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How to Perform Qunut

27 May, 2023
Q I would like to ask about the Qunut in prayer. Was qunut the common practice of Prophet (peace be upon him) or was it exceptional? What about saying qunut in Fajr prayer all the time?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.


In this fatwa:

  • Qunut is a supplication that Muslims offer during prayer at a specific point while standing.
  • Qunut is recommended in Witr prayer after the ruku.
  • There is no sound report that Prophet Muhammad singled out Fajr prayer for qunut.

Answering your question, The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’ in Saudi Arabia, states:

What is qunut?

Qunut, according to the definition of the jurists, is the name of a duaa (supplication) that Muslims offer during prayer at a specific point while standing.

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Qunut is recommended in Witr prayer after the ruku (bowing), according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions.

If a calamity befalls the Muslims, it is mustahabb to say duaa al-qunut after standing up from ruku in the last rakah of each of the five daily obligatory prayers, until Allah relieves the Muslims of that calamity. (See Tasheeh al-Duaa by Bakr Abu Zayd, p. 460).

Reciting Qunut in Fajr Prayer all the time

With regard to saying duaa al-qunut in Fajr prayer all the time, in all circumstances, there is no sound report that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) singled out Fajr for qunut, or that he always recited it in Fajr prayer.

Rather, Prophet Muhammad said duaa al-qunut at times of calamity with words that were appropriate to the situation.

He said duaa al-qunut in Fajr and in other prayers, praying against Ra`l, Dhakwaan and `Usayyah for killing the Quran-readers whom he had sent to them in order to teach them their religion.

Prophet Muhammad offered duaa in Fajr prayer and other prayers for the weak and oppressed believers, that Allah would save them from their enemies. But he did not do that all the time.

The Rightly-Guided Caliphs after him followed the same practice. It is better for the imam to limit qunut to times of calamity, following the example of the Messenger of Allah.

Abu Malik al-Ashari said: “I said to my father, ‘O my father, you prayed behind the Messenger of Allah and behind Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan and Ali. Did they used to say duaa al-qunut in Fajr?’ He said, ‘O my son, this is a newly-invented matter.’” (Abu Dawud; classed as sahih by al-Albani in al-Irwa, 435)

Almighty Allah knows best.

Source:www.islamqa.info