25.2 Some Prayers of the Messenger Below are some of the prayers he used to say and that he taught some of his Companions. He taught each man according to his ability to assimilate and according to his particular need: "0 Allah, forgive me what I have done, and what I may do; what I profess and what I conceal; forgive me in what I have done to trespass and in what Thou hast more knowledge about than me. Thou bringest forward, and Thou takest backwards. There is no deity but Thee." He was fully aware of the power of Allah to grant anything and therefore he prayed and taught his followers to pray for all their needs, both in this world and the next: Abu Umama said, "I heard the Messenger pray for so many things I could recall none of them" so I said to him, "You have prayed for so many things that I have been able to recall none of them." He said, "Shall I tell you what would collect for you all that I have prayed for? 0 Allah, I ask you for the best of what Your Prophet Mohamed has asked, and I seek Your aid against the worst that Your Prophet Mohamed has sought aid against. You are the support and Yours is the communication. There is no ability and no power without You." Shahr ibn Hawshab says, "I asked Umm Salama (the Prophet's wife) what were the most frequent prayers the Prophet repeated when he was at her house" She said, "Thou who art able to alter hearts, keep my heart steadfast in Thy faith." And also, "0 Allah, make good my religion for me, it is the strength of my being, and make good my world for me, it is the place where I live, and make good the eternal world for me, it is the place of my appointment, Make life an increase for me in all good, and death a rest for me from all evil." When Abu Bakr, who was very close to Mohamed, asked him for a prayer, he gave him the following words, "0 Allah, I have wronged myself greatly and no one can pardon wrong except Thee, so grant me Thy forgiveness and have mercy on me. Thou art the Merciful, the Forgiving." Abu Bakr was a devout Muslim of sublime faith, but the Messenger knew that no man, even the very best, was infallible. All should ask forgiveness, for man is always liable to wrong himself, and he used to tell his Companions, "I ask forgiveness from Allah over seventy times a day." He taught his followers that Allah is near and that prayers are granted so long as they are not reprehensible, that is for something religion forbids, and so long as the person praying has not committed a sin that prevents his prayers from being heard. But patience is required. Patience is a virtue held in very high esteem in the Koran. It is the mark of true faith. The Messenger said, “ "A slave's prayers are answered so long as he does not pray for a sin or the rejection of kin, so long as he does not precipitate matters." When he was asked what was meant by precipitation, he said, "That the man should say: 'I have prayed and prayed and my prayers have not been answered' so he becomes bitter and stops praying." Sometimes a man's prayers are not answered directly (they may not be for his own good), but he may attain something good or even better than what he prayed for because of the purity of his intention. "No Muslim on earth prays for something without getting it, or having its equal of evil diverted from him, unless he is praying for a sin or the rejection of kin." "My Lord, I plead protection from Thy wrath in Thy approval, and in Thy pardon against Thy punishment. I plead for Thy aid. I can recount no praise sufficient for Thee. Thou art as Thou hast described Thyself." One of his Companions asked, 'Prophet of Allah, what shall I say? And he answered, "Say, My Lord, forgive me, have mercy upon me, pardon me, and provide for me. These would combine for you this world and the eternal." He also used to say, "My Lord, I beg for the causes of Thy mercy, the potential of Thy forgiveness, safety from all sin, abundance in all good, the attainment of paradise, and salvation from the fire." And also, "0 Allah, I seek Thy aid against the reprehensible in behavior, deed, and desire." "0 Allah, grant me righteousness and help me against evil from myself."