"I asked 'Aishah with what did he- meaning the Prophet ﷺ- start Qiyam Al-Lail? She said: 'You have asked me something which no one before you has asked. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say the takbir ten times, the tahmid ten times, the tasbih ten times, and the tahlil ten times, and pray for forgiveness ten times, and say: Allahummaghfirli, wahdini, warzuqni wa 'afini. A'udhu billahi min diqil-maqami yawmal-qiyamah (O Allah, forgive me, guide me, grant me provision and good health. I seek refuge with Allah from the difficulty of standing on the Day of Resurrection.)" (Using translation from Nasāʾī 1617)  

سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ بِمَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَسْتَفْتِحُ قِيَامَ اللَّيْلِ؟ قَالَتْ لَقَدْ سَأَلَتْنِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ مَا سَأَلَنِي عَنْهُ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَكَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يُكَبِّرُ عَشْرًا وَيَحْمَدُ عَشْرًا وَيُسَبِّحُ عَشْرًا وَيُهَلِّلُ عَشْرًا وَيَسْتَغْفِرُ عَشْرًا وَيَقُولُ «اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَعَافِنِي أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ ضِيقِ الْمَقَامِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ»