as in what the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to Abū Bakr al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him), when he asked, “Teach me a supplication to recite in my prayer.” He said:

“Say: ‘O Allah, I have greatly wronged myself, and none forgives sins but You. So grant me forgiveness from Yourself and have mercy on me. Indeed, You are the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’”

Both al-Bukhārī and Muslim included it in their Sahīh collections. This supplication describes the servant’s own condition, which makes him need forgiveness. It also describes his Lord in a way that establishes that none but Him can grant what is sought. It explicitly states the servant’s request and identifies what calls for an answer: the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy. This and similar supplications are the most complete forms of petition.

Many supplications contain some of these elements, such as the words of Moses (peace be upon him):

“You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us. You are the best of those who forgive.”

This combines a request with a description of the Protector in terms that call for an answer.

And his words:

“My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.”

These describe his own condition and express a request.

And his words:

“Indeed, I am in need of whatever good You send down to me.”

These describe a condition that implicitly conveys a request. These, then, are different forms, each with its own distinctive quality. One question remains: why was describing and stating their condition, rather than making an explicit request, more fitting for the man of the whale and others like him?