English
Ali reported: When the Prophet (ﷺ) stood for prayer—in another narration: when he began the prayer—he would say the Takbir and then say:
(I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth, as a pure monotheist, and I am not of the polytheists. Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds, who has no partner. With this, I have been commanded, and I am of the Muslims. O Allah, You are the King, there is no god but You. You are my Lord, and I am Your servant. I have wronged myself and acknowledged my sin, so forgive me all my sins, for none forgives sins but You. Guide me to the best of character, for none guides to the best of it but You. Turn away from me the evil of it, for none turns away the evil of it but You. Here I am, at Your service, and all good is in Your hands, and evil is not attributed to You. I exist by You and for You. Blessed and exalted are You. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You).
When he bowed, he would say:
(O Allah, to You I bow, in You I believe, and to You I submit. My hearing, sight, bones, and nerves are humbled before You).
When he raised his head, he would say:
(O Allah, our Lord, to You is all praise, filling the heavens, the earth, and what is between them, and filling whatever else You will).
When he prostrated, he would say:
(O Allah, to You I prostrate, in You I believe, and to You I submit. My face has prostrated before He who created it, shaped it, and gave it hearing and sight. Blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators).
At the end, between the Tashahhud and the Taslim, he would say:
(O Allah, forgive me for what I have done in the past and what I will do in the future, what I have concealed and what I have declared, and what I have exceeded in. You are the One who brings forward and delays. There is no god but You). [Narrated by Muslim]
In a narration by Ash-Shafi'i, he added:
(And evil is not attributed to You. The guided one is whom You guide. I exist by You and for You. There is no escape from You except to You. Blessed are You).
Commentary and footnotes (2)
Note 1
(1) The three Imams (Abu Hanifah, Malik, and Ahmad) agreed that the opening supplication (dua al-istiftah) in prayer is Sunnah. However, Malik said it is not Sunnah; rather, one should begin with the Takbir and start reciting (Quran). The wording preferred by Abu Hanifah and Ahmad is: "Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika..." The wording preferred by Ash-Shafi'i is: "Wajjahtu wajhiya lilladhi fataras-samawati wal-ard..." (I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth...). Abu Yusuf said it is preferable to combine both, as mentioned in Rahmat al-Ummah and Sharh an-Nuqayah.
Note 1
(۱) قوله: إذا افتتح الصلاة إلخ واتفق الثلاثة على أن دعاء الاستفتاح في الصلاة مسنون، وقال مالك: ليس بسنة، بل يكبر ويفتتح القراءة، وصيغته عند أبي حنيفة وأحمد أن يقول: سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك إلخ». وصيغته عند الشافعي: وجهت وجهي للذي فطر السموات والأرض حنيفا الآيتين. إلا أنه يقول: وأنا من المسلمين». وقال أبو يوسف: المستحب أن يجمع بينهما، قاله في رحمة الأمة»، وكذا في شرح النقاية».