Narrated Muadh ibn Jabal: We waited for the Prophet ﷺ to offer the night prayer. He delayed until people thought that he would not come out and some of us said that he had offered the prayer. At the moment when we were in this condition the Prophet ﷺ came out. People said to him as they were already saying. He said: Observe this prayer when it is dark, for by it you have been made superior to all the peoples, no people having observed it before you.

Narrated Aishah, Ummul Muminin: Asim ibn Humayd said: I asked Aishah: By what words the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would begin his supererogatory prayer at night? She replied: You ask me about a thing of which no one asked me before you. When he stood up, be uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) ten times, and uttered "Praise be to Allah" ten times, and uttered "Glory be to Allah " ten times, and uttered "There is no god but Allah" ten times, and sought forgiveness ten times, and said: O Allah, forgive me, and guide me, and give me sustenance, and keep me well, and he sought refuge in Allah from the hardship of standing before Allah on the Day of Judgment. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been narrated by Khalid bin Madan from Rabiah al-Jarashi on the authority of Aishah.

Narrated Awf ibn Malik al-Ashjai: I stood up to pray along with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; he got up and recited Surat al-Baqarah (Surah 2). When he came to a verse which spoke of mercy, he stopped and made supplication, and when he came to verse which spoke of punishment, he stopped and sought refuge in Allah, then he bowed and paused as long as he stood (reciting Surah al-Baqarah), and said while bowing, "Glory be to the Possessor of greatness, the Kingdom, grandeur and majesty. ": Then he prostrated himself and paused as long as he stood up and recited Surat Aal Imran (Surah 3) and then recited many surahs one after another.