What the prayer is opened with

Al-Aswad bin Yazid says: I saw Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) begin the prayer and say "Allahu akbar". Then he said these words: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

The same hadith is reported through another chain, with the addition that he used to say these words aloud. Ibrahim, however, did not say these words aloud.

Al-Aswad says: I heard Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) say these words at the beginning of the prayer: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Alqamah says: Once I set out to visit Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and our companions said to me: "Remember for us whatever you can." When I returned, I said: Among the things I remembered is that he performed ablution twice and cleaned his nose twice. Then when he said the takbir, or when he stood for the prayer, he said these words: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Abu Ubaydah says: When Sayyiduna Abdullah (bin Mas'ud) (may Allah be pleased with him) began the prayer, he would say these words: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Hakim bin Jabir says: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) began the prayer, he used to say these words: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Ibn Ajlan says: It has reached me that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) also used to say these words.

Abu Wa'il says: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) began the prayer, he used to say these words, letting us hear them: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Al-Aswad says: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) began the prayer, he used to say these words: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Sayyiduna Jubayr bin Mut'im (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) begin the prayer: he said "Allahu akbar" three times, "al-hamdu lillahi kathira" (praise be to Allah abundantly) three times, and "subhan Allahi bukratan wa asila" (glory be to Allah morning and evening) three times. Then he said these words: "I seek refuge with Allah Almighty from the accursed Shaytan: from the madness he inflicts, the arrogance he instils, and the poetry he inspires."

The same hadith is narrated through another chain; in it Sayyiduna Jubayr bin Mut'im (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pray the Duha (forenoon) prayer.

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Once, on a night in Ramadan, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in a chamber made of palm branches. Then he poured a bucket of water over himself and said: "Allah is the Greatest; He is the Possessor of dominion, might, grandeur and majesty."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer, after saying "Allahu akbar" he would say these words: "I have turned my face, as one inclining to the truth, towards the One who brought the heavens and the earth into being, and I am not of those who associate partners with Him. My prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are for Allah, Lord of the worlds, who has no partner. This is what I have been commanded, and I am the first of those who submit. O Allah, You are the King; there is none worthy of worship but You. You are my Lord and I am Your servant. I have wronged myself and I confess my sin, so forgive me all my sins; surely none forgives sins but You. Guide me to the best of character; none guides to the best of it but You. Keep me away from bad character; none can keep me away from it but You. Here I am at Your service, counting it my good fortune to be in Your presence. All good is in Your hands. My support and my return are to You alone. You are blessed and exalted. I seek Your forgiveness and I turn to You in repentance."

Amr bin Maymun says: Once Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was at Dhu al-Hulayfah, on his way to Makkah. He led us in the Fajr prayer there, and after saying "Allahu akbar" he said these words: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer, he would say these words: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Al-Dahhak says, concerning the saying of Allah Almighty, "And glorify with the praise of your Lord when you rise" [al-Tur: 48]: It means that when you stand up for the prayer, say these words: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Among the speech of His servant most beloved to Allah Almighty is that he says: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You. My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive my sins; surely none forgives sins but You."

Al-Aswad says: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) began the prayer, he would recite these words in a raised voice so that we could hear: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You."

Abdullah bin Abi al-Khalil says: When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had said the opening takbir of the prayer, he would say these words: "O Allah, You are free of all imperfection, and there is no god besides You. I have wronged myself, so forgive my sins; surely none forgives sins but You."

The same hadith is reported through another chain.

Al-Haytham says: I heard Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) say these words when beginning the prayer: "Allah is the Greatest, greatly. Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Him, morning and evening. O Allah, make standing before You the most beloved thing to me, and make it the thing I hold most in awe."

Similar words are also reported from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).