One night I missed God’s Messenger from the bed, and when I sought him my hand came on the soles of his feet while he was in the act of prostration with them raised, and he was saying, “O God, I seek refuge in Thy good pleasure from Thy anger, and in Thy forgiveness from Thy punishment, and I seek refuge in Thee from Thee.* I cannot reckon Thy praise. Thou art as Thou hast lauded Thyself.”
* This form of words indicates that God alone can give refuge from His wrath.
Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The nearest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so make supplication often.”
Abu Huraira said that the Prophet used to say when prostrating himself, “O God, forgive me all my sins, small and great, first and last, open and secret.”
When a man recites as-Sajda (Al-Qur’an; 32) the devil retires weeping and saying, “Woe is me! The son of Adam has been commanded to prostrate himself and has done so, and will be rewarded with paradise; but I have been commanded to prostrate myself and have refused, so I will be punished with hell.”
