Thus, these four invocations ought to be made, just as the Prophet ﷺ himself used to make them: “O Allah, I ask You for guidance, godfearingness, chastity, and independence.” Allah alone grants success.

1469 – Tariq ibn Ashyam (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever a man embraced Islam, the Prophet ﷺ would teach him the prayer and then instruct him to say the following words: “O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, grant me well-being, and provide for me.” Muslim recorded it. In another wording, Tariq said: He heard the Prophet ﷺ when a man came to him and asked, “Messenger of Allah, what should I say when I petition my Lord?” He replied, “Say: ‘O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, grant me well-being, and provide for me,’ for these words gather for you the good of this world and the Hereafter.”

[Explanation]
The compiler quotes, in his book Riyad al-Salihin, from Tariq ibn Ashyam that when a man accepted Islam, the Prophet ﷺ would teach him the prayer, for the prayer is the most important pillar of Islam after the two testimonies. The pillars of Islam are five: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; establishing the prayer; paying the zakah; fasting Ramadan; and performing the pilgrimage to Allah’s Sacred House. The greatest of these pillars, after the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, is the prayer. Therefore, when a man embraced Islam, the Prophet ﷺ would teach him how to pray and command him to observe it.