Qunut Supplications: Meaning, Recitation and Ruling

Every believer who prays Witr pauses briefly in the third rak'ah, raises the hands, and recites the Qunut supplications. But what do these words mean, in which prayer and how are they recited, and what should someone do who has not yet memorized them? This article explains the concept of Qunut, the recitation and meaning of the two supplications, the positions of the schools of law, and the practical questions — all with reliable sources.

What Does Qunut Mean?

In its Arabic root, the word qunut carries meanings such as "worshipping Allah sincerely, obedience, standing in worship, and prolonging supplication." As a term of Islamic jurisprudence, Qunut refers to standing during the prayer and supplicating to Allah in order to be protected from some harm or to attain some good. As the entry "Kunut" in the Turkish Religious Foundation's Encyclopaedia of Islam (TDV) notes, the scholars agree that Qunut is legitimate; they differ only on which prayer it belongs to, at which point of the prayer it is offered, and what ruling applies to it.

In the Qur'an, the root of qunut mostly appears in the sense of "wholehearted obedience, reverence and servitude." In Surah al-Baqarah, for example, where guarding the prayers is commanded, a word from this root is used:

Maintain the prayers, and the middle prayer, and stand before Allah in devout obedience.

A command from the same root is addressed to Maryam (Mary): "O Maryam, be devoutly obedient to your Lord, prostrate, and bow with those who bow." (Al 'Imran, 43). These usages show that Qunut is essentially a state of submission, obedience and standing in Allah's presence. The Qunut supplications recited near the end of Witr are that submission put into words.

In Which Prayer Are the Qunut Supplications Recited?

The place and time of Qunut differ from one school of law to another:

• Hanafi school: Qunut is recited throughout the year in the third (final) rak'ah of the Witr prayer, after the additional surah and before bowing (ruku). In this school Qunut is not recited in the Fajr prayer.
• Shafi'i school: Qunut is recited in the final rak'ah of the Fajr prayer, after rising from bowing. It is also recited in the Witr prayer during the second half of Ramadan.
• Maliki school: Qunut is recited only in the Fajr prayer; before bowing is preferred, and after bowing is permitted.
• Hanbali school: Qunut is recited in the final rak'ah of Witr, after bowing.

Because the Hanafi school is predominant in Türkiye and much of the Muslim world, in common usage "the Qunut supplications" refers to the two duas recited in the Witr prayer. In times of a general calamity — an epidemic, war, or famine — it is also an established Sunnah for the imam to recite a special supplication, called qunut al-nazila, in the obligatory prayers.

The Ruling of the Qunut Supplication

According to the Hanafi school, performing Qunut in the third rak'ah of Witr — that is, saying the takbir and offering a supplication — is wajib (necessary). What is strictly necessary here is to call upon Allah with a suitable supplication; reciting the specific texts known as "Allahumma inna nasta'inuka" and "Allahumma iyyaka na'budu" is Sunnah. In other words, knowing these two texts is not a condition for the prayer's validity, though following the Sunnah means learning and reciting them.

The First Qunut Supplication: Allahumma inna nasta'inuka

As transmitted by the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), the first Qunut supplication reads:

Allahumma inna nasta'inuka wa nastaghfiruka wa nastahdik, wa nu'minu bika wa natubu ilayk, wa natawakkalu 'alayk, wa nuthni 'alayka al-khayra kullahu nashkuruka wa la nakfuruk, wa nakhla'u wa natruku man yafjuruk.

In this supplication the servant asks Allah for help, forgiveness and guidance; declares faith in Him, repentance to Him, and reliance upon Him. Recognizing that all good comes from Allah, the servant praises and thanks Him, affirms never to be ungrateful for His blessings, and renounces those who persist in sin and rebel against Him. In a few short lines it gathers the essence of servanthood — seeking refuge, repentance, trust (tawakkul), and loyalty.

The Second Qunut Supplication: Allahumma iyyaka na'budu

The second Qunut supplication is recited as follows:

Allahumma iyyaka na'budu wa laka nusalli wa nasjud, wa ilayka nas'a wa nahfid, narju rahmataka wa nakhsha 'adhabak, inna 'adhabaka bil-kuffari mulhiq.

Here the servant affirms worshipping Allah alone, praying and prostrating only for Him, and striving toward His pleasure and service. The servant expresses hope for His mercy and fear of His punishment, and that this punishment will reach those who deny the truth. Echoing the verse of Surah al-Fatihah, "You alone we worship," these words reflect an attitude of servanthood that holds hope (raja) and fear (khawf) in balance.

Qunut in the Qur'an and the Sunnah

That the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) performed Qunut in his prayers is established through authentic hadith; hence there is no dispute among scholars about its legitimacy. As the basis for the Qunut of the Witr prayer, scholars cite the report of his grandson al-Hasan ibn Ali, who related that the Messenger of Allah taught him words to recite in the Qunut of Witr:

O Allah, guide me among those You have guided, grant me well-being among those You have granted well-being, take me into Your care among those You have taken into Your care, bless what You have given me, and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed. For truly, You decree and none decrees over You; and the one You befriend is never disgraced.

This hadith appears in the collections of Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasa'i, and al-Tirmidhi graded it as hasan (sound). The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools mostly adopt this text as the Qunut supplication, while the "Allahumma inna nasta'inuka" and "Allahumma iyyaka na'budu" texts recited in the Hanafi and Maliki traditions are traced to reports attributed to Umar ibn al-Khattab. As can be seen, Qunut continues both the reverence and obedience the Qur'an points to and the practical example of the Prophet.

What If You Don't Know or Forget the Qunut?

Anyone who has not yet memorized these two supplications should make an effort to learn them. Until then, in place of Qunut one may recite "Rabbana atina fi'd-dunya hasanatan wa fi'l-akhirati hasanatan wa qina 'adhab an-nar"; and if that too is unknown, it is enough to say "Allahumma-ghfir li" (O Allah, forgive me) three times. In this way, not yet knowing the Qunut never becomes a reason to be unable to pray.

Since Qunut is wajib in the Hanafi school, anyone who forgets to recite it in the Witr prayer makes up for the omission with the prostration of forgetfulness (sajdat al-sahw) at the end of the prayer. Someone who remembers the forgotten Qunut only after reaching the bowing does not go back to recite it; they continue the prayer and complete it with the prostration of forgetfulness.

Conclusion

The Qunut supplications are a short but intense plea that crowns the Witr prayer. In them the servant asks for help, seeks forgiveness, repents, declares worship of Allah alone, and hopes for His mercy while guarding against His punishment. Recited with awareness of its meaning, the Witr prayer becomes a heartfelt reckoning that reconnects a person to their Lord at the close of the day. To pray on time and with reverence, you may read how the prayer is performed and the merit of the Tahajjud prayer as a night devotion; for more supplication texts see our dua section, and for verse translations our Qur'an page.

This article is general information based on reliable sources; for a binding ruling in your particular circumstances, it is best to consult a competent authority such as the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet).

References

1. Surah al-Baqarah, 238; Surah Al 'Imran, 43 — kuran.diyanet.gov.tr (Directorate of Religious Affairs, translation and commentary).
2. "Kunut" entry (Muhsin Koçak), Turkish Religious Foundation Encyclopaedia of Islam (TDV) — islamansiklopedisi.org.tr.
3. The Witr Qunut report of al-Hasan ibn Ali — Jami al-Tirmidhi, Witr 10 (no. 464); also Sunan Abu Dawud, Witr 5, and Sunan al-Nasa'i, Qiyam al-Layl. Al-Tirmidhi graded it hasan.
4. "What should a person who does not know the Qunut supplication do?" — High Council of Religious Affairs, kurul.diyanet.gov.tr.
5. The recitation and meaning of the Qunut supplications — Diyanet Haber (diyanethaber.com.tr).