6/26. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 771b — Opening Prayer Dua and Forgiveness
The prayer and the supplication of the Prophet (saws) at night
Opening Prayer Dua After Takbir in Salah
Sahih Muslim : 771b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 771b
وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ، إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو النَّضْرِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَمِّهِ، الْمَاجِشُونِ بْنِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ وَقَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا اسْتَفْتَحَ الصَّلاَةَ كَبَّرَ ثُمَّ قَالَ " وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِي " . وَقَالَ " وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ " . وَقَالَ وَإِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ قَالَ " سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ " . وَقَالَ " وَصَوَّرَهُ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَهُ " . وَقَالَ وَإِذَا سَلَّمَ قَالَ " اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ " . إِلَى آخِرِ الْحَدِيثِ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ بَيْنَ التَّشَهُّدِ وَالتَّسْلِيمِ .
Al-A'raj Narrated from:
When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would start the prayer, he would pronounce takbir (Allah-o-Akbar) and then say: I turn my face (up to Thee), I am the first of the believers; and when he raised his head from ruku' he said: Allah listened to him who praised Him; O our Lord, praise be to Thee; and he said: He shaped (man) and how fine is his shape? And he (the narrator) said: When he pronounced salutation he said: O Allah, forgive me my earlier (sins), to the end of the hadith; and he did not say it between the Tashahhud and salutation (as mentioned above).
Reference : Sahih Muslim 771bIn-book reference : Book 6, Hadith 241USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1696
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 771b
This narration gives a shorter variant of the opening prayer dua. It says that when the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم began the prayer, he said takbir and then recited the words of turning his face to Allah. It also mentions praise after rising from ruku: “Allah listened to him who praised Him; O our Lord, praise be to Thee.” Another point is the placement of the final forgiveness dua. In this report, the narrator says it was said after salutation, not between tashahhud and salutation. The core topic is still prayer supplication. It teaches that salah is filled with praise, faith, and seeking forgiveness, while reports may preserve small wording or placement differences.
What we learn from this hadith
- Takbir marks the start of prayer and is followed by devotion to Allah.
- Praise after ruku is part of the Prophet’s prayer wording.
- Seeking forgiveness remains central in the prayer routine.
- Narrations may report small wording or placement differences.
