Should Duʿā Qunūt in Witr Prayer Be Recited Before or After Rukūʿ?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulām Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
Should Duʿā Qunūt in Witr be recited before rukūʿ or after rukūʿ?
✿ Answer:
Reciting Qunūt both before and after rukūʿ in Witr prayer is established from authentic narrations.
❀ Sayyidunā Ubayy ibn Kaʿb رضي الله عنه reported:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would offer three rakʿāt of Witr. In the first rakʿah he would recite Sūrah al-Aʿlā, in the second, Sūrah al-Kāfirūn, and in the third, Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ. After completing Witr, he would say: Subḥānal-Malikil-Quddūs three times, and would raise his voice the third time.”
📘 Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 1700; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1182 – Chain is authentic
📘 Supported in Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 1644 by Sufyān al-Thawrī via Fitr ibn Khalīfah (trustworthy)
❀ Sayyidunā Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī رضي الله عنهما reported:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me to say this supplication after I completed the recitation in Witr…”
📘 Kitāb al-Tawḥīd by Ibn Mandah (2/191) – Ḥasan chain
📘 Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī (3/38–39)
❀ Another version in al-Mustadrak al-Ḥākim (3/173):
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me to say this supplication in my Witr, after I had raised my head (from rukūʿ), when only sujūd remained.”
This shows that Duʿā Qunūt can be recited either before or after rukūʿ.
❀ Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd رحمه الله stated:
“ʿAbdullāh (ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه) would not recite Qunūt in any prayer except in Witr, and that too before rukūʿ.”
📘 al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī (9/238, ḥadīth 9165) – Authentic chain
❀ Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAbd al-Malik رحمه الله said:
“He (Saʿīd ibn Jubayr رحمه الله) would recite Qunūt in Witr before rukūʿ.”
📘 Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (2/302) – Authentic chain
Some of the early Salaf used to recite Qunūt after rukūʿ, as well. Sayyidunā Ubayy ibn Kaʿb رضي الله عنه recited both Qunūt al-Witr and Qunūt Nāzilah after rukūʿ.
📘 Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah: 1100 – Authentic chain
✅ Conclusion:
There are authentic narrations supporting both practices—reciting Qunūt before and after rukūʿ. Therefore, strictness on one position is unwarranted. This is a matter of ijtihād (juristic reasoning), and it should be left as such—not a point of contention.
✧ Some Weak Narrations on This Topic:
① ʿAlqamah رحمه الله reported:
“Ibn Masʿūd and the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ used to recite Qunūt in Witr before rukūʿ.”
📘 Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (2/302)
🔸 Chain is weak due to ʿanʿanah (ambiguous transmission) of Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī.
② Al-Aswad رحمه الله narrated:
“ʿUmar رضي الله عنه recited Qunūt in Witr before rukūʿ.”
📘 Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (2/301–302)
🔸 Chain is weak due to ʿanʿanah of Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī.
③ Al-Aswad رحمه الله said:
“ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه would recite Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ in the last rakʿah of Witr, then raise his hands and recite Qunūt before rukūʿ.”
📘 al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī (9/2327, ḥadīth 9425)
🔸 Chain is weak due to Layth ibn Abī Sulaym – considered weak and poor in memory by the majority of scholars.
④ Sā’ib رحمه الله reported:
“ʿAlī رضي الله عنه used to recite Qunūt in Witr after rukūʿ.”
📘 Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (2/302)
🔸 Chain is weak due to Shurayk ibn ʿAbdullāh being a mudallis (ambiguous narrator) without clarification of hearing.
⑤ Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān رحمه الله said:
“ʿAlī رضي الله عنه used to recite Qunūt in Witr after rukūʿ.”
📘 Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (2/302)
🔸 Chain is weak due to ʿAṭāʾ ibn Sā’ib being confused (mukhtaliṭ) and Hushaym ibn Bashīr narrating from him after his confusion.
📝 Summary Points:
① Both positions—before rukūʿ and after rukūʿ—are authentically reported.
② Scholars and Companions differed in practice.
③ The correct approach is tolerance and not being rigid in this matter.
④ It is a matter of juristic interpretation (ijtihād), not a basis for division.
