What Can I Read in the Qunut of Witr If I Do Not Know the Dua That the Prophet (Allah Bless Him and Give Him Peace) Said?

Answered by Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahmad

Question

What can I read in the Qunut of Witr if I do not know the dua that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, praise is for Allah. Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

In the Shafi‘i school of thought, the Qunut prayer is performed in the Fajr prayer during the second rak‘a after rising from ruku‘ (bowing), and in the Witr prayer during the second half of Ramadan in the last rak‘a, also after rising from ruku‘.

Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him), in his commentary on Al-Muhadhdhab, states: “It is the Sunnah in the Fajr prayer to perform Qunut in the second rak‘a, as Anas (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that ‘The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) performed Qunut for a month, supplicating against them, and then he stopped doing it. But in the Fajr prayer, he continued to perform Qunut until he left this world.’”

This is a Sahih (authentic) Hadith, narrated by a group of hadith scholars who authenticated it, including the scholars Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ali al-Balkhi and Imam al-Hakim Abu Abdullah (Allah have mercy on them) in various places in their books, as well as Imam Bayhaqi.”

In these prayers, the supplication used is what was reported by Abu Hawra’ As-Sa‘di (Allah have mercy on him), who said: “I asked Hasan bin Ali: ‘Tell me something you memorized from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) that no one else told you.’ He said: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) supplicating with this dua: “O Allah, guide us among those whom You have guided, pardon us among those whom You have pardoned, take us as Your allies among those You have taken, bless us in what You have given, and protect us from the evil of what You have decreed. For You decree, and none can decree over You. Indeed, he whom You befriend is not disgraced. Blessed and Exalted are You.”’” [Sahih Ibn Hibban]

When to Make Qunut

The place for performing Qunut is after rising from ruku‘, as it was narrated that Anas ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him) was asked: “Did the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) perform Qunut in the Fajr prayer?” He replied: “Yes.” It was then asked: “Before or after ruku‘?” He replied: “After ruku‘.” [Nasa’i; Nawawi, al-Majmuʿ]

Imam Mawardi, in his book al-Hawi, said: “Abu Bakr and Umar, Allah be pleased with them, performed Qunut after ruku‘.”

What to Say in Qunut

Hasan ibn Ali (Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, taught me words to say in the Witr: ‘O Allah, guide me among those whom You have guided, pardon me among those whom You have pardoned, take me as Your ally among those You have taken, bless me in what You have given, and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed—for You decree and none can decree over You. Indeed, he whom You befriend is not disgraced. Blessed are You, our Lord, and Exalted.’” An imam should not specify himself but use the plural form, saying: “O Allah, guide us, pardon us, take us as Your allies, bless us, and protect us.” It is permissible to replace these words with other supplications. [Baghawi, al-Tahdhib]

Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him), in his commentary on al-Muhadhdhab, said: “If one performs Qunut with what was reported from Umar (Allah be pleased with him), it is good. Abu Rafi‘ narrated: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) performed Qunut after ruku‘ in the Fajr prayer, and I heard him saying: “O Allah, we seek Your help, ask Your forgiveness, and do not disbelieve in You. We believe in You, abandon and leave those who deny You. O Allah, to You we worship. To You we pray and prostrate; towards You we strive and hurry. We hope for Your mercy and fear Your punishment. Indeed, Your punishment will surely reach the disbelievers. O Allah, punish the disbelievers of the People of the Book who obstruct Your way, deny Your messengers, and fight Your allies. O Allah, forgive the believing men and women, the Muslim men and women, reconcile between them, unite their hearts, place faith and wisdom in their hearts, make them steadfast on the religion of Your messenger, enable them to fulfill the covenant You have taken with them, grant them victory over Your enemy and their enemy, O God of truth, and make us among them.”’” [Musannaf Abdul Razzaq al-San’ani]

How to Make Qunut

One should raise his hands during Qunut according to the hadith, as narrated from Qatada, from Hasan, and Bakr ibn Abdullah, all from Abu Rafi‘ (Allah  have mercy on them), who said: “I prayed behind Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), and he performed Qunut after ruku‘, raised his hands, and loudly supplicated.” Qatada said: “Al-Hasan used to do the same, and this about Umar (Allah be pleased with him) is authentic.” [Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra]

Regarding other obligatory prayers besides Fajr, Qunut is not performed unless there is a need. If a calamity befalls the Muslims, they perform Qunut in all obligatory prayers. It is recommended for the followers to say “Ameen” to the supplication, as narrated by Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) performed Qunut consecutively for a month in Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha, and Fajr prayers at the end of every prayer when he said: ‘Allah hears those who praise Him’ in the last rak‘a, praying against a tribe of Bani Sulaym, against Ri’l, Dhakwan, and ‘Usayyah, and those behind him said ‘ameen’. He had sent to them, calling them to Islam, but they killed them.” [Ahmad]

Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) performed Qunut consecutively for a month in Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha, and Fajr prayers, at the end of every prayer when he said ‘Allah hears those who praise Him’ in the last rak‘a, praying against tribes of Bani Sulaym, against Ri’l, Dhakwan, and ‘Usayyah, and those behind him said ‘Ameen’.” [Abu Dawud]

My brother, if you pray and have not memorized the prescribed Qunut supplication, then supplicate with any dua until you memorize the transmitted one.