Duas to Recite After Starting Prayers: Which Duas Did Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Recite After Performing Prayer?
The prayers recited by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when beginning and performing prayer add deep meaning to Muslims’ worship. These supplications express praise for Allah and offer the finest examples of servitude. According to a narration from Ali bin Abu Talib (RA):
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for prayer, he would say Takbir and then recite the following supplications:
“I have turned my entire being to Him who created the heavens and the earth, I am not of the polytheists. Surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are [directed] to Allah, Lord of the worlds, without partnership. I am commanded thus, and I am of those who submit [in Islam].” (An’am 163)
“O Allah, You are the Sovereign; there is no deity except You. You are all that is worshipped, You are my Lord, and I am Your servant. I have wronged myself, and I confess my sins, so forgive me my sins, for none can forgive them except You.”
“Guide me to the best of character traits, for no one can guide me [to] the best except You, and turn me away from bad character traits, for no one can turn me away from them except You. I am ready to obey Your orders, and I continue in worshiping You. All good is in Your hand.”
“I have turned to You, and my destination is You. You are the Exalted, the Most High; I seek forgiveness from You and repent to You.”
When Reaching Ruku
– “O Allah, for Your sake I bow down, I believe in You, and I submit to You. My hearing, my sight, my marrow, my bones, and my nerves are attentive to You [in reverence].”
When Prostrating
– “O Allah, for Your sake I prostrate, I believe in You, and I submit to You. My face is turned towards the one who created its form and perfected it, the creator of eyes and ears [from flesh]. Allah is Most High, the Best of creators.”
When Giving Salam
– “O Allah, forgive what I have done before and leave what I am going to do, uncover my secrets and announce my deeds, for You are indeed the most merciful of those who are asked. There is no god but You.” (Abu Dawood, Salat, 121/760; Muslim, Kitab al-Salat, b. 40, n. 40, s. 346, v. 1; Tirmidhi, Abwaab al-Salat, b. 197, n. 266, s. 53, v. 2; Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Salat, b. 18, n. 18, s. 284, v. 1; Nasa’i, Kitab al-Iftitah, n. 898, s. 129, v. 2)
From Ali bin Abu Talib (RA):
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would say Takbir when he stood up for the obligatory prayer and raised his hands to the level of his shoulders. After finishing his recitation, intending to perform Ruku, and after rising from Ruku, he would raise his hands again as he did at the beginning. He never raised his hands in anything while sitting in prayer, and when he rose from two prostrations, he would raise his hands and say Takbir.
All good is in Your hand. Evil is not from You, he did not mention. In this narration, the following sentence is added: When returning from prayer, say, “All praise be to Allah,”
There is no deity but Him.” (Abu Dawood, Salat, 121/761)
It was narrated that Shu’ayb bin Abu Hamza said: Muhammad bin Munkadir and others from the jurists of Medina told me:
– When you recite that supplication, “I am of the Muslims,” replace it with:
– I am among the Muslims,
(Abu Dawood, Salat, 121/762)
Explanation of Hadith
Verse 163 of Surah An’am is the verse upon which the hadith numbered 760 begins. This verse narrates that Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) abandoned the idols that his people worshipped and turned to Allah with all his being, saying, “I am the first of the Muslims.”
“I am the first of the Muslims” means that he is saying that no Muslim existed before him. However, when reciting this verse as a supplication, it is recommended to replace “and I am the first of the Muslims” with “and I am among the Muslims,” so as not to imply that there were none who submitted [to Allah] before him.
But if a believer intends to mean that he is among those who hastened to Islam and excelled in it, then there is no objection to reciting the verse exactly as it is.
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik (RA):
A man came for prayer. He was breathing heavily from haste, so he said Takbir. Then he said, “Allah be praised with abundant praise, may Allah be praised much, may Allah be praised much.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said when he finished his prayer:
– “Who among you said these words?” He said: I said it, O Messenger of Allah, because I was breathless, so I uttered them. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Twelve angels raced to take the reward for those words.”
Humayd added in this narration: “Whenever one of you comes for prayer, let him walk as he usually walks, and perform what he can reach, and make up for what he cannot reach.” (Abu Dawood, Salat, 121/763; Muslim, Kitab al-Salat)
From the father of Ibn Jubayr, Jubayr bin Mut’im (RA):
He heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting in voluntary prayer, “Allah is Most Great with greatness. Allah is Most Great, praise be to Allah, praise be to Allah.”
Three times he said, “I glorify Allah morning and evening, I seek refuge from the arrogance of Satan and his poetry (that causes confusion) and from him.”
(Abu Dawood, Salat, 121/764)
Amr bin Murra said: The devil’s nafs is poetry.
Nafhi is arrogance.
Hamzi is attachment.
Explanation of Hadith
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would repeat the Takbirs and glorifications three times. The phrase “three times” between the Takbir and the glorification indicates that the Takbirs were repeated three times, so there is no need to reiterate that they were said three times. Therefore, by analogy, it is appropriate to say that the glorifications were also repeated three times.
From Naf’i bin Jubayr’s father, Jubayr (RA):
He heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting in voluntary prayer, and mentioned a similar hadith.