Of Prayers: Selections from the Hadith, Part 2 of 2

Chapter 10 Prayer Service

“[…] Abū Hurairah said, The Messenger of Allāh, Peace and Blessings of Allāh be upon Him, used to remain silent between the (opening) takbīr and the recital (of the Qur'ān) – I think, He said – a little. I said, ‘May my father and my mother be thy sacrifice, O Messenger of Allāh! thy silence between the takbīr and the recital, what say thou (in that interval)?’ He said, ‘I say: ‘O Allāh! Keep faults as distant from me as the east is distant from the west; O Allāh! cleanse me of all faults as a white cloth is cleansed of dirt; O Allāh! wash away my faults with water and snow and hail.’

‘Ā’ishah said, The Messenger of Allāh, Peace and Blessings of Allāh be upon Him, used to say, when He opened the prayer: ‘Glory to Thee, O Allāh! and Thine is the praise, and blessed is Thy name and exalted is Thy majesty and there is none to be served besides Thee’ […]”

“‘Ā'ishah reported that The Messenger of Allāh, Peace and Blessings of Allāh be upon Him, used to say in His prayers: ‘O Allāh! I seek refuge in Thee from the punishment of the grave, and I seek refuge in Thee from the tribulation of al-Masīh al-Dajjāl [the deceitful Messiah], and I seek refuge in Thee from the trials of life and the trials of death; O Allāh! I seek refuge in Thee from sins and from being in debt.’ […]

Thaubān said, When the Messenger of Allāh, Peace and Blessings of Allāh be upon Him, turned back from His prayer, He used to resort to istighfār [the act of seeking forgiveness] thrice, and said: ‘O Allāh! Thou art the Author of peace and from Thee is peace, Blessed art Thou, O Lord of Glory and Honor.’”