Qunut in the Fajr Prayer
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Manner of Prostration of Gratitude
Question: What is the manner of the prostration of gratitude? And how does a Muslim perform it? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
Answer: The prostration of gratitude is prescribed when a calamity is averted from a Muslim, or when he is relieved from a hardship, or when a new blessing is bestowed upon him, such as victory over an enemy or the birth of a child, or similar new blessings.
And its manner is: He should say takbir and prostrate, saying "Subhan Rabbi al-A'la" (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), and repeat this three or ten times. He should supplicate with whatever supplications are easy for him, then raise his head and say takbir, and then say taslim. This is the manner of the prostration of gratitude, similar to the prostration of recitation.
[Qunut is prescribed] when a calamity is lifted from the Muslims, whether it is an enemy attack or any of the calamities that befall the Muslims. In such cases, qunut in the prayers is prescribed. However, in the absence of such calamities, qunut in the obligatory prayers is not prescribed; rather, some scholars consider it a religious innovation. This is because it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only performed qunut during calamities, as he did qunut and supplicated for the oppressed in Makkah, and as he supplicated against those who killed the reciters of the Companions at Bir Ma'unah and elsewhere. He (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated against them for a month. This indicates that qunut is specific to calamities.
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) held the view that qunut is prescribed in the Fajr prayer permanently. However, the majority of scholars are of the opposite opinion. The hadith on which Imam al-Shafi'i relied, which states that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) continued to perform qunut until he departed this world, is a hadith with a defect in its chain of narration and is not suitable for use as evidence.
The authentic hadiths are to the contrary. The authentic hadiths indicate that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not persist in performing qunut in the obligatory prayers, but only did so during times of calamity. Likewise, the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him did not do so. This indicates that it is not prescribed. When some of the Companions were asked about it,He said: [they described it as] a new matter, meaning it is something that occurred after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This indicates that qunut in the Fajr prayer is not prescribed, even if some scholars have held this view. And Allah knows best.
Question: What is the manner of the prostration of gratitude? And how does a Muslim perform it? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
Answer: The prostration of gratitude is prescribed when a calamity is averted from a Muslim, or when he is relieved from a hardship, or when a new blessing is bestowed upon him, such as victory over an enemy or the birth of a child, or similar new blessings.
And its manner is: He should say takbir and prostrate, saying "Subhan Rabbi al-A'la" (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), and repeat this three or ten times. He should supplicate with whatever supplications are easy for him, then raise his head and say takbir, and then say taslim. This is the manner of the prostration of gratitude, similar to the prostration of recitation.
[Qunut is prescribed] when a calamity is lifted from the Muslims, whether it is an enemy attack or any of the calamities that befall the Muslims. In such cases, qunut in the prayers is prescribed. However, in the absence of such calamities, qunut in the obligatory prayers is not prescribed; rather, some scholars consider it a religious innovation. This is because it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only performed qunut during calamities, as he did qunut and supplicated for the oppressed in Makkah, and as he supplicated against those who killed the reciters of the Companions at Bir Ma'unah and elsewhere. He (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated against them for a month. This indicates that qunut is specific to calamities.
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) held the view that qunut is prescribed in the Fajr prayer permanently. However, the majority of scholars are of the opposite opinion. The hadith on which Imam al-Shafi'i relied, which states that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) continued to perform qunut until he departed this world, is a hadith with a defect in its chain of narration and is not suitable for use as evidence.
The authentic hadiths are to the contrary. The authentic hadiths indicate that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not persist in performing qunut in the obligatory prayers, but only did so during times of calamity. Likewise, the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him did not do so. This indicates that it is not prescribed. When some of the Companions were asked about it,He said: [they described it as] a new matter, meaning it is something that occurred after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This indicates that qunut in the Fajr prayer is not prescribed, even if some scholars have held this view. And Allah knows best.