Abu Bakr RA and his request

Bismillahi walhamdulillahi 'alaa rasulillah,

What do you make of the amazing incident when the best of the sahabaa RA came to the best of the Prophets sallalahu 'alaihi wassalam to ask for a du'aa to make in his prayers?

عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنهماـ أن أبا بكر الصديقـ رضي الله عنهـ قال للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: يا رسول الله علمني دعاء أدعو به في صلاتي قال: «قل اللهم إني ظلمت نفسي ظلما كثيرا ولا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت فاغفر لي من عندك مغفرة إنك أنت الغفور الرحيم»
رواه البخاري-

Narrated Abu Bakr As-Siddiq RA

I asked Allah's Apostle sallalahu 'alaihi wassalam to teach me an invocation so that I may invoke Allah with it in my prayer. He told me to say,

Allahumma inni zhalamtu nafsi zhulman katheera
Wa laa yaghfiru dzunuba illa anta faghfirlii
Maghfiratam min 'indika war-hamni innaka
Antaghafurur raheem

[saheeh bukhari]

So? what's so special about this du'aa?

For starters, the one who requested the du'aa is the best of all the companions of the Prophet sallalahu 'alaihi wassalam - Abu Bakr RA. The one who entertained the request is the seal of the Prophets and the leader of mankind sallalahu 'alaihi wassalam. So this du'aa was given to the best, by the best…and what is the content of the du'aa?

"Oh Allah! I have wronged myself greatly!"

Subhan Allah! If Muhammad sallalahu 'alaihi wassalam and Abu Bakr RA have wronged themselves greatly, where do we stand? If the two of the finest of Allah’s creation: the first being the leader of mankind sallalahu 'alaihi wassalam, the other whose eiman is heavier than the eiman of the entire ummah combined RA. If they have wronged themselves and they were so adamant in seeking the forgiveness of Allah and begging for the mercy of Allah then really, where do we stand?

How much more have we wronged ourselves in comparison to Rasulullah sallalahu 'alaihi wassalam and Abu Bakr RA, yet we don’t have the same drive to ask Allah’s forgiveness and Allah’s mercy!

We should make it a habit of making this du'aa in our prayers after tashahhud (i.e. when sitting at the end of the prayer), and at other times too. May Allah forgive us our sins and bestow upon us His Mercy, ameen.

ps : credits goes to beloved zauj for the hadeeth - jazakallahu wa khairan kathira :)