I reply:

The fact that one of these has reached us through a more authentic chain of transmission than another does not give the remembrance itself an inherent merit that makes it superior to the other. Rather, the chain is a means by which we learn of it. Its merit was already established by the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, during his lifetime, before knowledge of it reached us.

It is established in the Sahīh that ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb, may Allah be pleased with him, would recite aloud, “Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and none is worthy of worship but You,” to teach it to the people. Had this not been one of the prescribed practices of the Sunnah, ʿUmar would not have done so with the Muslims’ approval. The hadith of Abū Hurayra shows that the opening invocation is not restricted to “Glory be to You, O Allah,” “I have turned my face,” or other particular forms. Rather, any of the reported forms may be used to begin the prayer. The superiority of some forms over others, however, is established by other evidence, as we explained above.

Moreover, the invocation:

“Glory be to You, O Allah,” and so forth,

includes the enduring acts of righteousness that constitute the best words after the Quran. As related in Sahīh Muslim, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The best words after the Quran are four, and they are themselves part of the Quran: Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; none is worthy of worship but Allah; and Allah is the Greatest.”

It is also related in Sahīh Muslim: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked: