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Istiftah (The Opening Duʿa’) #1

سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ ، وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ ، وَتَعَالَىٰ جَدُّكَ ، وَلَا إِلٰهَ غَيْرُكَ.

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How Perfect are You O Allah, and all praise is Yours. Your Name is most blessed, Your majesty is exalted and there is no god worthy of worship except You.

 

Subḥānaka Allāhumma wa bi-ḥamdika wa tabāraka-smuka wa taʿālā jadduka wa lā ilāha ghayruk.

 

Abū Sa’īd al-Khudrī (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ got up to pray at night (for tahajjud prayer) he uttered the takbīr and then said [the above].

He then said: لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ (There is no god but Allah) three times.

He then said: اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا (Allah is altogether great) three times.

He then said: أَعُوْذُ بِاللّهِ السَّمِيْعِ الْعَلِيْمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ، مِنْ هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ (I seek protection in Allah, the All-Hearing and All-Knowing from the rejected Shaytān; from him inciting madness, pride and reprehensible poetry.) (Abū Dāwūd 775)

سُبْحَان: Negates all negative attributes from Him. Thus, Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is Perfect; free from any weakness, defect and oppression. Allah (ʿazza wa jall) does not bear resemblance to any of His Creation.

حَمْدِ: Affirms all of His positive attributes. Ḥamd is to describe the praised one with perfection, love and utmost respect.

تَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ: Your Name is Perfect, Exalted, Holy and is the source of all good in the heavens and the earth.

The Name of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is full of blessing and good. Uttering His Name before eating prevents Shayṭān from sharing your meal. Similarly, if you slaughter an animal without uttering the Name of Allah, it remains unlawful for you to eat. Thus, all matters which are not preceded by the Name of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) are deficient and defective.

جَدُّكَ: This refers to Allah’s majesty, greatness and grandeur.

وَلاَ إِلٰهَ غَيْرُكَ: This is the kalimah (utterance) of tawḥīd (oneness), which all Messengers were sent with. It means there is none worthy of worship except for Allah (ʿazza wa jall).

All of the above naturally guides us to this ultimate word of truth. After affirming and uttering Allah’s absolute unique perfection, it only makes sense that He is the Only One who should be worshipped.

Istiftah (The Opening Duʿa’) #2

اَللّٰهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِـيْ وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَاىَ كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ نَقِّنِيْ مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْسِلْ خَطَايَاىَ بِالْمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ.

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O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced the East from the West. O Allah purify me from my sins as white cloth is purified from dirt. O Allah wash away my sins with water, hail and snow.
Allāhumma bāʿid baynī wa bayna khaṭāyāya kamā bāʿadta bayna-l-mashriqi wa-l-maghrib, Allāhumma naq-qinī min khaṭāyāya kamā yunaq-qa-th-thawbul-abyaḍu mina-d-danas, Allāhumma-ghsilnī min khaṭāyāya bil-māi’ wa-th-thalji wal-barad.

 

Abū Hurayrah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would pause between the opening takbir and the recitation. I said: ‘May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, the pause between the opening takbir and the recitation, what do you say?’ He replied: ‘I say [the above].’ (Bukhārī 744, Muslim 598)

Explanation coming soon…

Istiftah (The Opening Duʿa’) #3

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ حَمْدًا كَثِيْرًا طَيِّبًا مُّبَارَكًا فِيْهِ.

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All praise is for Allah; an abundant, sincere and blessed praise.
Alḥamdu li-llāh ḥamdan kathīran ṭayyiban mubārakan fīh.

Anas (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated that a man came panting and joined the row (of congregants in ṣalāh), and then uttered [the above]. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished his ṣalāh, he said, “…I saw twelve angels competing with each other to ascend with it.” (Muslim 600).

Explanation coming soon…

Istiftah (The Opening Duʿa’) #4

اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيْرًا ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ كَثِيْرًا ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ بُكْرَةً وَّأَصِيْلًا.

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Allah is Greater, the Greatest: abundant praise is for Allah, and how Perfect is Allah in the morning and the evening.
Allāhu akbaru kabīrā, wa-lḥamdu li-llāh kathīrā, wa subḥāna-llāhi bukratan wa aṣilā.

ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar (radiy Allāhū ‘anhumā) narrated, “Once we were praying with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when a man said [the above]. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ (after the ṣalāh) asked, “Who uttered those words?” The man replied, “It was me, O Messenger of Allah.” He ﷺ said, “I was amazed by them – the doors of heaven were opened for them.” Ibn ʿUmar said, “I have not stopped saying these words since I heard this statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” (Muslim 601).

Explanation coming soon…

Istiftah (The Opening Duʿa’) #5

اَللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّ جَبْرَائِيْلَ وَمِيْكَائِيْلَ وَإِسْرَافِيْلَ ، فَاطِرَ السَّمٰـوٰتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ، عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ ، أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِيْمَا كَانُوْا فِيْهِ يَخْتَلِفُوْنَ ، اِهْدِنِيْ لِمَا اخْتُلِفَ فِيْهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِكَ ، إِنَّكَ تَهْدِيْ مَنْ تَشَآءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيْمٍ.

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O Allah, Lord of Jabrā’īl, Mīkā’īl and Isrāfīl; Creator of the heavens and the earth; Knower of the unseen and seen, You will judge between Your servants in what they used to differ. Guide me in what is contentious to the truth, by Your Will. Certainly, You guide whomsoever You will to a straight path.
Allāhumma Rabba Jabrā’īla, wa Mīkā’īla, wa Isrāfīl, fāṭira-s-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ, ʿālima-l-ghaybi wa-sh-shahādah, Anta taḥkumu bayna ʿibādika fīmā kānū fīhi yakhtalifūn, ihdinī lima-khtulifa fīhi mina-l-ḥaqqi bi-idhnik, innaka tahdī man tashā’u ilā Ṣirāṭi-m-Mustaqīm.

ʿAbdur Raḥmān b. ʿAwf (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated: I asked ‘A’isha (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā), the mother of the believers, (to tell me) the words with which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commenced the Ṣalāh when he got up at night. She said: “When he got up at night he would commence his Ṣalāh with [the above] words. (Muslim 770)

Explanation coming soon…

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