Dua Al Qunut in Witr: Before or after Ruku & what is the method?

[Muhammad Essakjee]

I have a question regarding Witr & Qunut.
So I saw a hadith narrated by Asim that "I asked Anas bin Malik about the Qunut. Anas replied, "Definitely it was (recited)". I asked, "Before bowing or after it?" Anas replied, "Before bowing." I added, "So and so has told me that you had informed him that it had been after bowing." Anas said, "He told an untruth (i.e. "was mistaken," according to the Hijazi dialect). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) recited Qunut after bowing for a period of one month." Anas added, "The Prophet (ﷺ) sent about seventy men (who knew the Qur'an by heart) towards the pagans (of Najd) who were less than they in number and there was a peace treaty between them and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (but the Pagans broke the treaty and killed the seventy men). So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) recited Qunut for a period of one month asking Allah to punish them."
(Sahih al-Bukhari 1002, Vol. 2, Book 16, Hadith 116)
& also the hadith narrated by Ubayy bin Ka'b "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray witr with three rak'ahs. In the first he would recite: "Glorify the Name of Your Lord, the Most High" in the second: "Say: O you disbelievers!", and in the third: "Say: He is Allah, (the) One". And he would say the Qunut before bowing"
(Sunan an-Nasa’i 1699)
Does these 2 hadiths imply that Dua Al-Qunoot should usually be done before Ruku in Witr except for when their is a calamity as mentioned in the Bukhari Hadith where in that case it was done after Ruku for a period of a month?

& also, if I do the Qunut in Witr before the Ruku then should the person do Takbir(Raf Al Yadayn as the Hanafiyyah do) because Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in his Musannaf (no. 7021) from al-Aswad that ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud would when he completed the recitation in the third rak‘ah of Witr, say takbir and then recite Qunut, and when he completed the Qunut, he said takbir and bowed, & Al-Bukhari narrates in his Juz’ Raf al-Yadayn: ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Muharibi narrated to us: Za’idah narrated to us from Layth (ibn Abi Sulaym) from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Aswad from his father from ‘Abd Allah that he would recite in the last rakah of Witr qul huwallahu ahad and then raise his hands and recite Qunut before ruku‘. (Juz’ Raf‘ al-Yadayn, no 163)
& during Qunut should the hands be placed on the chest like the rest of the standing position in salah or should the hands be placed in dua position same like how it is done when performing Dua Al-Qunoot after Ruku?

 

[Danial]

The correct understanding is that Qunoot in Witr is authentically reported both before and after Rukooʿ, but the stronger and more consistent Sunnah is before Rukooʿ. The version after Rukooʿ occurred only in exceptional circumstances, such as during calamities (Qunoot Nazilah).

1. Qunoot Before Rukooʿ — the Main Sunnah​

Hadith of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (RA):

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to perform three rakʿahs of Witr. In the first he recited Sabbih isma rabbika al-Aʿlā, in the second Qul yā ayyuhā al-kāfirūn, and in the third Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad. He would recite Qunoot before bowing (Rukooʿ).”
(Sunan an-Nasāʾī 1699, authentic)

Likewise, ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿood (RA), Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, and al-Aswad ibn Yazīd all used to recite Qunoot before Rukooʿ:

“Ibn Masʿood (RA) would not recite Qunoot in any prayer except in Witr, and he did so before Rukooʿ.”
(al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr 9/238, no. 9165 — authentic)

“Saʿīd ibn Jubayr used to perform Qunoot in Witr before Rukooʿ.”
(Musannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/302 — authentic)

Hence, performing Qunoot before Rukooʿ is the preferred and stronger Sunnah in Witr.

2. Qunoot After Rukooʿ — for Calamities (Qunoot Nazilah)​

Hadith of Anas (RA) — Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1002:

“The Prophet ﷺ recited Qunoot for one month after Rukooʿ, supplicating against the pagans of Najd who had killed seventy Qurʾān reciters.”

This refers to Qunoot Nazilah (a temporary supplication during distress) in obligatory prayers, not to the regular Witr prayer.
Therefore, reciting Qunoot after Rukooʿ applies only in special cases of calamity, while before Rukooʿ remains the normal practice.

3. Saying “Allāhu Akbar” and Raising Hands​

• Ibn Abī Shaybah (no. 7021) reports that Ibn Masʿood (RA) said “Allāhu Akbar” and then recited Qunoot, but the chain contains Layth ibn Abī Sulaym, who is weak and a known mudallis (see Shamela narrator 5347).
• Thus, no authentic hadith proves saying an extra Takbeer or raising the hands before Qunoot.

So,

There is no sound narration showing the Prophet ﷺ saying “Allāhu Akbar” or raising his hands before Qunoot in Witr.
The report from Ibn Masʿood is weak.
Therefore, after finishing the recitation, one should simply begin the Qunoot without any extra Takbeer or hand-raising.

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4. Position of the Hands During Qunoot​

• There is no authentic hadith proving that the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands during Qunoot of Witr.
• However, in Qunoot Nazilah, hand-raising is authentically established (e.g., Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1443, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1002).

Hence:

In Witr, hands remain on the chest as in normal standing (Qiyām).
Only during Qunoot Nazilah is raising the hands like in duʿāʾ proven.