his puffing and his spitting—meaning, as the scholars explain, poetry—and from his prodding, that is, seizure-like madness.’ Recorded by Abū Dāwūd.

It is also narrated from ʿĀʾishah, Abū Saʿīd, and others that when the Prophet ﷺ began the prayer he would say:
‘Glory be to You, O Allah, and with Your praise; blessed is Your Name; exalted is Your Majesty; there is no god but You.’
Recorded by the four Sunan compilers.

Muslim relates from ʿUmar that he pronounced the takbīr and then opened the prayer with this invocation.

ʿAlī said: ‘When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood for prayer he would say:
“I have turned my face toward Him who created the heavens and the earth in pure devotion, and I am not of the idolaters. My prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds; He has no partner. Thus have I been commanded, and I am of those who submit.

O Allah, You are the King; there is no god but You. You are my Lord and I am Your servant. I have wronged myself and confess my sin, so forgive me all of it, for none forgives sins except You. Guide me to the best of character, for none guides to its best but You, and turn me away from its evil, for none can turn it away but You. Here I am, at Your service and ever ready; all good is in Your hands, and evil is not attributed to You.”’

(Know that the creed of the people of truth—among the hadith scholars and jurists, from the Companions and their followers down to the later scholars of the Muslims—is that everything that exists, its good and its evil, its benefit and its harm, is from Allah Most High, by His will and decree; therefore it is inevitable… )