Rabi'a b. Ka‘b al-Aslami said he used to spend the night near the Prophet’s inner chamber and hear him say when he got up during the night, “Glory be to the Lord of the universe" for a long time. Then he would say, “Glory be to God and praise be to Him" for a longtime.
Nasa’i transmitted it, and Tirmidhi who has something similar says that this is a hasan sahih tradition.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri told that when God’s Messenger got up during the night he said, “God is most great,” then he would say, “Glory be to Thee, O God, and praise be to Thee; blessed be Thy name; exalted be Thine honour; there is no other god but Thee.” Then he would say, “God is most exceeding great;” then say, “I seek refuge in God, the Hearer and Knower, from the accursed devil, from his pricking, his blowing, and his sputtering.”
Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it, Abu Dawud adding after “no other god but Thee,” that he would then say “There is no god but God” three times, and at the end of the tradition, that he would then recite some verses.
Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When one of you goes to sleep the devil ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing every knot with, ‘You have a long night, so sleep’. So if one awakes and mentions God a knot will be loosened, if he performs ablution a knot will be loosened, and if he prays a knot will be loosened, and in the morning he will be active and in good spirits; otherwise he will be in bad spirits and sluggish in the morning.”
Shariq al-Hauzani told that he visited ‘A’isha and asked her what God’s Messenger said first when he rose during the night. Replying that he had asked her a question she had never been asked by anyone before, she said that when he rose during the night he said “God is most great” ten times, “Praise be to God” ten times, “Glory be to God, and praise be to him” ten times, “Glory be to the King most holy” ten times, he asked pardon from God ten times, said “There is no god but God” ten times, then said, “O God, I seek refuge in Thee from the distress of this world and from the distress of the day of resurrection” ten times, then he began the prayer.
