Which Dua (Supplication) Should I Recite after the Opening Takbir?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question

Once I say, Allahu Akbar, what is the dua I’m supposed to recite before al-Fatiha? Also, is it permissible to hold a piece of paper when trying to learn this dua in my salah?

Answer

I pray that you are well, insha’Allah.

No, it would not be permitted to read from a piece of paper during prayer. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

However, the supplication is very simple and can be memorized with little effort, insha’Allah. As long as you are actively trying to learn it, you would be excused from having to recite it until you have it memorized.

The supplication one recites after the opening Takbir is:

“Glory be to You, O Allah, and all praise. May Your name be blessed, and Your might exalted. There is no God but You.”

“.سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ وَتَعَالَى جَدُّكَ وَلَا إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ”

(Subhanak Allahumma wa bi hamdik wa tabaraka ‘smuka wa ta`ala jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuk)

I’d highly recommend taking the following course:
Absolute Essentials of Islam: Beliefs & Worship

And also these books:
Absolute Essentials of Islam
Ascent to Felicity (Maraqi ‘l-Sa’adat)

And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorized the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan, and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.