placing them at the same level as an act of humility before Allah. For that reason a person is never closer to his Lord than when he is in prostration, and—as mentioned earlier—the Prophet ﷺ commanded us to make abundant supplication while prostrating. In that state, both one’s posture and one’s words combine to express humility before Allah. Hence, while prostrating a person says, "Subḥāna rabbī al-aʿlā" (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), indicating that He—glorified and exalted—is supremely high in His essence and His attributes, whereas the human being remains lowly when set against Allah’s Majesty and greatness.
As for the second hadith, it tells us that the Prophet ﷺ would say in his prayer: "Allāhumma ighfir lī dhambī kullah—diqqahu wa jillahu, ʿalāniyatahu wa sirrahu, awwalahu wa ākhirahu" (O Allah, forgive me all of my sin—its minor and its major, its public and its private, its first and its last). This illustrates expansiveness and detail in supplication. Since supplication is an act of worship, the more a person repeats it, the greater his worship of Allah becomes. Through such repetition he calls to mind every sin—those done openly and in secret, those he has concealed, the slight and the serious—and that is the wisdom behind the Prophet’s specifying after making a general request. A believer should therefore be keen to learn and use the supplications transmitted from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, for they are the most comprehensive and the most beneficial. May Allah grant us and you success in all that is good and wholesome.
1430 – ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I missed the Prophet ﷺ one night, so I felt around and found him bowing or prostrating, saying, "Subḥānaka wa bi-ḥamdik, lā ilāha illā ant" (Glory be to You, and to You belongs the praise; there is no deity but You). In another narration she said: My hand touched the soles of his feet while he was in the mosque, standing them upright, and he was saying, "Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bi-riḍāka min sakhaṭik, wa bi-muʿāfātika min ʿuqūbatik, wa aʿūdhu…"