The Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen said: "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness.
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The questioner : So he said, "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness, and we repent to Him and seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from our bad deeds."
The Shaykh : His saying "and we repent to Him" is what the scholars we have seen follow, as they begin their books with this introduction. However, I have not seen it in the hadith. In the hadith, I have not seen "and we repent to Him." We seek His help, seek His forgiveness, and seek refuge in Allah. If a person adds it, there is no harm. If he omits it, that is better so that it matches the hadith. As for what some people add today, such as "We seek His guidance, and whoever He misguides, you will not find for him a protecting friend or a guide," and the like, it appears to me, and Allah knows best, that they do not intend to transmit the introduction by its exact text. Yes.
The Shaykh : His saying "and we repent to Him" is what the scholars we have seen follow, as they begin their books with this introduction. However, I have not seen it in the hadith. In the hadith, I have not seen "and we repent to Him." We seek His help, seek His forgiveness, and seek refuge in Allah. If a person adds it, there is no harm. If he omits it, that is better so that it matches the hadith. As for what some people add today, such as "We seek His guidance, and whoever He misguides, you will not find for him a protecting friend or a guide," and the like, it appears to me, and Allah knows best, that they do not intend to transmit the introduction by its exact text. Yes.