Fastening the Hands During Qunoot

Duas to be Recited in Qunoot

There are three methods one may adopt while reciting Qunoot:
1. Keep the hands raised as one does during dua
2. Keep them at the sides as in Qawmah (the
standing posture between ruku and sajdah)
3. Fasten them again as done during qiyaam (the
standing posture during qiraaah)
The Hanafi Scholars state that if the qunoot is before
ruku as in Witr, then the hands will be fastened because fastening the hands is the sunnah for qiyaam.
And if the Qunoot is after ruku as in Qunoot AnNazila (qunoot for adverse conditions) that is offered
during other prayers, then the hands should be
placed on the sides as the fastening of the hands is
not a sunnah in this posture. Numbers one and
three are not preferred, though not prohibited. And
only Allah knows best.

Any of the following may be recited:

Reciting the Dua of Qunoot Audibly / Inaudibly

The Hanafi School states for the Qunoot of Witr, it is
preferable for the Imam and individual to recite the
dua inaudibly due to the Hadith reported by Ibn Hibban, The best dua is the inaudible dua. In this case,
the followers will read the dua inaudibly as well.
However it is also permissible for the individual or
Imam to recite it audibly in which case, the followers
will either say Ameen to the dua or will also recite
inaudibly (I`laa as-Sunan).

Hadith: Do not create resemblance with the

Maghrib prayer.
Some object that the Hanafi Witr resembles the
Maghrib prayer and that has been forbidden in Hadith. The reply to that is that the full Hadith states,
Do not make witr with three rakaaat. Make witr
with five or seven raka`aat and do not create resemblance with the Maghrib prayer. This is why the
Hanafi School teaches two rak`aat emphasized Sunnah and two rak`aat non-emphasized Sunnah prayers before the Witr prayer. Thus the Hadith is in favor of the Hanafi position and not against it.

( )

)
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O Allah, we seek Your help and forgiveness. We believe in

You, rely upon You, and praise You with all that is good.
We are grateful to You and are not ungrateful and we
refrain from and abandon the one who transgresses
against You. O Allah, only You we worship and to You we
pray, prostrate, and run. We hope for your mercy and fear
your punishment, Surely your punishment will reach the
disbelievers.

How to
Offer the
Witr
Prayer in
Light of
the
Sunnah

O Allah, guide me among those whom you guided, and

grant me peace among those whom You have granted
peace, and safeguard me among those whom You have
safeguarded, and bless me in that which You have granted me, and protect me from the evil of what You have
predestined. Surely You destine and none can overrule
You. Surely the one You protect cannot be disgrace, You
are most blessed and high.

Compiled by
Mohamed-Umer Esmail
nuecesmosque.imam@gmail.com

Islamic Center of
Pflugerville
15803 Windermere Dr,
Pflugerville, TX 78660
(512) 677-4252
http://www.icptx.org/

The Witr Prayer in the Light of Ahadith

There are multiple valid ways to offer the Witr prayer. The purpose of this brochure is to prove that the
method of offering the Witr prayer as outlined in the
books of Hanafi fiqh is in fact derived from Ahadith.
This in no way is meant to falsify other methods derived from Ahadith and adopted by other schools of
thought.

The Witr Prayer as Taught by the Hanafi School

of Thought
In Al-Istee`aab, Allama Ibn Abdul-Barr says:
Abdullah Ibn Mas`ood (radhy Allahu anhu) narrates
from his mother that she said I saw the Messenger
of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) perform
Qunoot in Witr before ruku`. This Hadith is known as
the Hadith of the mother of Abdullaah Ibn Mas`ood
(radhy Allahu anhu) which has been reported by
Hafs Ibn Sulaiman and he from Abaan Ibn Ayyaash
and he from Ibrahim An-Nakh`ee and he from
Alqamah and he from Abdullaah Ibn Mas`ood (radhy
Allahu anhu) that he said, I sent my mom to spend
a night with the wives of the Messenger of Allah
(salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) to see how he performs Witr. So she spent a night at the house of the
Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam).
He prayed as much as Allah had willed him to pray
until when night came and he started performing
Witr, he read Surah Al-Alaa in the first rakah, Surah
Al-Kafiroon in the second rakah and sat down. Then
he got up and did not separate them with salam,
and read Surah Al-Ikhlas until when he finished, he
said takbeer, then started reciting Qunoot. He supplicated as much as Allah had willed him to, then
said takbeer and performed ruku. (as in Al-Isteeaab
4:450-451 as footnotes of Al-Isabah)

How many Raka`at?

The Hanafi School teaches that the Witr prayer is
three raka`at. This can be derived from many
Ahadith among which is the following Hadith:
It is reported from Sayyiduna Abu Salamah Ibn Abdir

Rahmaan (radhy Allahu anhu) that he asked Sayyidah Aishah (radhy Allahu anha), How was the
salah of the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi
wa sallam) during Ramadhan? She replied, The
Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam)
did not exceed eleven rakaat in Ramadhan or outside Ramadhan. He would offer four rakaat and
dont ask about their beauty and length. Then he
would offer another four and dont ask about their
beauty and length. Then he would offer three rakaat. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Nasaee,
Ahmad 6:36)
The following Hadith also proves three raka`at:
Saeed Ibn Jubair reports from Sayyiduna Abdullaah
Ibn Abbaas (radhy Allahu anhuma) that The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) used to
offer Witr as three rakaat, reciting Suratul-Alaa in
the first rakah, Al-Kaafiroon in the second and AlIkhlaas in the third. (Tirmidhi, Nasaee, Ibn Majah,
Tahaawi, Ibn Abi Shaibah 1:299, Ad-Darami 1:311)

Witr as Three Raka`at with one Salam at the

end only
Sad Ibn HIsham reports that Sayyidah Aishah (radhy
Allahu anha) informed him that The Messenger of
Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) did not used to
offer salaam in the second rakah of Witr. Imam Nasai has not commented on this Hadith. However in
Athar As-Sunan, it is mentioned that its chain of narrators is Sahih.
When The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa
sallam) finished Isha, he would enter his house and
pray two rakaat. Then he would offer another two
longer rakaat. Then he would offer three rakaat
Witr without separating them... (Ahmad)

Sitting After Two Raka`aat

It was said to Hasan radhy Allahu anhu that Ibn
Umar radhy Allahu anhu used to make salam after
two rakaat of Witr. He said, Umar radhy Allahu
anhu had better knowledge of fiqh than him (Ibn
Umar) and he (Umar radhy Allahu anhu) used to
stand up for the 3rd rakah with takbeer. (Hakim)

Sayyidah Aisha (radhy Allahu anha) says that The

Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam)
used to say, There is At-Tahiyyah at every two rakaat. (Muslim)
In Tirmidhy, Sayyiduna Fadhl Ibn Abbaas (radhy
Allahu anhum) narrates that The Messenger of
Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, Salah is
two two rakaat with tashahhud after two rakaat.

Qunoot of Witr Before Ruku`

In Sahih Bukhari under the chapter Qunoot Before
and after Ruku, Sayyiduna Anas (radhy Allahu anhu) reports:
Aasim Al-Ahwal reports that I asked Sayyiduna Anas (radhy Allahu anhu) about Qunoot. He replied,
Yes, there used to be Qunoot (in the time of The
Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam). I
asked, Was it before ruku or after ruku? He replied, Before ruku I said, Such and such person
informed me on your behalf that you said it was
after ruku He replied, He has misinformed you.
The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) only recited the Qunoot after ruku for a month
(when many eminent Qurraa were martyred at the
hands of the non-believers)

Takbir Before Qunoot and Raising the Hands

for it
It is reported from Abd Allah ibn Masud (rady Allah
anh) that he would say the takbir after completing
recitation and then begin the Dua of Qunoot. He
would then say the takbir and go into ruku`.
(Tabarani)
Imam Tahawi (may Allah shower His mercy on him)
says:
But the takbeer for Qunoot in Witr is an extra takbeer in that salah and all those Scholars who hold
the view of Qunoot being before ruku are unanimous that the hands will also be raised with this takbeer. (Tahaawi 1:332)