amr ibn Harith has been connected (mawsul) by Imam Bukhari rahimahullah himself in the Book of Tawheed.

Al-Tabari said: In the hadith of Abu Bakr there is an indication of the refutation of the statement of those who claim that only the one who has no sin or error at all deserves the name of "believer" (mu’min), because al-Siddiq (Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu) is among the greatest of the people of faith, and yet the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught him to say: “Indeed, I have wronged myself greatly, and none forgives sins except You.”

Al-Kirmani said: This supplication is among the comprehensive ones, because it contains the admission of utmost shortcoming and the request for the utmost favor. Forgiveness (maghfirah) is the concealing and erasing of sins, and mercy (rahmah) is the granting of good things. Thus, in the first (forgiveness) is the request for being kept away from the Fire, and in the second (mercy) is the request for entry into Paradise, and this is the great success.

(Fath al-Bari)

That is, in the hadith of Abu Bakr, there is a refutation of the statement of the person who says that the term “believer” can only be applied to one who is absolutely pure and free from sins, whereas who can be a greater believer than al-Siddiq al-Akbar (Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu)? Despite this, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught him this supplication mentioned here, in which there is mention of wronging oneself, i.e., of sins.

Kirmani said that in this supplication is the teaching of admitting to the utmost shortcoming and the request for the utmost favor, because forgiveness (maghfirah) is the concealing of sins, and mercy (rahmah) means the granting of good deeds. Thus, in the first is salvation from Hellfire, and in the second is entry into Paradise, and this is the great objective.

May Allah fulfill this objective for every Muslim.

Ameen.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
This supplication is very comprehensive.
In it, a person acknowledges his own utmost shortcomings, stating that he has greatly wronged himself, and he seeks the highest favor, which is forgiveness and mercy. For with forgiveness, sins are pardoned, and mercy is the means to enter Paradise.
To be kept away from Hellfire and to be granted entry into Paradise is indeed the greatest success.
May Allah fulfill this wish for every Muslim.
Ameen. (2)
From this hadith, it is established that this supplication can be recited during prayer, since in prayer a person is very close to Allah, and therefore supplicating during prayer is the best act.
(Fath al-Bari: 11/158)

Hadith Commentary:
Benefits and Issues:
This hadith proves that every person, no matter how high his rank may be—even if he has attained the rank of Siddiqiyyah (veraciousness)—should consider himself to be at fault and sinful, and should always supplicate to Allah for forgiveness. He should also hold this notion that, “O Allah! Although I am worthless and not deserving of forgiveness, You alone can bestow forgiveness upon me from Yourself. Grant me forgiveness in accordance with Your own relation and Your own majesty. As great as You are, let my forgiveness also be great, encompassing every shortcoming.”

Explanation:
1:
"During the prayer" refers to the last rak‘ah before the salutation (salam).

2:
O Allah! I have greatly wronged myself,
while none forgives sins except You,
so forgive me with Your special grace,
and have mercy on me,
for You alone are the Forgiving and the Merciful.

Benefits and Issues:

➊ One should supplicate abundantly before the salutation (salam) in prayer.

➋ Supplicating for forgiveness of sins is a great virtue.

➌ It is not necessary that a sin has actually been committed in order to make a supplication for forgiveness (du'a al-maghfirah).

Takhrij:
«أخرجه البخاري، الأذان، باب الدعاء قبل السلام، حديث:834، ومسلم، الذكر والدعاء، باب استحباب خفض الصوت بالذكر، حديث:2705.»©Explanation:
From this hadith, we learn that every person should continue to seek forgiveness for his shortcomings and slips, because there is always the possibility of error, mistake, and lapse from a human being.

Even a person like Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu did not consider himself free from this need, although he was granted the title of "Siddiq" by the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Narrator of the hadith: «حضرت ابوبکر صدیق رضی اللہ عنہ » Abu Bakr is his kunyah (patronymic), and as-Siddiq is his title.

His name is Abdullah ibn Uthman.

His father Uthman was famous by the kunyah Abu Quhafah.

He belonged to the tribe of Taym.

After the passing of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he was the first of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.

After the Prophets alayhim as-salam, he is the most virtuous of all human beings.

During the journey of migration to Madinah, he was the companion of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the cave of Thawr.

For this reason, he is called "the Companion of the Cave" (Yar-e-Ghaar).

He was fair-skinned, gentle-natured, and of a slender build.

He is above all praise.

He possessed great determination, steadfastness, and sincerity of purpose.

He was compassionate and tender towards friends and companions, and an unyielding rock against the enemies of Islam and adversaries of the religion.

He passed away in the month of Jumada al-Akhirah in the 13th year of Hijrah.