tantamount to a marfūʿ report; al-Albānī said, “Its chain of transmission is sound.”

2 – Subḥānak Allāhumma: I declare You transcendent, O Allah, above all that is unbefitting to You and to Your Majesty, O Lord, and above every deficiency and flaw. The word subḥānak is in the accusative as a verbal noun—meaning, “I have glorified You with a glorification”—so subḥānak has been placed where the full verbal form of glorification would ordinarily stand.

3 – wa bi-ḥamdik: This prepositional phrase is either attached to an implied verb, the preposition bāʾ then conveying causation, or it serves as an adjective modifying an omitted verbal noun. The meaning is: “I praise You, O Lord, and laud You with the praises and commendations You deserve.”

4 – tabāraka ismuk: Your Name is abundant, perfect, and far-reaching, and its blessings are many.

5 – taʿālā jadduk: Your majesty is exalted and Your rank is lofty.

6 – lā ilāha illā ghayruk: There is no deity worthy of worship except You. You alone, without partner, merit worship by virtue of the praiseworthy attributes You have ascribed to Yourself and the immense favors You have bestowed.

7 – Imām Aḥmad said: “I adopt this opening supplication; had the Prophet ﷺ not recited it in the obligatory prayer, ʿUmar would never have done so, and the Muslims would not have approved it.” Al-Majd and others added: “It was likewise chosen by Abū Bakr and Ibn Masʿūd, and the fact that these Companions adopted it and that ʿUmar recited it aloud shows that it is the preferred formula and the one the Prophet ﷺ most often employed.”

8 – It is permissible to open the prayer with any wording that has been reported and authenticated. Shaykh al-Islām said: “All the established opening supplications are acceptable by unanimous agreement of the Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ certainly did not confine himself to a single wording. What is best is to practice each of the validated forms separately, without combining them.”

9 – Seeking refuge in Allah Almighty during the prayer is a recommended Sunnah according to the majority. Al-Nawawī said: “Know that uttering the taʿawwudh after the opening supplication is Sunnah; it is the prelude to the recitation.” The Exalted said: “So when you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan” (16:98); and its meaning is