Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 518
Is Duʿā’ al-Qunūt Nāzilah specific to ʿIshāʾ prayer, or is it legislated in every obligatory prayer, whether silent or loud?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Duʿā’ al-Qunūt Nāzilah is not restricted to ʿIshāʾ prayer. Rather, it is legislated in every obligatory prayer, whether the prayer is sirriyyah (silent) or jahrīyyah (loud).
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ:
«قَنَتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَهْرًا مُتَتَابِعًا فِي الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ وَصَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ فِي دُبُرِ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ، إِذَا قَالَ: سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ»
(مشكاة، Bāb al-Qunūt, Vol. 1, p. 114)
Translation:
Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited Qunūt for a full month continuously in Ẓuhr, ʿAṣr, Maghrib, ʿIshāʾ, and Fajr prayers — in the last rakʿah after saying: ‘Samiʿa Allāhu liman ḥamidah.’ He supplicated against the disbelievers of Banū Sulaym.”
Similar narrations are also reported from Abū Hurayrah and al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib رضي الله عنهما, recorded by Imām Abū Dāwūd in Bāb al-Qunūt fī al-Ṣalawāt (Vol. 1, p. 213).
Imām Abū Dāwūd remained silent on them, indicating acceptability according to his methodology.
◈ Qunūt Nāzilah is not confined to ʿIshāʾ prayer.
◈ It may be recited in any obligatory prayer (silent or loud), in the last rakʿah, after rukūʿ, when circumstances demand.
◈ There is no valid evidence prohibiting it in other obligatory prayers.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
❖ Question
Is Duʿā’ al-Qunūt Nāzilah specific to ʿIshāʾ prayer, or is it legislated in every obligatory prayer, whether silent or loud?
✿ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Duʿā’ al-Qunūt Nāzilah is not restricted to ʿIshāʾ prayer. Rather, it is legislated in every obligatory prayer, whether the prayer is sirriyyah (silent) or jahrīyyah (loud).
Evidence from the Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ:
«قَنَتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَهْرًا مُتَتَابِعًا فِي الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ وَصَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ فِي دُبُرِ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ، إِذَا قَالَ: سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ»
(مشكاة، Bāb al-Qunūt, Vol. 1, p. 114)
Translation:
Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited Qunūt for a full month continuously in Ẓuhr, ʿAṣr, Maghrib, ʿIshāʾ, and Fajr prayers — in the last rakʿah after saying: ‘Samiʿa Allāhu liman ḥamidah.’ He supplicated against the disbelievers of Banū Sulaym.”
Additional Reports
Similar narrations are also reported from Abū Hurayrah and al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib رضي الله عنهما, recorded by Imām Abū Dāwūd in Bāb al-Qunūt fī al-Ṣalawāt (Vol. 1, p. 213).
Imām Abū Dāwūd remained silent on them, indicating acceptability according to his methodology.
Conclusion
◈ Qunūt Nāzilah is not confined to ʿIshāʾ prayer.
◈ It may be recited in any obligatory prayer (silent or loud), in the last rakʿah, after rukūʿ, when circumstances demand.
◈ There is no valid evidence prohibiting it in other obligatory prayers.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
