(a) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer, he would recite this: "There is no true god except You; You are free of all imperfection. I have wronged myself and done evil deeds, so forgive me. Indeed, none can forgive except You. I have turned myself towards the One who created the heavens and the earth, and I submit with sincere devotion, and I am not of the polytheists. Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are for Allah Almighty, who is the Lord of all the worlds. He has no partner [Surah al-An'am: 162-163]; with this I have been commanded, and I am of the Muslims."
(b) The wording of the narration of Abd al-Aziz bin Abi Salamah (may Allah have mercy on him) is 'wa ana awwalu al-muslimin' (and I am the very first of the Muslims), and in some narrations it is 'ana min al-muslimin' (I am of the Muslims).
(c) Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: In place of 'ana awwalu al-muslimin', the words 'ana min al-muslimin' are better.
(d) The Shaykh said that Muhammad bin al-Munkadir (may Allah have mercy on him) and the jurists of Madinah instructed this.
(n) Al-Nadr bin Shumayl (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The explanation of 'wa al-sharru laysa ilayk' (and evil is not (attributed) to You) is that nearness to You cannot be attained through evil.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2346