What he opened the night prayer with
Abu Salamah asked Aisha directly.
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ جِبْرَئِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرَافِيلَ فَاطِرَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ
Allāhumma rabba Jibrīla wa Mīkāʾīla wa Isrāfīl, fāṭira-s-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ, ʿālima-l-ghaybi wa-sh-shahādah, anta taḥkumu bayna ʿibādika fīmā kānū fīhi yakhtalifūn
“O Allah, Lord of Jibril and Mika'il and Israfil, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your servants in what they used to differ about.”
Where this comes from
Three angels named first, each of them assigned to one enormous thing, and then the address widens out to the whole of creation before it asks for anything.
The full narration
It was narrated that Abu Salamah bin `Abdur-Rahman said:“I asked `Aishah: ‘With what did the Prophet (ﷺ) start his voluntary prayers?’ She said: ‘He would say: “Allahumma Rabba Jibra’il wa Mika’il wa Israfil, Fatiras-samawati wal-ard, `alimal-ghaybi wash- shahadah, Anta tahkumu baina `ibadika fima kanu fihi yakhtalifun, ihdini lima-khtulifa fihi minal-haqqi bi idhnika, innaka latahdi ila siratin mustaqim (O Allah, Lord of Jibra’il, Mika’il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your slaves concerning that wherein they differ. Guide me to the disputed matters of truth by Your Leave, for You are the One Who guides to the straight Path).” (One of the narrators) `Abdur-Rahman bin `Umar said: “Bear in mind the word Jibra’il with a Hamzah - this is how it was narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ).”
Source
Sunan Ibn Mājah · 1357
- Al-Albani: Hasan
- Muhammad Fouad Abd al-Baqi: Hasan
- Shuaib Al Arnaut: Hasan
- Zubair Ali Zai: Sahih Muslim