Prayer Section · 121 – Prayer to be Recited After Beginning Prayer
Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) would say takbir when he stood up for prayer, then recite: “I have turned my whole being as a Muslim to the One who created the heavens and the earth; I am not of the polytheists. Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are [directed] to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, He has no partner. With this I am commanded, and I am among the first of the Muslims.” (En’am 63)
“O Allah, You are the Sovereign; there is no deity except You. You alone exist, You are my Lord, and I am Your servant. I have wronged myself, and I confess my sins, so forgive my sins, for none can forgive them except You.”
“Guide me to the best of character, for none can guide me to it except You. And turn me away from the worst of character, for none can turn me away from it except You. In Your command I am present and in Your worship I persevere. All good is within Your power.”
“To you I have returned, my destination is You. You are exalted, the Most High; to You I supplicate and repent.”
When he reached the bowing position (ruku):
“O Allah, I bow down before You, I believe in You, and I submit to You. My ear, eye, marrow, bone, and nerve are attentive to You.” (He bowed down.)
When he raised his head from rukū’: “My ear, eye, marrow, bone, and nerve are attentive to You.” (He bowed down.) "The praise of the praiser is accepted by Allah." He would say: “O our Lord, praise be to You for the heavens, the earth, and what is between them, and for whatever else You will.”
When he prostrated:
“O Allah, I prostrate before You, I believe in You, and I submit to You. My face has been turned towards the One who created it in a beautiful form, and fashioned its appearance, and created its eye and ear (from flesh).” “Allah is Most High, the Best of creators.”
When he gave salam at the end of prayer:
“O Allah, You know what I have done before and what I leave behind, what I conceal and what I reveal. You are aware of it better than I am; forgive me for it.” "There is no deity except You." [472]
Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would say the takbir when rising for the obligatory prayer, raising his hands to the level of his shoulders. And whenever he finished reciting [the Quran], intending to bow, or straightening up from the bowing, he would raise his hands again as he had initially done. He did not raise his hands at any time while sitting in the prayer. And when he rose from the two prostrations, he would raise his hands and say the takbir. He would supplicate in a manner similar to the supplication narrated by Abdulaziz, with some words more or less.
He did not mention the phrase: “All goodness is in Your hand. Evil is not from You.” That sentence is additional in that narration. In the report, it includes the following statement: "O Allah, forgive what I have done beforehand, what I have left behind, what I have concealed and what I have revealed; for you are my God, there is no deity worthy of worship except You."
Narrated Shu'aib bin Abu Hamza: Muhammad bin Munkadir told me, and the people of Medina and its vicinity, from among the jurists, related to me that when one recites that supplication, saying, "I am the first of the Muslims," he should say instead, “I am among the Muslims.”
COMMENTARY
The verse 163 of Surah Al-An'am, mentioned at the beginning of hadith no. 760, is related to the verse of supplication. This verse recounts that Abraham abandoned the idols worshipped by his people and turned completely towards Allah, saying, "I am the first of the Muslims."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) may say, “I am the first of the Muslims,” meaning no one was Muslim before me. However, a Muslim saying, “I am the first of the Muslims” implies that there were no Muslims before him, so it is recommended that when reciting this verse as a supplication, instead of "and I am the first of the Muslims," one should say, “and I am among the Muslims.”
However, there is nothing wrong with reciting the verse exactly as it is: “I am the first of the Muslims,” if a believer intends to mean that he is among those who embrace Islam earnestly and give it due consideration.
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
A man came for the prayer and was breathless from hurrying. He said the takbir.
Then he said, “All praise is due to Allah, the Most Generous, the Beautiful, and full of praise.”
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) finished the prayer, he said: "Who among you said those words?" He then said, "None of you has said a protected thing."
The man said, “It was I, O Messenger of Allah. My breath constricted, so I uttered them.”
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said, “Twelve angels saw the truth [in those words] and are racing to be rewarded for their merit.”
Humayd added in this narration: "When one of you comes for the prayer, let him walk as he is accustomed to walk. If he reaches [on time], so much the better; if he does not reach [on time], let him make up for it."
From Jubayr ibn Mut’im, may Allah be pleased with him:
He saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, performing prayer. Amr bin Murra relates: He said, "Which prayer was that?" I do not know.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah is mighty with greatness. Allah is great with greatness, praise be to Allah, praise be to Allah.”
He would also say three times, “I glorify Allah morning and evening, I seek refuge in Allah from the arrogance of Satan, from his poetry [that causes confusion], and from himself.” Amr bin Murra said: The self of Satan is his poetry. *Nafhi* is his arrogance. *Hamzi* is his attachment.
EXPLANATION
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would recite the takbirat and tasbihs three times repeatedly. The phrase "three times" between the takbirat and tasbihs indicates that the takbirat were repeated three times; however, since the takbirat are verbally repeated three times, there is no need to affirm that they were said three times. Therefore, I considered it appropriate to infer that the tasbihs were also repeated three times, just as the takbirat were repeated three times.
Nafi ibn Jubayr reported from his father, Jubayr, may Allah be pleased with him:
That I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, reciting (a voluntary prayer) and mentioned a similar report to the preceding one. [474]
Asim bin Humayd, may Allah be pleased with him, relates:
I asked Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, “With what did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, begin his night prayer?”
Aishah replied, “You have asked me a question that no one has ever asked me before.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would stand for prayer and recite ten takbirs, ten hamds, ten tasbihs, ten tahlids, and ten istighfars, and say, "O Allah, forgive me, guide me, provide sustenance for me, grant me well-being." He used to seek refuge in Allah from the constriction of the place of standing on the Day of Resurrection.” [475]
I asked Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, “With what did the Messenger of Allah begin his night prayer?”
Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, replied, “When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would stand for night prayer, he would begin with the supplication: ‘O Lord of Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil, Knower of the unseen and the manifest, Creator of the heavens and the earth, You judge between them in that which they dispute, guide me to the truth in that which they disagree, for you certainly guide whom You will to the straight path.’”
Abu Nu'aym reported. Ikrimah transmitted to us upon the chain of narration of the aforementioned hadith, without using “inform me,” in its meaning. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would say takbir and (recite) the following when he rose for the night prayer, he said.
COMMENTARY
Abu Nu'aym Kurad, mentioned in the chain of narration, is Abdurrahman bin Gazwan al-Hawrani.
Malik (ibn Anas) – may Allah be pleased with him – related:
There is no objection to making supplication before, during, or after the early or late portions of obligatory or supererogatory prayers.
EXPLANATION
This narration clearly states, according to Imam Malik, that there is no objection to supplicating between the opening takbir and recitation in obligatory and supererogatory prayers. However, what is well-known concerning Imam Malik’s view is the contrary of this.
Rufaa ibn Rafi’ al-Zurqi reported:
(One day) we were praying behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his head from rukū’, he said, “Allah accepts the praise of the one who praises Him.”
A man praying behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“O our Lord, much, pure, and blessed are the praises due to You.”
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished the prayer, he said:
"Who said that word just now?" The man said, "I did, O Messenger of Allah."
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“I saw thirty angels competing to be the first to record its reward.” [477]
From Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would rise for prayer during the night, he would say:
"O Allah, I praise You; You are the Light of the heavens and the earth. I praise You; You are the One who sustains the heavens and the earth. I praise You; You are the One who sustains the heavens and the earth. The Lord of the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them – You are the Truthful. Your word is truth, Your promise is truth, meeting You is truth, Paradise is truth, Hell is truth, and the Hour [of Judgment] is truth.
O Allah, I have submitted to You, I believe in You, I place my trust in You, I turn to You, I strive for your displeasure, and I judge with Your approval. Forgive my past deeds and those that will follow me, both openly and secretly. You are my God; there is no deity worthy of worship besides You.”
From Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) would say, after saying "Allahu Akbar" in the tahajjud prayer, and then he mentioned the meaning of the preceding hadith.
I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
Rifaa sneezed. Kutayba did not mention Rifaa.
Then I said, “Praise be to Allah for the abundant goodness within me and upon me, containing that which our Lord loves and is pleased with.”
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, completed the prayer and then asked, "Who was speaking in the prayer?" Then the narrator Malik related it like this hadith and more completely from him.
From Abdullah ibn Amir ibn Rabia, may Allah be pleased with him, who heard it from his father:
A young man from the Ansar hapched while praying behind the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He said, “My Lord, I am not content until You are content, and when You are content, praise be to Allah with beautiful praise containing abundance.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, turned from the prayer and asked, "Who said that word?"
The narrator said: The young man remained silent. Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Who spoke that word?” He did not say anything objectionable.
The young man said, “O Messenger of Allah, I said it. But I intended only good with it.” (The Messenger of Allah), peace and blessings be upon him, said, "It did not reach lower than the Throne of the Most High; it ascended to there."