"When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) started to pray he would pause briefly. I said: 'May my father and mother be ransomed for you, O Messenger of Allah, what do you say when you pause briefly between the takbir and reciation?' He said: 'I say: Allahuma ba'id bayni wa bayna khatayaya kama ba'adta bayna al-mashriqi wal-maghrib; Allahumma naqqini min khatayaya kama yunaqqa ath-thawb al-abyad min ad-danas; Allahumma ighsilni min khatayaya bil ma'i wa ath-thalji wal-barad. (O Allah, put a great distance between me and my sins, as great as the distance You have made between the East and the West; O Allah, cleanse me of my sins as a white garment is cleansed from filth; O Allah, wash away my sins with water and snow and hail).'"

"When the Prophet (ﷺ) started to pray, he would say the takbir, then say: 'Inna salati wa nusuki wa mahyaya wa mamati lillahi rabbil-alamin, la sharika lahu, wa bidhalika umirtu wa ana min al-muslimin. Allahummahdini liahsanil-amali wa ahsanil-akhlaqi la yahdi li ahsaniha illa anta wa qini sayy'al-a'mali wa sayy'al-ahaqi la yaqi sayy'aha illa ant. (Indeed my salah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of all that exists. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am one of the Muslims. O Allah, guide me to the best of deeds and the best of manners, for none can guide to the best of them but You. And protect me from bad deeds and bad manners, for none can protect against them but You.) "

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) started to pray, he would say Takbir, then say: "Wajahtu wajhi lilladhi fataras-samawatiwal-arda hanifan wa ma ana minal-mushrikin. Inna salati wa nusuki wa mahyaya wa mamati lillahi rabbil-alamin, la sharika lahu, wa bidhalika umirtu wa ana min al-muslimin. Allahumma! Antal-maliku la ilaha illa ant, ana abduka zalamtu nafsi wa'taraftu bidhanbi faghfirli dhunubi jami'an, la yaghfirudhunuba illa anta, wahdini lihasanil-ahklaqi, la yahdi li ahsaniha illa anta wasrif anni sayy'aha la yasrifu anni sayy'aha illa anta, labaika wa sa'daika, wal-khairu kulluhu fi yadaika wash-sharru laisa ilaika ana bika wa ilaika ana bika wa ilaika tabarkta wa ta'alaita astaghfiruka wa atubu ilaik. (Verily, I have turned my face toward Him who created the Heavens and the Earth hanifa (worhsipping none but Allah Alone), and I am not of the idolaters. Verily, my salah, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the all that exists. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am one of the Muslims. O Allah, You are the Sovereign and there is none worthy of worship but You. I am Your slave, I have wronged myself and I acknowledge my sin. Forgive me all my sins for no one forgives sins but You. Guide me to the best of manners for none can guide to the best of them but You. Protect me from bad manners for none can protect against them but You. I am at Your service, all goodness is in Your hands, and evil is not attributed to You. I rely on You and turn to You, blessed and exalted are You, I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You."

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood to offer a voluntary prayer he would say: " Allahu Akbar Wajahtu wajhi lilladhi fataras-samawatiwal-arda hanifan musliman wa ma ana minal-mushrikin. Inna salati wa nusuki wa mahyaya wa mamati lillahi rabbil-alamin, la sharika lahu, wa bidhalika umirtu wa ana awwalul-muslimin. Allahumma antal-maliku la ilaha illa anta subhanaka wa bihamdik (Allah is Most Great. Verily, I have turned my face toward Him who created the Heavens and the Earth hanifa (worhsipping none but Allah Alone), as a Muslim, and I am not of the idolaters. Verily, my Salah, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the all that exists. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims. O Allah, You are the Sovereign and there is none worthy of worship but You, glory and praise be to You.)" Then he would recite.

When the Prophet (ﷺ) started to pray he would say: "Subhanakallahumma, wa bihamdika tabarakasmuka wa ta'ala jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuk (Glory and praise be to You, O Allah. Blessed be Your name and exalted be Your majesty, there is none worthy of worship except You.)"

"When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) started to pray, he would say: 'Subhanakallahumma, wa bihamdika tabarakasmuka wa ta'ala jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuk (Glory and praise be to You, O Allah. Blessed be Your name and exalted be Your majesty, there is none worthy of worship except You.)"

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was leading us in prayer when a man came and entered the masjid, and he was out of breath. He said: 'Allahu Akbar, al-hamdulillahi hamdan kathiran tayiban mubarakan fih. (Allah is Most Great, praise be to Allah, much good and blessed praise.)' When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had finished his prayer he said: 'Which of you is the one who spoke these words?' The people kept quiet. He said: 'He did not say anything bad.' The man said: 'I did, O Messenger of Allah. I came and I was out of breath, and I said it.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'I saw twelve angels rushing to see which of them would take it up.'"

The Prophet (ﷺ), Abu Bakr, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, would start their recitation with: "All the praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.

"I prayed with the Prophet (ﷺ) and with Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, and they started with "All the praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists."

"One day when he-the Prophet (ﷺ)- was still among us, he took a nap, then he raised his head, smiling. We said to him: 'Why are you smiling, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Just now this Surah was revealed to me: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Verily, We have granted you (O Muahmmad) Al-Kawthar. Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only). For he who hates you, he will be cut off.' Then he said: 'Do you know what Al-Kawthar is?' We said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said: 'It is a river that my Lord has promised me in Paradise. Its vessels are more than the number of the stars. My Ummah will come to me, then a man among them will be pulled away and I will say: "O Lord, he is one of my Ummah" and He will say to me: 'You do not know what he did after you were gone."

"I prayed behind Abu Hurairah and he recited: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, then he recited Umm Al-Qur'an (Al Fatihah), and when he reached: not (the way) of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray, he said: 'Amin and the people said 'Amin. And every time he prostrated he said: 'Allahu Akbar and when he stood up from sitting after two Rak'ahs he said: 'Allahu Akbar'. And after he had said the Salam he said: 'By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! My prayer most closely remembers the prayer of the Messenger of Allah.'"

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in prayer, and we did not hear him recite: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. And Abu Bakr and Umar led us in prayer and we did not hear it from them either."

"I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them, and I did not hear any of them say out loud: In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful."

"If Abdullah bin Mughaffal heard any one of us recite: 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful', he would say: 'I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and behind Abu Bakr and behind Umar-may Allah be pleased with them both- and I did not hear any of them recite: 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."

"I heard Abu Hurairah say: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever offers a prayer in which he does not recite Umm Al-Quran (Al Fatihah), it is deficient, it is deficient, it is deficient, incomplete." I (Abu As-Sa'ib) said: 'O Abu Hurairah, sometimes I am behind the Imam.' He poked me in the arm and said: 'Recite it to yourself, O Persian! For I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "Allah says: "I have divided prayer between Myself and My slave into two halves, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.'" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Recite, for when the slave says: All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists, Allah says: 'My slave has praised Me.' And when he says: The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Allah says: 'My slave has extolled Me.' And when he says: The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection), Allah says: 'My slave has glorified Me' . And when he says: You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help (for each and everything), He says: 'This is between Me and My slave, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.' And when he says: 'Guide us to the straight way, the way of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray, He says: 'This is for My slave, and My slave shall have what he asked for.'"

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "There is no Salah for one who does not recite Fatihatil-Kitab."

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "There is no Salah for one who does not recite Fatihatil-Kitab or more.'"

"When Jibril was with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he heard a sound from above like a door opening. Jibril, peace be upon him, looked up toward the sky and said: 'This is a gate in Heaven that has been opened, but it was never opened before." He said: "An Angel came down from it and came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: 'Receive the glad tidings of two lights that have been given to you and were never given to any prophet before you: The Opening of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and the last verses of Surat Al-Baqarah. You will never recite a single letter of them but you will be granted it.'"

The Prophet (ﷺ) passed by him when he was praying, and called him. He said: "I finished praying, then I came to him, and he said: 'What kept you from answering me?' He said: 'I was praying.' He said: 'Does not Allah say: O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life? Shall I not teach you the greatest surah before I leave the masjid?' Then he went to leave, and I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, what about what you said?' He said: "All praise and thanks be to Allah, Lord of all that exists. These are the seven oft-recited that I have been given, and the Grand Quran.'"

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, did not reveal in the Tawrah or the Injil anything like Umm Al-Quran (Al-Fatihah), which is the seven oft-recited, and (Allah said) it is divided between Myself and My slave will have what he asked for.'"