Dhikr in qiyām

The qiyām (standing posture) starts with the takbīr40 or the utterance of “Allāhu Akbar”. Nothing besides the takbīr must be said to open the prayers. To announce that the worshipper intends to say so many rak‘ahs, fardz or sunnah, having his face towards the Qiblah, and so on, is simply absurd, as no trace of it is met with in the practice of the Holy Prophet (Sunnah) or in the practice of sayings of the Companions or the followers of the four Imāms (ZM. I, p. 51).

Between the first takbīr and the recital of the Opening chapter of the Holy Qur’ān, which is the most essential part of the prayer, several kinds of dhikr41 are reported from the Holy Prophet. The best known, which the Caliph ‘Umar used to recite,42 is as follows :

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Subḥāna-k-Allāh-umma wa bi-ḥamdi-ka wa tabārakasmu-ka wa ta-‘alā jaddu-ka wa lā ilāha ghairu-k (Ad. 2: 120).
Glory to Thee, O Allāh, and Thine is the praise, and blessed is Thy name, and exalted is Thy majesty, and there is none to be served besides Thee.

This dhikr is uttered in a low voice not heard by others. Bukhārī however relates a ḥadīth from Abū Hurairah, according to which the Holy Prophet addressed the following prayer after the first takbīr: