What is du'a al-qunut in witr?

What the word means

Qunut carries several meanings in Arabic: supplication, obedience, silence, and standing long in prayer. In the technical language of the jurists it means supplication made within the prayer at a designated place of standing. Al-Nawawi رحمه الله explained that no particular supplication is fixed for it — any supplication fulfils it, even verses of the Qur'an that contain a request — but the best is what the Sunnah brought.

The words the Prophet ﷺ taught

The supplication comes from a narration of al-Hasan ibn Ali رضي الله عنه, who said the Prophet ﷺ taught him these words to say in Witr:

"O Allah, guide me among those You have guided, and grant me wellbeing among those You have granted wellbeing, and take me as a close ally among those You have taken as close allies, and bless me in what You have given, and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed. For You decree and none decrees over You. Indeed, none whom You have taken as an ally is humbled, and none whom You have taken as an enemy is honoured. Blessed are You, our Lord, and exalted."— Sunan Abi Dawud 1425, from al-Hasan ibn Ali

Some narrations add at the end: "There is no refuge from You except with You." Shaykh Ibn Baz notes that a further addition is narrated in the hadith of Ali رضي الله عنه: "O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, and in Your pardon from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot count Your praise — You are as You have praised Yourself."

Adding to it

The scholars differ on whether you may add your own words. Shaykh Ibn Baz held that there is no harm in adding good supplications — the whole of it is good — and he noted that Umar رضي الله عنه used to add to it. Al-Albani, in Talkhis Sifat al-Salah, took the stricter line that this supplication is from the teaching of the Prophet ﷺ and should not be added to, with the exception of sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, which is permitted because it is established from the Companions.

When and how it is said

The Hanbali school, and the Shafi'i school with it, place the qunut after the bowing in the final rak'ah. Al-Albani held the position that its place is before the bowing, contrary to the qunut of calamity, and the Hanbali scholar al-Shanqiti notes that both forms are narrated from the Prophet ﷺ — he did it one way at one time and the other way at another — so this is a difference of variety, not of contradiction, and neither form is to be rejected.

The practical sequence, as Shaykh Ibn Baz describes it:

1. Pray the final rak'ah of Witr, reciting al-Fatihah and, preferably, Surah al-Ikhlas.
2. Bow and rise, saying "Allah hears the one who praises Him" and "Our Lord, to You belongs all praise."
3. Raise your hands and recite the qunut supplication.
4. Prostrate and complete the prayer as normal.

If you are praying alone or leading, the wording shifts from the singular ("guide me") to the plural ("guide us"), as Ibn Baz notes for the imam of a congregation.

How often to say it

This is where the scholars genuinely differ, and the difference is worth knowing.

Ibn Uthaymeen's reasoning is that the apparent practice of the Prophet ﷺ was not to persist in it, and no authentic hadith shows him doing it in Witr regularly — so doing it sometimes and leaving it sometimes is, in his view, better. Al-Shanqiti adds that in Ramadan the scholars encouraged continuity, because of the blessing in the gathering of people for supplication.

Key takeaways

• Du'a al-qunut is a recommended sunnah in Witr, not obligatory — leaving it does not invalidate your prayer and requires no prostration of forgetfulness.
• Its place in the Hanbali school is after the bowing in the final rak'ah; al-Albani placed it before the bowing, and both are narrated.
• The core words are the supplication taught to al-Hasan ibn Ali, beginning "O Allah, guide me among those You have guided."
• Ibn Baz permitted adding good supplications; al-Albani held that it should not be added to, except sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ.
• On frequency, the scholars differ — some say every night, some say Ramadan only, and Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Uthaymeen and al-Shanqiti favoured doing it sometimes and leaving it sometimes.

Further reading

• Talkhis Sifat al-Salah, al-Albani
• Sharh Zad al-Mustaqni', al-Shanqiti
• The fatwas of Shaykh Ibn Baz on the qunut of Witr

And Allah knows best.