“Whoever wakes during the night and says, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, without partner. His is the dominion, and all praise belongs to Him, and He has power over all things. All praise is due to Allah; glory be to Allah; Allah is the Greatest; and there is no power or strength except through Allah,’ and then supplicates, his supplication will be answered. If he performs ablution, his prayer will be accepted.”

He thus explained that when someone who wakes during the night begins speaking with these five phrases, this is a means of having his supplication answered and his prayer accepted if he subsequently performs ablution. Beginning the prayer in this manner, praising Allah and extolling Him before supplicating Him, is therefore a means of securing acceptance of the prayer and the supplications it contains.

This is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, instructed the man who prayed incorrectly to do this, saying:

“Say ‘Allah is the Greatest,’ then praise Allah and extol Him; then recite whatever you can readily recite of the Quran.”

Other hadiths concerning the opening of prayer also relate that he would say:

“Allah is truly the Greatest! Allah is truly the Greatest! Allah is truly the Greatest! Abundant praise is due to Allah! Abundant praise is due to Allah! Abundant praise is due to Allah!”

This conveys the same meaning. These words are also recommended between the additional takbīrs (declarations of Allah’s greatness) in the Eid prayer, as reported from Ibn Masʿūd. Those takbīrs are of the same kind as the takbīrs that open the prayer.

Another hadith concerning the opening of prayer relates that he would declare Allah’s greatness ten times, praise Him ten times, and glorify Him ten times—or words to that effect. Thus, the agreement of numerous hadiths with the meaning of this opening invocation is like the agreement of the meaning of the testimony recited in prayer as narrated by Abū