Step 4 of 14
The Opening Du'a, Seeking Refuge and the Basmalah
After the takbir there is a short, quiet du'a called the opening du'a (istiftah). One well-known form, which 'A'ishah reported the Prophet ﷺ saying when he opened the prayer, is given below. Abu Hurayrah asked the Prophet ﷺ what he said in the silence between the takbir and the recitation, and he taught another: "O Allah, set me apart from my sins as You have set apart the east and the west…"
Then seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan before reciting, as Allah says, ﴿فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ﴾ (“When you recite the Qur'an, seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the accursed.”) The usual words are "A'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim", I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the accursed.
Then say the basmalah, "Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim", and begin al-Fatihah. Anas said that he prayed behind the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman and never heard any of them say the basmalah aloud. The schools differ over the opening du'a and over saying the basmalah aloud, as shown below.
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ وَتَعَالَى جَدُّكَ وَلاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ
Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabarakasmuka, wa ta'ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghayruk.
Glory be to You, O Allah, and with Your praise. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god but You.
The four schools differ on some details. Show them
Each school's ruling, with the schools that share it named together.
Are the opening du'a and seeking refuge said in an obligatory prayer?
3 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Maliki.
Show each school
- SunnahHanafi · Shafi'i · Hanbali
- Disliked (makruh)Maliki
- Hanafi
- Both are sunnah, and the preferred opening is "Subhanakallahumma…".
- Maliki
- In an obligatory prayer the takbir is followed directly by al-Fatihah, as Anas described the prayer beginning with "al-hamdu lillah"; the opening du'a and seeking refuge are allowed in voluntary prayers.
- Shafi'i
- Both are sunnah, and the school's preferred opening du'a begins "Wajjahtu wajhiya…".
- Hanbali
- Both are sunnah, and the preferred opening is "Subhanakallahumma…".
Is the basmalah said aloud in the prayers recited aloud?
2 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Maliki, Shafi'i.
Show each school
- Said quietlyHanafi · Hanbali
- Disliked (makruh)Maliki
- Said aloudShafi'i
- Hanafi
- It is said quietly before al-Fatihah in every rak'ah, following Anas's report that he never heard it said aloud.
- Maliki
- In the relied-upon view it is not said at all in an obligatory prayer, aloud or quietly; some Malikis recommended saying it quietly to step out of the disagreement.
- Shafi'i
- Since it is the first verse of al-Fatihah, it is said aloud wherever al-Fatihah is recited aloud.
- Hanbali
- It is said quietly before al-Fatihah, even in the prayers recited aloud.
- Sunan Abi Dawud 776 Graded by Al-Albani: Sahih · Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid: Sahih · Shuaib Al Arnaut: Sahih Lighairihi · Zubair Ali Zai: SahihSahih
- Sahih al-Bukhari 744 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Qur'an 16:98
- Sahih Muslim 399Sahih · in the two Sahihs
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
The positions of the four schools are summarised from their standard references and are pending review by a qualified scholar. Follow the school you were taught, and for your own situation, ask a scholar.
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