On the authority of Samurah, who said: "Two periods of silence I memorized from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him." Regarding this, he said:

Sa'id said: We said to Qatadah: "What are these two periods of silence?" He said: "When he enters into his prayer, and when he finishes the recitation." Then he said afterward: "And when he says: {Not the path of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray} (1)."

781 - Ahmad ibn Abi Shu'ayb narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Fudayl narrated to us, on the authority of 'Umarah.
And Abu Kamil narrated to us, 'Abd al-Wahid narrated to us, on the authority of 'Umarah — with the same meaning — on the authority of Abu Zur'ah, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, who said: "When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said the takbir in prayer, he would remain silent between the takbir and the recitation. So I said to him: 'May my father and mother be your ransom, what do you think of your silence between the takbir and the recitation — tell me, what do you say?' He said: 'O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced the east from the west. O Allah, purify me of my sins as a white garment is purified of filth. O Allah, wash me with snow, water, and hail' (2)."

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(1) Its narrators are trustworthy, like the preceding one. Ibn al-Mushayri: he is Muhammad, and 'Abd al-A'la: he is Ibn 'Abd al-A'la al-Sami.
Al-Tirmidhi (249) and Ibn Majah (844) also transmitted it via the route of 'Abd al-A'la al-Sami, with this chain of narration. In al-Tirmidhi's version: that this silence was so that his breath could return to him. It is also in "Musnad Ahmad" (20081) and "Sahih Ibn Hibban" (1807).

(2) Its chain of narration is authentic. Abu Kamil: he is Fudayl ibn Husayn al-Jahdari, and 'Abd al-Wahid: he is Ibn Ziyad, and 'Umarah: he is Ibn al-Qa'qa', and Abu Zur'ah: he is Ibn 'Amr al-Bajali.
Al-Bukhari (744), Muslim (598), al-Nasa'i in "al-Kubra" (60) and (970) and (971), and Ibn Majah (805) also transmitted it via multiple routes from 'Umarah, with this chain of narration.
It is also in "Musnad Ahmad" (7164) and "Sahih Ibn Hibban" (1775).
Al-Hafiz said in "al-Fath" 2/230: This hadith is used as evidence for the legitimacy of supplication between the takbir and the recitation, contrary to the well-known view of Malik. Also reported on this matter is the hadith "I have turned my face toward Him who created the heavens and the earth, as a hanif, and I am not of the polytheists," which is found in Muslim (771).