❖ Which Supplications Should Be Recited in Witr Prayer?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
✿ Question
Which supplications are to be recited in Witr prayer?
✿ Answer
The following supplications are authentically reported and established from the Sunnah for recitation in Qunūt of Witr:
① Du‘ā Taught by the Prophet ﷺ to Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī رضي الله عنهما
Arabic:
اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت، وعافني فيمن عافيت، وتولني فيمن توليت، وبارك لي فيما أعطيت، وقني شر ما قضيت، فإنك تقضي ولا يقضى عليك، وإنه لا يذل من واليت، تباركت ربنا وتعاليت.
Translation:
“O Allah! Guide me among those You have guided, grant me well-being among those You have granted well-being to, take me into Your care among those You have taken into Your care, bless for me what You have given, and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed. Surely, You decree and none can decree over You. Indeed, the one whom You befriend is never humiliated, and the one whom You show enmity to will never be honored. Blessed and Exalted are You, our Lord.”
References:
Sunan Abī Dāwūd (1425), Sunan al-Tirmidhī (464), Sunan al-Nasā’ī (1746), Sunan Ibn Mājah (1178), Musnad Aḥmad (1/199), Sunan al-Dārimī (1663), al-Du‘ā by al-Ṭabarānī (748) — All with authentic chains.
Scholarly Verdicts:
Imām al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan, while Imām Ibn Jarūd, Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Ḥibbān, and Ibn al-Mulaqqin graded it ṣaḥīḥ. Imām Nawawī and Ḥāfiẓ al-‘Irāqī also declared the chain to be ṣaḥīḥ.
② Additional Phrase Found in One Narration
Arabic:
صلى الله على النبى محمد
Translation:
“May Allah send blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad.”
This addition is reported by ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Alī from Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī رضي الله عنهما in Sunan al-Nasā’ī (1747). However, Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله stated:
“Its narration from Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī is not established.” (Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, 5/284)
Due to a break in the chain, the narration is weak, although the words themselves are permissible to recite.
③ Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī's Other Worded Du‘ā
Arabic:
اللهم اهدنا فيمن هديت، وعافنا فيمن عافيت، وتولنا فيمن توليت، وبارك لنا فيما أعطيت، وقنا شر ما قضيت، إنك تقضي ولا يقضى عليك، وإنه لا يذل من واليت، تباركت وتعاليت.
Translation:
“O Allah! Guide us among those You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being to, take us into Your care among those You have taken into Your care, bless for us what You have given, and protect us from the evil of what You have decreed. Verily, You decree and none can decree over You. Surely, the one You befriend is never humiliated. You are Blessed and Exalted.”
Reference:
al-Mu‘jam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī (3/73, ḥadīth: 2700) — Authentic chain.
④ Supplication of Ibn ‘Abbās رضي الله عنهما
Arabic:
رب أعني ولا تعن علي، وانصرني ولا تنصر علي، وامكر لي ولا تمكر علي، واهدني ويسر هداي إلي، وانصرني على من بغى علي،
اللهم اجعلني لك شاكرا، لك ذاكرا، لك راهبا، لك مطواعا، إليك مخبتا، أو منيبا، رب تقبل توبتي، واغسل حوبتي، وأجب دعوتي، وثبت حجتي، واهد قلبي، وسدد لساني، واسلل سخيمة قلبي.
Translation:
“O my Lord, help me and do not aid against me; grant me victory and do not grant victory over me; plan for me and do not plan against me. Guide me and facilitate guidance for me. Support me against the one who transgresses against me.
O Allah! Make me grateful to You, remembering You, fearful of You, obedient to You, humble before You, and returning to You in repentance. O Lord! Accept my repentance, cleanse my sins, answer my supplication, affirm my proof, guide my heart, correct my speech, and remove hatred from my heart.”
References:
Sunan Abī Dāwūd (1510), Sunan al-Tirmidhī (3551), Sunan al-Nasā’ī al-Kubrā (10368), Sunan Ibn Mājah (3830) — Authentic chain.
Imām al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ, while Imām Ibn Ḥibbān and al-Ḥākim declared it ṣaḥīḥ. Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī also agreed.
Note: Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ṭanāfisī once asked Wakī‘ ibn al-Jarrāḥ: “Can I recite this in Qunūt of Witr?” He replied: “Yes.”
⑤ Ibn ‘Abbās رضي الله عنهما Used to Recite the Following in Qunūt
Arabic:
لك الحمد ملء السماوات السبع، وملء الأرضين السبع، وملء ما بينهما من شيء بعد،
أهل الثناء والمجد، أحق ما قال العبد، كلنا لك عبد، لا مانع لما أعطيت، ولا معطي لما منعت، ولا ينفع ذا الجد منك الجد.
Translation:
“To You is all praise—equal to the fullness of the seven heavens, the fullness of the seven earths, and whatever is between them.
O Possessor of praise and glory! The most rightful words spoken by a servant are those of servitude to You. We are all Your servants. There is none who can withhold what You grant, and none who can grant what You withhold. The might of the mighty cannot benefit him against You.”
Reference:
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (2/300) — Authentic chain.
⑥ Qunūt of ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه in Fajr Prayer
Arabic:
اللهم إياك نعبد، ولك نصلي ونسجد، وإليك نسعى ونحفد، نرجو رحمتك ونخشى عذابك، إن عذابك بالكافرين ملحق،
اللهم إنا نستعينك ونستغفرك، ونثني عليك الخير، ولا نكفرك، ونؤمن بك، ونخضع لك، ونخلع من يكفرك.
Translation:
“O Allah! You alone we worship, to You we offer prayer and prostration, and toward You we strive and hasten. We hope for Your mercy and fear Your punishment—indeed, Your punishment will overtake the disbelievers.
O Allah! We seek Your help and ask Your forgiveness. We praise You with all good and do not deny You. We believe in You, submit to You, and renounce anyone who disbelieves in You.”
References:
Al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī (2/201) — Authentic chain.
Grading: Al-Bayhaqī and Ibn al-Mulaqqin (al-Badr al-Munīr, 4/471) declared it ṣaḥīḥ. Al-Ṭaḥāwī also narrated it with a sound chain in Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār (1/249).
❖ Conclusion
Like Qunūt Nāzilah, additional supplications besides the standard ones can also be recited in Qunūt al-Witr, as long as they are authentic and comprehensive in meaning.
