Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 2862

Yahya bin Abi Kathir narrates: Abu Ubaydah bin Abdullah wrote to me: "To proceed: I am going to tell you about the way of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and about his words and his actions in the prayer. He says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was granted comprehensive words. He used to teach us what we should recite when we sit during the prayer. (Those words are:) 'All forms of physical, verbal and financial worship are exclusively for Allah Almighty. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah Almighty and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon all the righteous servants of Allah Almighty. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Almighty, and I bear witness that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger.' Then, after that, ask for whatever seems fitting to you, and express your longing for His mercy and forgiveness in a few brief words; do not sit for too long." He also used to say: "I like that when one of you is sitting during the prayer and has completed the tahiyyah, your asking of Allah Almighty should be that he says after that: 'Glory be to You, there is no god besides You. Forgive my sins and set my deeds right. Indeed, You forgive the sins of whomever You will, and You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. O Oft-Forgiving, forgive me. O Accepter of repentance, accept my repentance. O Most Merciful, have mercy on me. O Pardoner, pardon me. O Most Kind, be kind to me. O my Lord, enable me to give thanks for Your blessing which You have bestowed upon me, and guide me to worship You in a good way. O my Lord, I ask You for every kind of good, and I seek refuge in You from every kind of evil. O my Lord, open goodness for me and seal my end with goodness, and grant me a longing to be in Your presence, without any harmful affliction and without any misguiding trial. And protect me from evil deeds; whomever You protect from evil deeds, You will have mercy on him, and that is the great success.' After that, whatever supplication you make should be with humble entreaty and sincerity, for Allah Almighty loves the humble entreaty of His servant in His presence." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: This narration will come later in full in the chapter on voluntary prayer.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. The narrator named Abu Ubaydah did not hear from his father (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)).