Hadith: O Allah, I am only human. Any Muslim man whom I insulted, cursed, or flogged, make it a means of purification and mercy for him

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«اللهُمَّ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ، فَأَيُّمَا رَجُلٍ مِنَ المُسْلِمِينَ سَبَبْتُهُ أَوْ لَعَنْتُهُ أَوْ جَلَدْتُهُ فَاجْعَلْهَا لَهُ زَكَاةً وَرَحْمَةً».
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه] - [صحيح مسلم: 2601]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"O Allah, I am only human. Any Muslim man whom I insulted, cursed, or flogged, make it a means of purification and mercy for him."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim] - [Sahih Muslim - 2601]

Explanation

The Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated, saying: O Allah, I am only human. I become angry as humans do. So, any believer whom I have harmed, insulted, reviled, cursed, prayed to be expelled from Your mercy, or flogged and struck, make that a source of purification, a means of nearness to You, an expiation, and a mercy by which You show him mercy.

Benefits from the Hadith

1. The noble character of the Prophet (ﷺ).
2. Ibn Hajar said: This Hadīth indicates the perfection of his compassion (ﷺ) for his Ummah, his beautiful character, and his noble nature, as he intended to compensate for what occurred from him with reparation and honor.
3. An-Nawawi said: If it is asked: How could he (the Prophet) supplicate against someone who does not deserve it, or insult him, or curse him, and so forth? The answer is what the scholars have provided, summarized in two points: 1. The intended meaning is that the person is not deserving of that in the sight of Allah Almighty and in the unseen reality of the matter. However, based on outward appearances, he was deserving of it. An indication according to Shariah made it apparent to the Prophet (ﷺ) that the person deserved that, while in the unseen reality, he was not truly deserving. The Prophet (ﷺ) was commanded to judge by outward appearances, and hidden aspects are entrusted to Allah. 2. The insults, curses, and the like that occurred were not intended for their literal meaning. Rather, they were phrases that had become customary in Arabic speech to connect sentences without specific intent, such as saying: May your right hand be covered with dust, ‘Aqra Halqa (expressions of exasperation), and in this Hadīth: May you not grow old!" And in the Hadīth of Mu‘āwiyah: May Allah not fill your stomach, and similar phrases. They did not intend the literal meaning of the supplication in any of these instances. The Prophet (ﷺ) feared that any of these might coincidentally be answered (by Allah), so he asked his Lord, the Majestic and Exalted, and beseeched Him to make that a mercy, an expiation, a means of drawing near (to Allah), a purification, and a reward for the person. But this only occurred from him rarely and on exceptional occasions, and the Prophet (ﷺ) was neither indecent nor one who intentionally used foul language, nor was he someone who cursed others or sought revenge for himself.