or he might forget and act upon what he has been forbidden from. "Or made a mistake" refers to that for which the servant fears sin—that he might err, and something results from him for which he fears sin, though he did not intend it. "Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden [isran]," meaning a heavy weight, "like that which You laid upon those before us," meaning the severity that was imposed upon the Children of Israel. That burden included what was forbidden to them, such as fats, every animal with claws, the matter of the Sabbath, and everything they were covenanted not to do, from that which has been made lawful for us. "Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no power to bear," meaning the whispers (waswasa), as per the tafsir of Ibn Abbas.

Yahya: From al-Mubarak, from Abu Hurayrah, that a man said: "O Messenger of Allah, I find myself thinking of things that I would not like to speak about, even if I were given the whole world." He replied: "That is pure faith." "And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people." Al-Hasan said: "This is a supplication that Allah commanded the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the believers to make, and Allah has already informed the Prophet that He has forgiven him."

Yahya: From Hisham, from Qatadah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah has written..."