The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) offered supplication (dua) —–>>at times of calamity on a number of occasions (in fardh salah only) , and his supplication was appropriate (or related ) to the calamity for which he was praying the Qunoot. For Qunoot e nazilah the proven sunnah from rasool (s.a.w) and his sahabas (r.a.a) is that one has to make his qunoot (dua/supplication) specific to the calamity befallen upon the Muslims or the situation and this qunoot (dua) is recited after getting up from the rukoo in the last raka of any or all fardh salah.1)Narrated by Abi Huraira : The Prophet used to invoke Allah in his prayer, “O Allah! Save ‘Aiyash bin Abi Rabi’a and Salama bin Hisham and Al-Walid bin Al-Walid; O Allah! Save the weak among the believers; O Allah! Be hard upon the tribe of Mudar and inflict years (of famine) upon them like the (famine) years of Joseph..
[Ref: Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 9, Book no. 85, hadith no. 73]
2) It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month in Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr prayer, when he said: Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah in the last rak’ah (i.e after getting up from rukoo in the last rakah), praying against some tribes of Banu Sulaym, and against Ri’l, Dhakwaan and ‘Usayyah, and those who were behind him said Ameen.
[Ref: Narrated by Abu Dawood (1443). Ibn al-Qayyim said: A saheeh hadeeth. Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/280; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood
3) Ibn ‘Umar heard the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) say, when he lifted his head from bowing in the second rak’ah of Fajr: “O Allaah, curse So and so, and So and so, and So and so,” after he said Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd
[Ref: Sahih Bukhari 4070]
2–>>Qunoot e witr (or the general Qunoot – isha’a witr )
Qunoot e witr is the dua which is said during the regular Isha’a witr prayer. it is also a supplication which one makes during the last rakat of the witr prayer…. before ruku…
1) It is narrated from Ubayy Ibn Ka’ab RadhiAllaahu Anhu who said, “Verily when the Messenger of Allaah (Sallalahu Alayhee Wasallam) prayed the Witr, he would recite the Qunoot before the Rukoo.”
[Ref: Ibn Maajah (no.1182), Sunan an-Nasaa’ee (3/235 no.1700), Sunan Daarqutnee (2/31 no.1644), Dhiya Maqdisee has also transmitted this in al-Mukhtarah Imaam al-Albaanee authenticated it refer to Saheeh Ibn Maajah (no.970) and Irwaa ul-Ghaleel (no.462)]
2)Alqamah narrates “Abdullaah ibn Masood RadhiAllaahu Anhu and the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (Sallalahu Alayhee Wasallam) would recite the Qunoot in the witr before the rukoo.”
[Ref: Musannaf ibn Abee Shaybah (2/306), Allaamah Muhammad Naasir ud deen authenticated this narration and said it chain was Saheeh according to the conditions of Imaam Muslim see Irwaa ul-Ghaleel (2/166). Haafidh Ibn Hajr also authenticated it and said it is Hasan in ad-Diraayah (1/94)]
Now we should not rise hands in Qunoot witr… in Qunoot-e nazila we raise hands and we can do dua.. but In Qunoot a witr we shold not raise hands….
Daleel: Al-Hasan bin Ali (r.a) who said: I committed to memory from the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, (the following words): “Leave that about which you are in doubt for that about which you are in no doubt.”
[Ref: Al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasaii related it, and al-Tirmidhi said: It is a good and genuine Hadith]—>>Abu Haatim ar-Raazee (d.277H) said, “Abu Zur’ah ar-Raazee (d.264H) asked me, “Do you raise your hands for Qunoot (of witr)? I replied, “No” and then I asked him do you raise your hands and he replied yes. So I asked him what is your evidence?
Abu Zur’ah said: the hadeeth of ibn Mas’ood
Abu Haatim said: Laith ibn Abee Sulaim narrated it (ie a weak narrator)
Abu Zur’ah said: the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah
Abu Haatim said: Ibn Laheeya’ah narrated it (ie again a weak narrator)
Abu Zur’ah said: the hadeeth if Ibn Abbaas
Abu Haatim said: A’uf has narrated it (again a weak narrator)
Then Abu Zur’ah asked me. “what is your evidence for not raising your hands?”
Abu Haatim said: the hadeeth of Anas that verily the Messenger of Allaah (Sallalahu Alayhee Wasallam) would never raise his hands for any dua except in the rain prayer , and then he (Abu Zur’ah) remained silent.
[Ref: Taareekh Baghdaad (2/76 no.455) and also cited by Imaam Dhahabee in Siyaar al-A’laan an-Nabula 13/253)]
Please note that the hadith of anas (r.a) is not the only hadith which shows that prophet (s.a.w) raised his hands to make dua. prophet (s.a.w) raised his hands at several places. Maybe anas (r.a) didn’t witness it.
Note::Therefore the safer option is to not raise our hands during qunoot e witr, rather supplicate with our hands placed normally as we place them during salah (on our chest) because there is no clear authentic hadeeth that shows that rasool (s.a.w) ever raised his hands during qunoot e witer but if someone wishes to do so based on analogical reasons then he may do so but this (raising of hands in qunoot e witr) is not from the sunnah.
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