“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed Tahajjud at night, he would say: “Allahumma lakal-hamd, Anta nurus-samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna. Wa lakal-hamd, Anta qayyamus-samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna. Wa lakal-hamd, Anta malikus- samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna. Wa lakal-hamd, Antal-haqq, wa waʿduka haqq, wa liqa’uka haqq, wa qawluka haqq, wal-jannatu haqq, wan-naru haqq, was-saʿatu haqq, wan-nabiyyuna haqq, wa Muhammadun haqq. Allahumma laka aslamtu, wa bika amantu, wa ʿalaika tawakkaltu wa ilaika anabtu, wa bika khasamtu, wa ilaika hakamtu, faghfirli ma qaddamtu wa ma akhkhartu, wa ma asrartu wa ma aʿlantu. Antal-muqaddimu wa Antal-muakhkhiru. La ilaha illa anta wa la ilaha ghairuka, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa bika (O Allah, to you is praise, You are the Light of the heavens and the earth, and everyone therein. To You is praise, You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth, and everyone therein. To You is praise, You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth, and everyone therein. To You is praise, You are the Truth; Your promise is true, the meeting with You is true, Your saying is true, Paradise is true, the Fire is true, the Hour is true, the Prophets are true, and Muhammad ﷺ is true. O Allah, to You have I submitted, in You I believe, in You have I put my trust, to You I turn in repentance, by Your help I argue, to You I refer my case, so forgive me for my past and future sins, what I have done in secret and what I have done openly. You are the One Who brings forward and puts back. None has the right to be worshipped but You, and there is none who has the right to be worshipped other than You. And there is no power and no strength except with You.” Another chain that Ibn ʿAbbas narrated: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood during the night for Tahajjud,” and he mentioned something similar.  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا تَهَجَّدَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ قَيَّامُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ مَالِكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ وَوَعْدُكَ حَقٌّ وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ وَقَوْلُكَ حَقٌّ وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ وَالسَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ وَالنَّبِيُّونَ حَقٌّ وَمُحَمَّدٌ حَقٌّ اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ وَإِلَيْكَ حَاكَمْتُ فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ وَلاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِكَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ خَلاَّدٍ الْبَاهِلِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي مُسْلِمٍ الأَحْوَلُ خَالُ ابْنِ أَبِي نَجِيحٍ سَمِعَ طَاوُسًا عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا قَامَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ لِلتَّهَجُّدِ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ  

“I asked ‘Aishah: ‘With what did the Prophet ﷺ start voluntary prayers?’ She said: ‘You have asked me about something which no one has asked before. He used to say Allahu Akbar ten times, and Al-Hamdu Lillah ten times and Subhan Allah ten times, and he would say Allahumma aghfirli wahdini, warzuqni, wa ‘afini (O Allah, forgive me, guide me, grant me provision and give me good health),” and he would seek refuge from the difficulty of the standing on the Day of Resurrection.”  

سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ مَاذَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَفْتَتِحُ بِهِ قِيَامَ اللَّيْلِ قَالَتْ لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَنِي عَنْ شَىْءٍ مَا سَأَلَنِي عَنْهُ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَكَ كَانَ يُكَبِّرُ عَشْرًا وَيَحْمَدُ عَشْرًا وَيُسَبِّحُ عَشْرًا وَيَسْتَغْفِرُ عَشْرًا وَيَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَعَافِنِي وَيَتَعَوَّذُ مِنْ ضِيقِ الْمُقَامِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ  

“I asked ʿAishah: ‘With what did the Prophet ﷺ start his voluntary prayers?’ She said: ‘He would say: “Allahumma Rabba Jibra’il wa Mika’il wa Israfil, Fatiras-samawati wal-ard, ʿalimal-ghaybi wash- shahadah, Anta tahkumu baina ʿibadika fima kanu fihi yakhtalifun, ihdini lima-khtulifa fihi minal-haqqi bi idhnika, innaka latahdi ila siratin mustaqim (O Allah, Lord of Jibra’il, Mika’il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your slaves concerning that wherein they differ. Guide me to the disputed matters of truth by Your Leave, for You are the One Who guides to the straight Path).” (One of the narrators) ʿAbdur-Rahman bin ʿUmar said: “Bear in mind the word Jibra’il with a Hamzah - this is how it was narrated from the Prophet ﷺ.”  

سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ بِمَا كَانَ يَسْتَفْتِحُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ صَلاَتَهُ إِذَا قَامَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ قَالَتْ كَانَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ جِبْرَئِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرَافِيلَ فَاطِرَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ اهْدِنِي لِمَا اخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِكَ إِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ قَالَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عُمَرَ احْفَظُوهُ جِبْرَئِيلُ مَهْمُوزَةً فَإِنَّهُ كَذَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ