The opening supplication and other matters

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Rifa'ah bin Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him) (one of the Companions who took part in the Battle of Badr) that he said the takbir in his prayer and then recited this supplication: 'Allahu akbar, Allahumma laka al-hamdu kulluhu, wa laka al-mulku kulluhu, wa ilayka yarji'u al-amru kulluhu, as'aluka min al-khayri kullihi, wa a'udhu bika min al-sharri kullihi' (Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, all praise belongs to You alone, all sovereignty is Yours alone, and to You all matters return. I ask You for every kind of good, and I seek refuge in You from every kind of evil).
I (Ibn Hajar) say: Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded in his Sahih, through Adam, from Shu'bah, from Husayn, from Ibn Shaddad, that he said: "I saw Sayyiduna Rifa'ah bin Rafi' al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), and he had been present at Badr." The rest of its chain meets the condition of Imam Bukhari. Although this narration here is not marfu' (that is, it is the statement of a Companion), I think that it has the ruling of marfu' (that is, its ruling is like a saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)). In another chain, it is narrated from Abdullah bin Shaddad bin al-Had (may Allah have mercy on him) that he heard one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), called Sayyiduna Rifa'ah bin Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him), relate that when he entered the prayer and said the takbir, he said words like the supplication mentioned above.
This hadith is sahih (authentic).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in Masjid al-Khayf when two men came to him, one of the Ansar and the other from Thaqif. Then the narrator mentioned the full hadith, in which it is stated that the man from Thaqif said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me about the matter I have come to ask you about." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You have come to ask me about the prayer." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said (explaining the prayer in detail): "Then, when you stand for the prayer, recite whatever is easy for you of the Qur'an. Then, when you bow, place your hands firmly on your knees and spread your fingers (over your knees) until you are calm and settled in bowing. Then, when you prostrate, place your face firmly on the place of prostration until you are settled in prostration. And pray in the first part of the night and in its last part." The man said: "Tell me, what if I pray the whole night?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then you are truly the one who has reached perfection."
In the chain of this hadith, Isma'il bin Rafi' is a weak narrator; however, other authentic hadith also emphasise the performance of the basic pillars of the prayer and calmness in it. This narration is found in the Musnad of Musaddad and in al-Matalib al-'Aliyah (448).

It is narrated from Sa'id bin Sam'an (may Allah have mercy on him) that Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to us and said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would pause in silence for a short while before beginning the recitation (in the prayer), and during it he would ask Allah Almighty for His bounty."
Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded it, and its chain is of the hasan (good) grade.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The opening of the prayer (that is, its basic and necessary condition) is purification and ablution; its tahrim (that is, the act by which a person cuts himself off from worldly occupations and enters the special sanctity of the prayer) is saying the opening takbir (takbirat al-ihram); and its tahlil (that is, the act by which the restrictions of the prayer end and the servant comes out of the prayer) is saying the salam."
Imam al-Harith bin Abi Usamah recorded it in his Musnad. Its chain contains Muhammad bin Umar al-Waqidi, who is da'if (weak) according to the majority; however, this hadith has many supporting narrations (shawahid) from other Companions, including Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with them), on the basis of which this narration reaches the grade of sahih li-ghayrihi (authentic due to supporting narrations), and it is also found in the four Sunan with different wordings.