What is the cause of the disagreement regarding qunut in the Fajr prayer?

This is a letter that reached us from the questioner (N-A) from Homs, Syria. The brother questioner’s letter contains a long question, the substance of which is an inquiry into the cause of the disagreement among many muftis regarding what is known as qunut in the Fajr prayer. The questioner mentions that he read in the book *Nur al-Yaqin fi Sirat Sayyid al-Mursalin* (The Light of Certainty in the Biography of the Master of the Messengers) by Shaykh Muhammad al-Khudri that the polytheists of Makkah prevented some of the Muslims from emigrating, imprisoned them, and tortured them, among them al-Walid ibn al-Walid and 'Iyash ibn Rabi'ah. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate for them in his prayer, and this is the origin of qunut. It occurred at different times, so it was in the witr of 'Isha, and in the Fajr prayer after the ruku' and before it. The Companions each narrated what they saw, and this is the cause of the disagreement among the imams. This is what he read in the book *Sirat Sayyid al-Mursalin*. Then he quotes that there are statements by some scholars regarding the permissibility of this and its prohibition. He asks about the correct ruling and the cause of this disagreement?
Answer: Qunut is of two types: a type called qunut in emergencies (nawazil), and this is prescribed (mashru') and recommended (mandub), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it. He performed qunut against Ra'il and Dawkhan when they killed the reciters, and he also performed qunut against the people of Makkah and cursed al-Harith ibn Hisham, Suhayl ibn 'Amr, and Safwan ibn Umayyah. So Allah revealed: [Al-Imran: 128].
So he (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform qunut in emergencies, supplicating against the polytheists who fought him, or killed some of his Companions, or harmed the Muslims. So qunut in emergencies is prescribed to display the anger of the Muslims against their enemies, and to ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for retribution against them for what they did to the Muslims. This is qunut in emergencies, and this is temporary. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform qunut for a month, or less or more, and then leave it. So it is temporary qunut for occurring causes. This is prescribed to this day and there is no blame in it. For example, one might perform qunut today in supplication against the Soviets, because they oppressed the Afghans and transgressed against them, so one performs qunut to supplicate against them, and to supplicate for the Afghan mujahideen for victory, because they are struggling in the path of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) . So one supplicates for their victory and for the defeat and destruction of their enemy. And one might supplicate against the Jews for their transgression and oppression of the people of Palestine, supplicating against them that Allah defeats them, sends down upon them [punishment], and frustrates their plot, and grants victory to the Muslims over them. This is called qunut in emergencies, and this does not last; it is done at times, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did and the Companions did.
As for the second type: it is qunut specifically in the Fajr prayer. Some scholars chose this and said: One performs qunut in the Fajr always, supplicating for the Muslims and supplicating against the disbelievers, whether one reads in it: "O Allah, guide us among those You have guided," or supplicates with other supplications. They argued for this with a hadith that came from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): A group of scholars, such as the Shafi'is and a group, argued with this for the legitimacy of qunut in the Fajr always. And others among the scholars said: No, it is not prescribed always; rather, this is for emergencies. And as for the hadith of Anas, it is weak. And even if it were authentic, the intended meaning is: He continued to lengthen the Fajr until he departed this world. He used to lengthen the Fajr prayer, and lengthening the standing and recitation is called qunut. And they argued for the prohibition of qunut in the Fajr always, arguing with what Imam Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah narrated with a good chain from Sa'd ibn Tariq al-Asheji, who said: I said to my father: .
So Tariq was from the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he informed his son Sa'd that qunut in the Fajr is not from the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) nor from the practice of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs, but rather it is an innovation. So this is the argument of those who said: One does not perform qunut in the Fajr on a permanent basis, but one performs qunut in the Fajr or in the Maghrib or in the 'Isha or in others on a non-permanent basis when there is a need for it, to supplicate against the disbelievers and to supplicate for the Muslims, when there is aggression from the disbelievers, and when war breaks out and the like. This is the stronger position and this is the correct one: that qunut is for emergencies only. And as for the permanent qunut in the Fajr, the correct view is: that it is better to leave it, and that what should be left is it, and that it is an innovation and not from the sunnah, but rather it is from the innovations that have been introduced. As Tariq ibn Ashim al-Asheji said to his son Sa'd: .
This is the stronger of the scholars' statements in this issue, and you have known, O questioner, the cause of the disagreement! The causes of the disagreement are the hadith of Anas, in which he said: , and it is a hadith narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Hibban, and a group, but it is weak in its chain. Some scholars interpreted it as: if it were authentic, the intended meaning would be lengthening the standing, because lengthening the standing is called qunut, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to lengthen the Fajr. And as for the hadith of Sa'd, it is a clear and explicit hadith in its narration from his father regarding the same issue. So Tariq said: "O my son, it is an innovation," meaning: It was not done by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) nor by his four Rightly Guided Caliphs. So that indicates that it is an innovation and not from what is prescribed. And Allah is the guarantor of success.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.