Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Today in Sri Lanka most Masjids in  we pray “kunuth” for the Fajar prayer. As I have understood by reading our beloved prophet (PBUH) did this at “withr/last prayer of the night” or in very rare cases for all prayers during a calamity. Is it acceptable to pray this with Fajar? Is it possible for a person who has done his withr prayer to abstain from doing this whilst in Jamaath prayer?

Jazakallah for ur reply.

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Answer:

Qunut in fajr

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Ibn Abbas (r.a.) relates that the Messenger of Allah (saws) made ‘qunut’ supplications consecutively for one month in all the five obligatory prayers ‘dhuhr’, 'asr’, ‘maghrib’, 'isha’, and the ‘fajr’ prayers. At the end of every prayer, after saying: "Allah hears him who praises Him" in the last rak'ah, he (saws) would supplicate against Re'l, Dhakwan, and Usiyyah of the tribe of Banu Sulaim (these three had killed the emissaries that the Prophet (saws) had sent to them) and the companions behind him would say 'Ameen'.

Related by Ahmad and by Abu Dawood.

There is evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah that during extremely trying times, the Messenger of Allah (saws) did indeed make ‘qunut’ supplications during the obligatory prayers, including the ‘fajr’ prayer.

The absolute majority of the scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that it was not the normal practice and custom of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to make the ‘qunut’ supplications….but he (saws) did so only in extremely trying times.

Abu Malik al-Ashja'i said: "My father prayed behind the Prophet (saws) when he was sixteen years old, and he (also) prayed behind Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman (during their reigns as Khalifahs).” I asked him, 'Did they make the qunut'?' He said, 'No.’” Related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmidhi.

Hadrat Anas ibn Maalik (r.a.), who served the Prophet (saws) as his servant in his house for ten years, said that the Prophet (saws) would not make the ‘qunut’ in ‘fajr’ unless he was supplicating for a people or supplicating against a people.

Related by Ibn Hibban, al-Khatib, and Ibn Khuzaimah.

It is also related that during the reign of the Rightly Guided Khalifahs, Hadrat Abu Bakr (r.a.), Hadrat Umar (r.a.), Hadrat Uthman (r.a.) and Hadrat Ali (r.a.), the ‘qunut’ supplications was not practiced in the dawn prayer. This is the opinion of the Hanafiyyah, the Hanbaliyyah, Ibn al-Mubarak, al-Thauri, and Ishaq.

Although there is strong evidence that the ‘qunut’ supplications was not the general practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and the companions unless in a time of severe calamity, there is indeed a narration recorded from Hadrat Anas (r.a.) which says: "The Messenger of Allah (saws) did not stop making ‘qunut’ during the dawn prayer until he left this world."

Related by Ahmad, al-Bazzar, adDaraqutni, al-Baihaqi, and al-Hakim.

Thus the offering of the ‘qunut’ supplications during the ‘fajr’ prayer is a matter upon which, depending upon which hadith one prefers over another, the scholars and jurists of Islam have differed upon.

The scholars and jurists of all schools of thought are absolutely unanimous that there is allowance in the authentic and established Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (saws) did offer the ‘qunut’ supplications in the ‘fajr’ (and other obligatory) prayers; thus if one chooses to offer the ‘qunut’ or abstain, they would both be in accordance with the Sunnah. The difference of opinion is only whether it was the norm or was it practiced only during times of severe calamity.

Your Question: Is it possible for a person who has done his withr prayer to abstain from doing this whilst in Jamaath prayer?

Respected brother, first and foremost there is evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) regarding the offering of the ‘qunut’ supplication in the ‘fajr’ prayer.

Thus if one prays one’s ‘fajr’ salaah in congregation behind an ‘imaam’ who gives more weight to the narration of Hadrat Anas ibn Maalik (r.a.), then one should stay with the ‘jamaah’ or congregation and offer the ‘qunut’ with the ‘imaam’, and that would be acceptable and fine…..and if one prays in congregation behind an ‘imaam’ who gives more weight to the narrations that the Messenger of Allah (saws) only made ‘qunut’ at the time of severe calaimity, that too would be acceptable and fine in Shariah. Because both arguments find evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), one’s ‘fajr’ prayer would be acceptable with or without the ‘qunut’, Insha Allah.

What is of paramount importance is that one stay with the ‘jamaah’ or congregation and follow the procedure and movements of the ‘imaam’ chosen to lead the prayer, provided the actions of the ‘imaam’ are in accordance with the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws).

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan