Did it come from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he performed qunut in the obligatory prayers, such as Maghrib, 'Isha', or Fajr, given that recently the imams of our mosques have started performing qunut in the Maghrib, 'Isha', and Fajr prayers?
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The questioner : Did it come from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he performed qunut in the obligatory prayers, such as Maghrib, 'Isha', or Fajr, given that recently the imams of our mosques have started performing qunut in the Maghrib, 'Isha', and Fajr prayers? I ask you, O Shaykh Muhammad, to mention the evidence. Are there any authentic hadiths? Please mention them. May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes, qunut in the obligatory prayers did not come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) except in specific circumstances. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed qunut for a month, supplicating against Rabi'ah and Dhu Kawin, who had killed the seventy reciters that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent. Then he left it. He also performed qunut (peace and blessings be upon him) for the rescue by Allah the Exalted of the weak believers in Makkah until they arrived, and then he left it. He used to perform qunut (peace and blessings be upon him) in such circumstances. However, the apparent Sunnah is that he performed qunut only in Maghrib and Fajr.
As for the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them), and I mean by that the Hanbali jurists, they said: He performs qunut when a calamity befalls the Muslims in all obligatory prayers except the Friday prayer. They explained that, meaning the leaving of qunut in the Friday prayer, is because the supplication he makes in the sermon is sufficient. However, the Hanbali jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) say: In the well-known position of Imam Ahmad's school, qunut is specific to the Imam, the Imam of the Muslims, and not to others, except if the Imam delegates it to him, then he performs qunut. That is, they do not see qunut for every mosque imam or for every individual praying alone. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only performed qunut and did not order his Ummah to perform qunut, and it did not come that the mosques of Madinah were performing qunut during the time when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was performing qunut.
But the stronger position is that the Grand Imam, who is the head of the state and the king of the state, performs qunut, and also other mosque imams, as well as individual worshippers. However, I prefer that the matter be regulated so that it is not up to every person to stand up and perform qunut simply because he sees that this is a calamity, and it may be a calamity in his view but not in reality. If the matter is regulated and it becomes clear that this is a real calamity that deserves the Muslims to perform qunut for, so that it makes the Muslims feel that the Muslims everywhere are one Ummah, and a Muslim feels pain for his brother even if he is far from him, then in this case we say that every imam and every worshipper, even if alone, performs qunut.
As for the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order this, his action (peace and blessings be upon him) is a Sunnah to be followed, and we are commanded to take him as a model. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ahzab 33:21] So if he performs an act of worship for Allah the Mighty and Majestic, we are commanded to do the same as his action in accordance with this noble verse and other verses indicating that he is our leader, our model, and our example (peace and blessings be upon him). But what is important to me is that matters be regulated, and that not every person goes to his own opinion without consulting the people of knowledge and those who have insight into these matters. Because if a thing is chaos, with everyone taking their own opinion, people will waver and the matter will become confusing for the common people, and they will say, whom do we follow and whose opinion do we take? But if it is regulated and there is a specific authority consulted in this matter, that is better.
This is regarding the public matter that comes from the imams of mosques, for example. As for the private thing that a person does for himself, that is a matter that returns to his independent legal reasoning. So whatever you see among the Muslims as a calamity that deserves qunut, let him perform qunut, and there is no blame on him for that. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) likened the Muslims to one body, so he said (peace and blessings be upon him):.
The conclusion is that qunut in the obligatory prayers is not prescribed, neither in Fajr nor in others, except if a calamity befalls the Muslims that deserves qunut for it. And qunut is prescribed for every worshipper in Maghrib and in Fajr. If he performs qunut in all prayers, then there is nothing wrong with that, as some scholars have seen. When this calamity is resolved, he stops performing qunut. And the most important thing to me in such matters is that the matter be regulated so that it is not chaos, and that they return to the people of opinion in these things, who are the people of knowledge. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, qunut in the obligatory prayers did not come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) except in specific circumstances. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed qunut for a month, supplicating against Rabi'ah and Dhu Kawin, who had killed the seventy reciters that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent. Then he left it. He also performed qunut (peace and blessings be upon him) for the rescue by Allah the Exalted of the weak believers in Makkah until they arrived, and then he left it. He used to perform qunut (peace and blessings be upon him) in such circumstances. However, the apparent Sunnah is that he performed qunut only in Maghrib and Fajr.
As for the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them), and I mean by that the Hanbali jurists, they said: He performs qunut when a calamity befalls the Muslims in all obligatory prayers except the Friday prayer. They explained that, meaning the leaving of qunut in the Friday prayer, is because the supplication he makes in the sermon is sufficient. However, the Hanbali jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) say: In the well-known position of Imam Ahmad's school, qunut is specific to the Imam, the Imam of the Muslims, and not to others, except if the Imam delegates it to him, then he performs qunut. That is, they do not see qunut for every mosque imam or for every individual praying alone. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only performed qunut and did not order his Ummah to perform qunut, and it did not come that the mosques of Madinah were performing qunut during the time when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was performing qunut.
But the stronger position is that the Grand Imam, who is the head of the state and the king of the state, performs qunut, and also other mosque imams, as well as individual worshippers. However, I prefer that the matter be regulated so that it is not up to every person to stand up and perform qunut simply because he sees that this is a calamity, and it may be a calamity in his view but not in reality. If the matter is regulated and it becomes clear that this is a real calamity that deserves the Muslims to perform qunut for, so that it makes the Muslims feel that the Muslims everywhere are one Ummah, and a Muslim feels pain for his brother even if he is far from him, then in this case we say that every imam and every worshipper, even if alone, performs qunut.
As for the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order this, his action (peace and blessings be upon him) is a Sunnah to be followed, and we are commanded to take him as a model. Allah the Exalted said:
There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.
لقد كان لكم في رسول الله أسوة حسنة لمن كان يرجو الله واليوم الآخر وذكر الله كثيراًThis is regarding the public matter that comes from the imams of mosques, for example. As for the private thing that a person does for himself, that is a matter that returns to his independent legal reasoning. So whatever you see among the Muslims as a calamity that deserves qunut, let him perform qunut, and there is no blame on him for that. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) likened the Muslims to one body, so he said (peace and blessings be upon him):
The likeness of the Muslims in their love, mercy, and compassion for one another is like that of one body: if one part of it complains, the rest of the body responds to it with fever and sleeplessness.
مثل المسلمين في توادهم وتراحمهم وتعاطفهم كمثل الجسد الواحد إذا اشتكى منه عضو تداعى له سائر الجسد بالحمى بالسهرThe conclusion is that qunut in the obligatory prayers is not prescribed, neither in Fajr nor in others, except if a calamity befalls the Muslims that deserves qunut for it. And qunut is prescribed for every worshipper in Maghrib and in Fajr. If he performs qunut in all prayers, then there is nothing wrong with that, as some scholars have seen. When this calamity is resolved, he stops performing qunut. And the most important thing to me in such matters is that the matter be regulated so that it is not chaos, and that they return to the people of opinion in these things, who are the people of knowledge. Yes.