Question: What are the meanings of the following prayers, which we recite in salat or our daily lives?
ANSWER
We will write their meanings briefly:

Allahu akbar:
Allah is great. [Allahu ta’ala is far beyond and above all shapes and images formed in mind, and He is far removed from resembling His creation. He is greater than all things to which perfection is attributed.]

Sub-haa-na rab-bi-yal a-zeem:
I declare My Rabb, the Great, free from all imperfections. [I know My Rabb, who is greater than everything, as being free from all defects and imperfections.]

Sami’allahu liman hamidah:
Allahu ta’ala hears and knows the one who praises Him.

Rab-ba-naa lakal hamd:
O my Rabb, praise be to You.

Sub-haa-na rab-bi-yal a’laa:
I know my Rabb, the Most High, as being free from all imperfect attributes.

As-sa-laa-mu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa ba-ra-kaa-tu-hu:
May peace, safety, the mercy and blessings of Allahu ta’ala be upon you.

Allahumma antas-sa-laam wa minkas-sa-laam ta-baa-rak-ta yaa dhal ja-laa-li wal ik-raam:
O my Rabb, You are as-Salam and salam comes from You [You are the protector against all disasters]. It is You who is worthy of glorification and respect.

As-tagh-fi-rul-lah (called istighfar):
O my Allah, forgive me.

The following is the prayer of istighfar:
As-tagh-fi-rul-lah al-a-zeem al-la-dhee laa i-laa-ha il-laa huwal hayyal qay-yoo-ma wa a-too-bu i-layh:
O my Allah, the Great! Forgive my sins. It is You alone who creates all things from nothing and who keeps them in existence every moment. You are the Ever-Existing.

As-tagh-fi-rul-lah min kulli maa karihallah:
O my Rabb, forgive me for whatever I have done of the things You are not pleased with and You dislike. Protect me from doing whatever I have not done of them.

Tahlil:
Laa i-laa-ha il-lal-lah or Laa i-laa-ha il-lal-la-hu wah-da-hoo laa sha-ree-ka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ‘a-laa kul-li shay’in qa-deer:
There is no god except Allah. He is one and has no partner. To him belongs all sovereignty. It is He who is worthy of praise. He is omnipotent.

Sub-haa-na rabbiyal ‘a-liy-yil a’lal wah-haab:
I declare my exalted Rabb, the One who gives bountifully, free from imperfections.

Al-la-hum-mah-shur-naa fi zumratis-saa-li-heen:
O my Allah, gather us [on the Day of Judgment] with the pious.

Sub-haa-nal-lah (called tasbih):
O my Allah, I declare You free from all imperfections.

Allahu akbar (called takbir):
Allah is great.

Alhamdulillah (called tahmid):
Praise be to Allah.

Laa hawla wa laa quwwata il-laa billah (called tamjid):
All power and strength is from Allah alone.

Amin:
O my Rabb, accept it.

Laa i-laa-ha il-lal-lah:
It means there is no god except Allah. That is, it is Allahu ta’ala alone who has the right to be worshiped. There is no true deity except Him. There is one Allah, who creates everything. He has no partner or likeness.

Muhammadun rasulullah:
Muhammad [‘alaihis-salam] is the messenger of Allahu ta’ala.

Laa i-laa-ha il-lal-lah Muhammadun ra-soo-lul-lah (called kalima-i tawhid):
There is no god except Allah. Muhammad [‘alaihis-salam] is His messenger.

Ash-hadu an-laa i-laa-ha il-lal-lah wa ash-hadu an-na Muhammadan abduhu wa ra-soo-lu-hu (called kalima-i shahadah):
I bear witness that there is no god other than Allah and that Muhammad [‘alaihis-salam] is His servant and messenger. That is, I know and declare as if I saw that there is, besides Allahu ta’ala, no god and nobody whose existence is necessary and who is worthy of worship and obedience. I know and declare as if I saw that Muhammad [‘alaihis-salam] is Allahu ta’ala’s servant and final prophet. He having been sent, the religions of the prophets preceding him have been completed and their validity has been abrogated. Attaining endless bliss necessitates following him. Each of his utterances about Islam has been revealed to him by Allahu ta’ala. All of them are correct. There is no likelihood for any mistake.

Rab-ba-naa aa-ti-naa fid-dun-yaa ha-sa-na-tan wa fil-aa-khi-rati ha-sa-na-tan wa-qi-naa a-dhaa-ban-naar:
O our Rabb, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and protect us from the torment of Hell.

Rab-ba-nagh-fir-lee wa-li waa-li-day-ya wa lil-mu’mi-nee-na yaw-ma ya-qoo-mul hi-saab:
O our Rabb, forgive me, my parents, and the Believers on the day when the reckoning will be done.

Salawat: The shortest form of salawat (prayer upon Muhammad ‘alaihis-salam) is as follows:

Al-la-hum-ma sal-li ‘a-laa Muhammad wa ‘a-laa aa-li Muhammad:
O my Allah, salat and salam be upon Muhammad [‘alaihis-salam], his family, and his descendants.

Talbiya:
Lab-bayk Al-la-hum-ma lab-bayk. Lab-bayk laa sha-ree-ka la-ka lab-bayk. In-nal ham-da wa’n-ni’ma-ta wal mul-ka la-ka laa sha-ree-ka lak:
O my Allah, whose existence is absolutely necessary! Here I am at Your service. I am ready to do Your orders, and I obey Your divine will. You have no partner or likeness.

Takbir-i tashrik:
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar. La i-laa-ha il-lal-lah. Wallahu akbar. Allahu akbar wa lil-la-hil-hamd:
Allah is great. There is no god except Him. Praise is for Allah alone.

The prayer of faith to be recited in the morning and in the evening:
Allahumma in-nee a’oo-dhu bi-ka min an ush-ri-ka bi-ka shay-an wa a-na a’la-mu wa as-tagh-fi-ru-ka li-maa laa-a’la-mu in-na-ka an-ta al-laa-mul-ghu-yoob.
O my Allah, I seek refuge in You from committing shirk knowingly. Forgive me if I have done so unconsciously. You know everything.

After-meal prayer:
Alhamdu-lil-laa-hil-la-dhee ash-ba-a-naa wa ar-waa-naa min ghay-ri haw-lin min-naa wa laa quw-wah. Allahumma at’im-hum ka-maa at’a-moo-naa. Allahummar-zuq-naa qal-ban ta-qiy-yan, mi-nash-shir-ki ba-riy-yan laa kaa-fi-ran wa laa sha-qiy-yan wal-ham-du-lil-laa-hi rab-bil ‘aa-la-meen:
Praise be to Allah, who feeds us with His blessings and satisfies our thirst without our power or strength. O my Rabb, offer in the same way to those who have made a contribution in the preparation of this meal for us and who have offered it to us. O my Rabb, protect our hearts from shirk and evil. Give us a heart that obeys the rules of our religion.

Prayer for expressing gratitude:
Allahumma maa as-ba-ha bee min ni’ma-tin aw bi-a-ha-din min khal-qi-ka, fa min-ka wah-da-ka, laa sha-ree-ka la-ka, fa la-kal ham-du wa la-kash-shukr:
O my Rabb, it is from You alone that all the material and spiritual blessings that You have given to me and other creation remain with us until the morning/the evening. You have no partner. Praise and thanks be to You. [When one says this prayer in the evening, he should substitute the phrase ma amsaa for ma asbaha.]

Our Master the Prophet would quite often say the following prayer:
Allahumma in-nee as-a-lu-kas-sıh-ha-ta wal-‘aa-fi-ya-ta wal-a-maa-na-ta wa hus-nal-khul-qi war-ri-daa-a bil-qa-da-ri bi-rah-ma-ti-ka yaa ar-ha-mar-raa-hi-meen:
O my Rabb, I ask of You good health, welfare, being faithful toward people’s trust, good morals, and being content with qadar. O the Most Merciful of the merciful! By Your Mercy give these to me.

The prayer to be recited when one gets angry:
Al-la-hum-magh-fir li-dhan-bi wa adh-hib ghay-za qal-bi wa a-jir-ni mi-nash shay-taan:
O my Rabb, forgive my sins. Free me from the rage in my heart and from the whisperings of the Devil.

The Qur’anic verse to be recited upon the news of death:
In-naa lil-laah wa in-naa i-lay-hi raa-ji’oon:
Verily, we are the servants of Allahu ta’ala. We will return to Him again after being resurrected after death.

The prayer to be recited in order to remain steadfast in faith and to die a Muslim:
Allahumma yaa mu-qal-li-bal qu-loob, thab-bit qal-bee ‘a-laa dee-nik:
O my Allah, the Great, it is You who turn the hearts from good to evil and from evil to good. Make my heart firm in Your religion. Do not let it turn back from Your religion and from being a Muslim.

The prayer for renewing one’s faith and nikah (marriage contract):
Allahumma in-nee u-ree-du an u-jad-di-dal ee-maa-na wan-ni-kaa-ha taj-dee-dan bi-qaw-li laa i-laa-ha il-lal-lah Muhammadun ra-soo-lul-lah:
O my Rabb, I am renewing my faith and nikah by saying Laa i-laa-ha il-lal-lah Muhammadun ra-soo-lul-lah.

The meaning of the prayer [starting with the phrase] Subhanaka …:
O my Allah, I declare You free from defects and shortcomings and I describe You with all perfect attributes. Praise be to You. Blessed is Your name. (And Exalted is Your majesty) There is no god except You.

The meaning of the prayer at-tahiyyat:
All respects, salawat, and good deeds are for Allah. O the exalted Prophet! Allah’s salam, mercy, and blessings be upon you. Salam be upon us and Allah’s pious servants. I bear witness that Allah is one and I bear witness that Muhammad [‘alaihis-salam] is His servant and messenger.

The meaning of Allahumma salli … :
O my Allah, have mercy on [our Master] Muhammad [‘alaihis-salam], his family, and his descendants, as You did on Ibrahim [‘alaihis-salam], his family, and his descendants. You are certainly the Praiseworthy and Glorious.

The meaning of Allahumma barik …:
O my Allah, give blessings to [our Master] Muhammad [‘alaihis-salam], his family, and his descendants, as You did to Ibrahim [‘alaihis-salam], his family, and his descendants. You are certainly the Praiseworthy and Glorious.

The meaning of prayer of qunut:
O my Allah, we beseech You for help and seek Your forgiveness. We ask You for guidance. We believe in You. We repent to and put trust in You. We praise You in the best way. We thank You (for Your blessings) and are not ungrateful. We turn away from and leave the one who commits sins.

O my Allah, we worship You alone, perform salat and fall prostrate for You alone, run towards You, and take refuge in You. We hope for Your mercy and fear Your torment. Your torment will certainly overtake the disbelievers, who cover the truth.

The meaning of Ayat al-kursi:
Allah is He besides whom there is no god, whom neither slumber nor sleep overtakes, who is the Living, and who guards and protects His creation every moment. Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth belong to Him alone. Who will intercede in His presence except by His leave? He knows what they did and what they will do. They cannot comprehend anything of His knowledge save that which He wills. His dominion encompasses the heavens and the earth. Guarding and preserving them is no burden to Him. He is the Most High, the Great. [Baqara 255]