The Opening Supplication and Its Types as Transmitted
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, a questioner asks: Is the opening supplication "Allah is the Greatest, the Great, and praise is to Allah, much" and so on, recited in the obligatory prayers, or only in the voluntary ones?
Answer:
The takbir of ihram is simply "Allahu Akbar," and nothing is added to it. One does not say "Great is the takbir" or "Glory be to Allah, much and in the evening." Rather, one says the takbir of ihram, "Allahu Akbar," and then follows it with the istiftah. Various forms of istiftah are reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the most authentic and most commonly used of which is:Sunan Ibn Majah 806Hasan (Darussalam). Then he recites al-Fatihah.
And in his late-night prayer, when he says, “O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mikail, and Israfil,[Az-Zumar 39:46], guide me to the truth in which there is disagreement by Your permission. Indeed, You guide Sahih Muslim 770” — this too is transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his late-night prayer. Likewise, [Al-An'am 6:79] Sunan Ibn Majah 3121Hasan (Darussalam), this too is transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) has a separate treatise explaining the types of opening supplications transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Let the student of knowledge refer to it; it is published separately and also included in the collected works.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
Honorable Shaykh, a questioner asks: Is the opening supplication "Allah is the Greatest, the Great, and praise is to Allah, much" and so on, recited in the obligatory prayers, or only in the voluntary ones?
Answer:
The takbir of ihram is simply "Allahu Akbar," and nothing is added to it. One does not say "Great is the takbir" or "Glory be to Allah, much and in the evening." Rather, one says the takbir of ihram, "Allahu Akbar," and then follows it with the istiftah. Various forms of istiftah are reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the most authentic and most commonly used of which is:
Subhanak Allahumma wa bi hamdika, wa tabarakas- muka wa ta’ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghayruk (Glory and praise is to You, O Allah, blessed is Your Name and exalted is Your majesty, none has the right to be worshipped but You).
سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك تبارك اسمك وتعالى جنبك ولا إله غيركAnd in his late-night prayer, when he says, “O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mikail, and Israfil,
Say, "O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, You will judge between your servants concerning that over which they used to differ."
فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِي مَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَwhom Thou wilt to the Straight Path
من تشاء إلى صراط مستقيمIndeed, I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah."
وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَVerily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of all that exists. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.
إن صلاتي ونسكي ومحياي ومماتي لله رب العالمين، لا شريك له، وبذلك أمرت، وأنا أول المسلمينThe presenter:
May Allah reward you
Source
75-اللقاء الأسبوعي مع الشيخ صالح الفوزان - 24 — archive.org (21:41)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.