What are the forms of the opening supplication?
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Question:
May Allah reward you with good. The brother Abu Khalid asks: What are the forms of the opening supplication?
Answer:
The forms of the opening supplication are of various types that have been authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah collected them in a separate treatise, which is available in his *Majmu' al-Fatawa* and also as a standalone work. The most important, or most common, of them is: "Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, tabarakasmu wa 'ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghayruk."
Then he seeks refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan, then he says, "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," then he recites Surat al-Fatihah. All of this is recommended, and this is called the opening supplication. If it is in the night prayer, it is better that he say, "O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mikail, and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed,Sahih Muslim 770," as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say that at the beginning of the night prayer. And if he says, "Mishkat al-Masabih 813 to Allah, Lord of the worlds, there is no partner for Him, and I have been commanded to be among the first of the Muslims," then that is also good.
May Allah reward you with good. The brother Abu Khalid asks: What are the forms of the opening supplication?
Answer:
The forms of the opening supplication are of various types that have been authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah collected them in a separate treatise, which is available in his *Majmu' al-Fatawa* and also as a standalone work. The most important, or most common, of them is: "Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, tabarakasmu wa 'ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghayruk."
Then he seeks refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan, then he says, "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," then he recites Surat al-Fatihah. All of this is recommended, and this is called the opening supplication. If it is in the night prayer, it is better that he say, "O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mikail, and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed,
Thou decidest amongst Thy servants concerning their differences. Guide me with Thy permission in the divergent views (which the people) hold about Truth, for it is Thou Who guidest whom Thou wilt to the Straight Path.
أنت تحكم بين عبادك فيما كانوا فيه يختلفون، اهدني لما اختلف فيه من الحق بإذنك، إنك تهدي من تشاء إلى صراط مستقيمI have turned my face as a hanif * towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and I am not a polytheist. My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death
وجهت وجهي للذي فطر السماوات والأرض حنيفا وما أنا من المشركين إن صلاتي ونسكي ومحياي ومماتي
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما الصيغ الواردة في دعاء الاستفتاح؟ الشيخ صالح بن فوزان الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.