What is the ruling on qunut, and what is the ruling on praying behind one who performs qunut?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : And we know the issue of qunut, meaning that some people have started saying that this is a religious innovation and that it is not permissible to pray behind an imam who performs qunut in the Fajr prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So we want to, and of course, they say that we are Salafis, so I want to hear from you specifically.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And we do not declare anyone pure except Allah. We know that Shaykh Nasser is our head and our eye, a man who understands fiqh and has fiqh, and is a narrator who memorizes hadith and is a researcher, so I want to hear it from you.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Regarding qunut in the Fajr prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : What is the issue?
The Shaykh : Do you want to listen and take from the speech what pleases you and turn away from what does not please you?
The questioner : Definitely not.
The Shaykh : Or do you take the whole speech from beginning to end, what is for you and what is against you?
The questioner : I have no personal stake; I only want what is the truth so that we may follow it, with Allah's permission.
The Shaykh : Be assured of all good.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you. I say that my knowledge, which admits no argument, is that qunut in all five prayers for a calamity is a recommended practice.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And for a disaster that befalls the Muslims, it is a recommended practice.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : As for qunut in the Fajr prayer specifically, excluding the other prayers, and on every day of the year,
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : it is something that has no basis in the authentic Sunnah, and when I say authentic, I mean what I say.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because there are hadiths, or a hadith, not hadiths.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : A weak hadith says: If this hadith had an authentic chain, we would have been the first to adopt it and apply it before all people.
The questioner : Yes, it is correct, without doubt.
The Shaykh : But it is a weak hadith, and it is not permissible to act upon it. This is with regard to qunut in the Fajr prayer, and the summary of that is that it is not a recommended practice.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : This is from this perspective.
The questioner : Yes, that is correct.
The Shaykh : As for what you quoted from some of them, that they say the prayer behind one who performs qunut in the Fajr prayer is invalid, their statement is invalid.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And we advise both groups
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : not to go to extremes in their religion, by the saying of the Lord of the Worlds:[An-Nisa 4:171].
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : We advise those who lead people in prayer and commit to qunut in the Fajr prayer, for the sake of the people, we advise them to fear the Lord of people.
The questioner : Yes, correct.
The Shaykh : After they have learned that this has no authentic basis in the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good. I do not want to delay you.
The Shaykh : And we advise the others not to go to extremes.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And not to be fanatical, and they must pray behind any imam
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : as long as he is a Muslim, but they must advise him in the best manner. As for splitting the unity of the community and leaving the congregational prayer just because the imam does not agree with their opinion, this is not permissible.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So we want to, and of course, they say that we are Salafis, so I want to hear from you specifically.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And we do not declare anyone pure except Allah. We know that Shaykh Nasser is our head and our eye, a man who understands fiqh and has fiqh, and is a narrator who memorizes hadith and is a researcher, so I want to hear it from you.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Regarding qunut in the Fajr prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : What is the issue?
The Shaykh : Do you want to listen and take from the speech what pleases you and turn away from what does not please you?
The questioner : Definitely not.
The Shaykh : Or do you take the whole speech from beginning to end, what is for you and what is against you?
The questioner : I have no personal stake; I only want what is the truth so that we may follow it, with Allah's permission.
The Shaykh : Be assured of all good.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you. I say that my knowledge, which admits no argument, is that qunut in all five prayers for a calamity is a recommended practice.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And for a disaster that befalls the Muslims, it is a recommended practice.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : As for qunut in the Fajr prayer specifically, excluding the other prayers, and on every day of the year,
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : it is something that has no basis in the authentic Sunnah, and when I say authentic, I mean what I say.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because there are hadiths, or a hadith, not hadiths.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : A weak hadith says:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) continued to perform qunut in the Fajr prayer until he departed this world.
ما زال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم - يقنت في صلاة الفجر حتى فارق الدنياThe questioner : Yes, it is correct, without doubt.
The Shaykh : But it is a weak hadith, and it is not permissible to act upon it. This is with regard to qunut in the Fajr prayer, and the summary of that is that it is not a recommended practice.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : This is from this perspective.
The questioner : Yes, that is correct.
The Shaykh : As for what you quoted from some of them, that they say the prayer behind one who performs qunut in the Fajr prayer is invalid, their statement is invalid.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And we advise both groups
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : not to go to extremes in their religion, by the saying of the Lord of the Worlds:
O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth.
يَاأَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ وَلَا تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْحَقَّThe questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : We advise those who lead people in prayer and commit to qunut in the Fajr prayer, for the sake of the people, we advise them to fear the Lord of people.
The questioner : Yes, correct.
The Shaykh : After they have learned that this has no authentic basis in the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good. I do not want to delay you.
The Shaykh : And we advise the others not to go to extremes.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And not to be fanatical, and they must pray behind any imam
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : as long as he is a Muslim, but they must advise him in the best manner. As for splitting the unity of the community and leaving the congregational prayer just because the imam does not agree with their opinion, this is not permissible.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.