A word by the Shaykh regarding the supplication of qunut, and whether it is permissible to add to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught al-Hasan ibn 'Ali, or not.
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The Shaykh : But before we begin speaking about the rest of these six descriptions, we speak about what we have been accustomed to speaking about regarding what we have heard from our imams.
In the supplication of qunut, we see that the imams add to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with them both).
And it is often asked by students of knowledge and by others as well: Is it permissible to add to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, or is it not permissible?
The answer to this is to say: There is nothing wrong with adding to that, because if it is established that this is a place for supplication, and this supplication has not been defined by a limit that prohibits adding to it, then the original rule is that a person supplicates with whatever he wishes. However, adhering to what has been transmitted—meaning not leaving out what has been transmitted—is better. That is, we prioritize what has been transmitted, and if we wish to add, there is no blame on us. For this reason, it is reported from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that they curse the disbelievers in their qunut, even though this was not included in what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. And thus, no difficulty remains in the issue.
Moreover, the wording of the hadith is:Musnad Ahmad 28Sahih (Darussalam), and it may be said that its apparent meaning is that there is another supplication besides that, because he says: .
In any case, the answer is that there is nothing wrong with adding to that, that a person supplicates with a suitable supplication from what concerns Muslims in their religious and worldly affairs.
In the supplication of qunut, we see that the imams add to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with them both).
And it is often asked by students of knowledge and by others as well: Is it permissible to add to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, or is it not permissible?
The answer to this is to say: There is nothing wrong with adding to that, because if it is established that this is a place for supplication, and this supplication has not been defined by a limit that prohibits adding to it, then the original rule is that a person supplicates with whatever he wishes. However, adhering to what has been transmitted—meaning not leaving out what has been transmitted—is better. That is, we prioritize what has been transmitted, and if we wish to add, there is no blame on us. For this reason, it is reported from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that they curse the disbelievers in their qunut, even though this was not included in what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. And thus, no difficulty remains in the issue.
Moreover, the wording of the hadith is:
Teach me a du'a` that I may say in
علمني دعاء أدعو به في قنوت الوترA supplication with which I supplicate in the qunut of witr
دعاء أدعو به في قنوت الوترIn any case, the answer is that there is nothing wrong with adding to that, that a person supplicates with a suitable supplication from what concerns Muslims in their religious and worldly affairs.