An Explanation of The Du’aa of Qunoot (The Supplication of Standing) During the Witr Prayer By Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Al-‘Uthaymeen Translated by Aboo az-Zubayr ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Harrison & Aboo Imraan Abdus-Saboor Maldonado al-Mekseekee All Rights Reserved® This is a free Publication from Tarbiyyah Bookstore Publishing & Distribution. Permission is given to reproduce and distribute electronically or otherwise for Da’wah purposes only. But, no part of this publication may be changed by any means possible without the explicit written approval of Tarbiyyah Bookstore Publishing & Distribution. First Edition: October 2005 Published by: Tarbiyyah Bookstore Publishing PO Box 398075 Dallas, Texas 75339 United States of America E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Please visit our site for free on-line publications: www.Tarbiyyahbookstore.com 2 Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................4 The Du'aa ................................................................................................................................6 The Explanation of: “O Allaah, guide me with those You have guided…”...........................7 The Explanation: “…heal me with those You have healed…”..............................................10 The Explanation: “…care for me as a companion with those You have cared for…”..........11 The Explanation: “…bless me in what You have given…” ...................................................13 The Explanation: “…and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed…”...............15 The Explanation: “Indeed, You decree while no one decrees against You.”.......................17 The Explanation: “Whoever You show loyalty towards will never be humiliated.”............18 The Explanation: “…and whoever You show enmity towards will never be honored.”......20 The Explanation: “Blessed are You, our Lord, and You are exalted far above.”.................22 Questions & Answers Regarding the Du’aa of Qunoot.....................................................24 Du’aa Memorization Guide .................................................................................................29 Du’aa Vocabulary Chart.......................................................................................................31 3 Introduction 1 Indeed, all praise and thanks are due to Allaah. We praise Him; seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek protection from Him from the evils of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomever Allaah guides, no one can misguide him, and whomever He sends astray, there is no other guide for him. I testify that nothing has any right to be worshipped except Allaah alone, having no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger-may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, his family, companions and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment. To proceed: This is a concise explanation of the Du’aa, or supplication that is said during the Witr prayer.2 This explanation was given by Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, during his lectures which he used to present in the central mosque in Mecca (al-Masjid al-Haraam) during the blessed month of Ramadhaan. Thanks is given to ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih bin Muhammad al-Harbee may Allaah reward him with good for reviewing it over with his eminence, the Shaykh, the author-may Allaah have mercy upon him-as well as his looking after its first printed publication in the year 1417-may Allaah reward him for this. For the sake of spreading benefit of this simple explanation, and after comparing the written copy that was reviewed and relied upon by his eminence, the Shaykh, the authormay Allaah have mercy upon him, then facilitated for the Lajnah ‘Ilmiyyah (The Committee of Scholarly Research) to combine distinctly this treatise and reinstate it’s publication with a fatwa given by his eminence-may Allaah have mercy upon himconcerning two questions related to the topic. We ask Allaah Most High to place this action purely for His Noble Face, as a benefit to His servants, and that He reward his eminence, Our Shaykh, the Author in addition to Islaam and the Muslims, with the best of rewards, and that He place him to dwell in His spacious 1 2 This lecture was provided by the Muhammd Ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen Charitable Foundation. For more information or to listen or read (in Arabic) more from Shaykh Ibn al-‘Uthaymeen, please visit: http://www.ibnothaimeen.com/index.shtml The Witr or “Odd” prayer is the last prayer one may pray at night, before the Morning Prayer, consisting of an odd number of Raka’hs, or units of prayer. The Prophet ( ) used to say the Du’aa of Qunoot sometimes while standing during the Witr prayer. He would raise his hands while supplicating and would sometimes do it before bowing or after bowing. 4 paradise, Verily He is All Hearing, All Near. All praise is to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds, and may the salutations, peace, and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad as well as his family and all of his companions. Al-Lajnah al-‘Ilmiyyah for the ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-Uthaymeen Charitable Organization k 5 The Du’aa Aboo Daawood recorded a Hadeeth from al-Hasan Ibn ‘Alee ( ) that he said: Allaah’s Messenger ( ) taught me some words to say3 during the Qunoot of the Witr prayer: “O Allaah, guide me with those You have guided, heal me with those You have healed, care for me as a companion with those You have cared for, bless me in what You have given, and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed. Indeed, You decree while no one decrees against You. Whomever You show loyalty towards will never be humiliated, and whoever You show enmity towards will never be honored. Blessed are You, our Lord, and You are exalted far above (any deficiencies).”4 k 3 4 In order to facilitate the memorization of this Du’aa, the final two pages of this document contain the Arabic text as well as the transliteration and English meanings in a simple, line-by-line format. This Hadeeth is recorded by Aboo Daawood (no. 1425, 1426) and al-Albaanee said it is authentic in “Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood” (no. 1263). It is also recorded by At-Tirmidhee (no. 467) – “Saheeh Sunan atTirmidhee” (no. 411), and by an-Nasaaee’ (no. 1745, 1746) – “Saheeh Sunan an-Nasaaee” (no. 1647). The Hadeeth is also recorded by Ahmad (1/199) and ad-Daarimee. Shaykh Ahmad Shaakir also said it is authentic in his notes of “Sunan at-Tirmidhee.” 6 The Explanation of: “O Allaah, guide me with those You have guided…” Meaning: Guide me to the truth and assist me in acting in accordance with it. Complete, beneficial guidance is that in which Allaah combines for a servant in both knowledge and action. Guidance without action is of no real benefit; rather it is even harmful because if a person does not act in accordance with what he knows, his knowledge then becomes evidence against him. An example of guidance in the form of knowledge yet with no action is the verse of Allaah ( ), 〈 ∩⊇∠∪ 3“y‰çλù;$# ’n?tã 4‘yϑyèø9# (#θ™6ystFó™$$sù öΝßγ≈oΨ÷ƒy‰yγsù ߊθßϑrO $¨Βr&uρ ® $ “As for Thamood, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance.” [Soorah Fussilat, 41:17] Meaning: We clarified the path to them and We conveyed the knowledge to them. However, they preferred blindness over guidance, and from this we seek refuge with Allaah. Also from this type of guidance, which is knowledge and clarifying the truth, is the statement of Allaah ( ) to the Prophet ( ), 〈 ∩∈⊄∪ 5ΟŠÉ)tGó¡Β :Þ≡uŽÀ 4’<Î) ü“ωöκtJs9 y7¯ΡÎ)uρ ® • Å n “And indeed, you guide to the straight path.” [Soorah ash-Shooraa, 42:52] Meaning: You direct the people to the straight path and teach them about it. As for the other type of guidance which is the granting of success, an example of this type is the verse, 〈 ∩∈∉∪ |Mö6t7ômr& ô⎯tΒ “ωöκsE Ÿω y7ΡÎ) ® ¨ “Indeed, you do not guide whoever you like.” 7 [Soorah al-Qasas, 28:56] This is the guidance of granting one success in their deeds. In this case, the Messenger ( ) is never able to grant someone the success of their good actions as this type of guidance is specific to Allaah alone. If the Prophet ( ) were capable of that type of guidance, he would have guided his uncle, Aboo Taalib. He tried this with him and even when he (Aboo Taalib) was about to die, the Prophet ( ) said to him, “O uncle, declare, ‘There is nothing worthy of worship except Allaah,’ – a statement by which I will testify on your behalf before Allaah.” But the decree of Allaah ( ) had already passed that he would be from the inhabitants of the Fire, and from this we seek refuge with Allaah. So he neither testified nor believed that nothing has the right to be worshipped except Allaah. The last thing Aboo Taalib said before dying was that he would remain upon the religion of ‘Abdul-Muttalib.5 Despite this, Allaah ( ) permitted His messenger ( ) to intercede for him, not just because he was the Prophet’s uncle, but because Aboo Taalib used to continually defend the Prophet ( ) and Islaam (even though he did not personally accept Islaam). Therefore, the Prophet ( ) interceded for Aboo Taalib and because of this intercession, he ( ) said about his uncle, “He is in the lowest part of the Fire, and if it were not for me, he would have been in the lowest, deepest part of the Fire.”6 In addition, the Prophet ( ) said, “Perhaps my intercession will benefit him on the Day of Resurrection so that he will be put into the lowest part of the Fire, it reaching only to his ankles, yet from which, his brain will boil.”7 The Hadeeth was recorded by al-Bukhaaree (no. 1360, 3884, 4675) Muslim (no. 24), an-Nasaaee’ (no. 2035), and by Ahmad. 6 The Hadeeth is recorded by al-Bukhaaree (no. 3883, 6208) and Muslim (no. 209) as well as Imaam Ahmad. 7 The Hadeeth is recorded by al-Bukhaaree (no. 3885, 6564) and Muslim (no. 210) and also by Ahmad. 5 8 So when we say in the Du’aa of Qunoot, “Guide us with those You have guided,” we are asking Allaah for both types of guidance – the guidance of knowledge and the guidance of action. In this way, the following verse includes both of these types of guidance, 〈 ∩∉∪ tΛ⎧É)tGó¡ßϑø9$# xÞ≡uŽ_Ç9$# $tΡω÷δ$# ® Å “Guide us to the straight path.” [Soorah al-Faatihah, 1:6] So when one says this Du’aa, he should, with his heart present, call to mind that he is asking for both types of guidance – the guidance of the correct knowledge and the guidance of acting in accordance with it. As for the wording, “…with those You have guided,” this is a way of at-Tawassul (seeking nearness to Allaah) by mentioning His favors on others in that He guided them. So we therefore also ask Him to bestow the same favor upon us and guide us. In other words, we ask You (Allaah) for guidance, for that is only by virtue of Your mercy and wisdom and your past favors as You have guided others. k 9 The Explanation of: “…heal me with those You have healed…” Meaning: Heal us from the sicknesses of the heart as well as the physical sicknesses of the body. So my brother, you must bring to mind, while your heart is fully present, that while you are calling upon Allaah, He will heal you of both the diseases of the body and those of the heart. And it must be understood that the diseases of the heart are much worse than physical diseases. For this reason, some people say while making Du’aa, “O Allaah, do not make our tribulations in our religion.” The bodily diseases and sicknesses are well-known, yet the diseases of the heart come in two main ways: 1. Diseases of vain desires, and they originate from one’s personal likes and dislikes. 2. Diseases of doubts and uncertainties, and they originate from ignorance. As for the first, the diseases of one’s personal desires, is that a person may know the truth, yet may not want to follow it due to some personal preferences, which are contrary to what the Prophet ( ) came with. And as for the second type of diseases, that of doubts and false superstitions due to one’s ignorance, it is when an ignorant person does incorrect actions while assuming they are correct. This disease is extremely dangerous. So you ask Allaah for healing and immunities from both, the diseases of the body and of the heart, which are the sicknesses of doubts and false assumptions, and vain desires. k 10 The Explanation of: “…care for me as a companion with those You have cared for…” Meaning: Be a close, watchful companion and ally to us. This type of al-Walaayah8 (companionship or guardianship) is of two types, a general type of guardianship, and a specific type. The specific type is particular to the believers only as Allaah ( ) says: ãΝδτ$Š9÷ρr& #ÿρãx
x. š⎥⎪Ï%©!$#uρ ( ‘θ–Ψ9$# ’n<Î) ÏM≈yϑè=—à9$# z⎯ÏiΒ Οßγã_̍÷‚ム(#θãΖtΒ#u™ š⎥⎪Ï%©!$# ’Í$yftFó™$$sù ∩⊇®⊆∪ yŠ$yèŠÎRùQ# ß#Î=øƒéB Ÿω y7¨ΡÎ) 3 Ïπyϑ≈uŠÉ)ø9$# $ Ì y (#θè=tG≈s%uρ ’Í?‹Î6y™ ’Îû (#ρèŒρé&uρ öΝÏδ≈tƒÏŠ ⎯ÏΒ (#θã_̍÷zé&uρ (#ρã_$yδ t⎦⎪Ï%©!$$sù ( <Ù÷èt/ .⎯ÏiΒ Νä3àÒ÷èt/ ( 4©s\Ρé& ÷ρr& @x.sŒ 3 «!$# ωΨÏã ô⎯ÏiΒ $\/#uθrO ã≈yγ÷ΡF{$# $pκÉJøtrB ⎯ÏΒ “̍øgrB ;M≈¨Ζy_ öΝßγ¨Ψ=Ï{÷Š_{uρ öΝÍκÌE$t↔Íh‹y™ öΝåκ÷]tã ¨βtÏe
x._{ (#θè=ÏFè%uρ n 〈 ∩⊇®∈∪ É>#uθ¨W9$# ß⎯ó¡m …çνy‰ΨÏã ª!$#uρ ã “Our Lord, indeed, we have heard a caller (Prophet Muhammad) calling to Faith, saying, ‘Believe in your Lord,’ so we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us of our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous people. Our Lord, grant us what You promised us through Your Messengers and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, You do not fail in Your Promise.” “So their Lord responded to them, ‘Never will I allow to be lost the work of any worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another. 17 18 Either impermissible (Haraam) in itself (food, drink, clothing) or obtained by impermissible means. The Hadeeth was recorded by Muslim (no. 1015). 19 Recorded by at-Tirmidhee (no. 3809) and Shaykh al-Albaanee said it is authentic in “Saheeh Sunan atTirmidhee” (no. 2819), Aboo Daawood (no. 1488) – “Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood” (no. 1320), Ibn Maajah (no. 3865) – “Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah” (no. 3117), and by Ahmad. 26 So those who immigrated, driven out from their homes, harmed in My Cause, fought, or were killed – I will surely remove from them their misdeeds, and I will surely admit them into gardens beneath which rivers flow as a reward from Allaah. And Allaah has with Him the best reward.’” [Soorah Aali-‘Imraan, 3:193-195] So seeking nearness to Allaah by using this name is from the means of one’s Du’aa being responded to. 3. This man (in the Hadeeth on pg. 23) was traveling and most of the time, traveling on a journey is a time in which supplications are answered. This is because when one is journeying, he usually feels a sense need and reliance upon Allaah more than when he is at home, secure with his family. This was even more so, especially traveling during those past times. The Prophet ( ) mentioned in the Hadeeth that this man was, “disheveled and dusty” meaning that he was not in the normal state he usually is. It was as if the most important thing to him at that time was turning to Allaah and supplicating to Him no matter what state he was in, whether untidy and dusty or comfortable in luxury. And this state of being disheveled and dusty may have some affect on one’s Du’aa being responded to due to the Hadeeth in which the Prophet ( ) said that Allaah descends to the lowest heaven on the day of ‘Arafah, boasting to the angels of those who stand and supplicate to Him, saying: “Look at My servants. They have come to Me disheveled and dusty.”20 Even while fulfilling all of these means of having his Du’aa answered, they did not benefit him at all because his food was Haraam, his clothing Haraam, and he was completely nourished by Haraam means. So the Prophet ( ) said, “So how could he be answered?” So these are some conditions that, when not fulfilled, may make ones’ supplication seem unanswered. However, if they are fulfilled and still Allaah ( ) does not immediately respond to the caller, then that is due to a certain reason and Allaah’s wisdom that He ( ) knows yet the caller is unaware of. And it is possible that we love and want something but it is really bad for us. So if one tries his best to fulfill the conditions of Du’aa, yet he feels he is not immediately responded to, then it may be that Allaah will instead prevent an evil greater than that from befalling him, or He may save the reward and response until the 20 Recorded by Imaam Ahmad (no. 7049) as related by Ibn ‘Umar-may Allah be pleased with him. See Shaykh al-Albaanee’s “Saheeh-ul-Jaami’-is-Sagheer” volume one page 381 for further reference. 27 Day of Resurrection on which He will repay with increased rewards. So if he fulfills the conditions (yet is not answered due to Allaah’s wisdom nor is an evil prevented from afflicting him greater than that for which he made Du’aa about) then he will be given a reward twice – once for his act of worship of supplicating to Allaah alone, and once for his trouble and grief of not having his Du’aa immediately answered. So Allaah will save for him that which is greater and more complete. Also, one must not consider the response to his supplication to be slow for this is actually one of the ways of preventing Du’aa from being accepted and answered. This is based on a Hadeeth in which the Prophet ( ) said: “Each of you will be answered as long as he is not hasty, saying, ‘I made Du’aa but it was not answered for me.’”21 So a person should not try to rush the response or despair and leave making Du’aa. Rather, he should persist in calling upon Allaah for each time you supplicate to Him, that is a form of worship by which you draw nearer to Him and are rewarded. So, my brother, you must stay constant upon making Du’aa sincerely to Allaah ( ) alone in all of your affairs, the general and specific, the minor and critical matters. And even if there was nothing other than the fact that making Du’aa to only Allaah ( ) is worship, then it would definitely be worthwhile for a person to constantly remain steadfast on this action. And with Allaah lies all success. k 21 This Hadeeth is recorded by al-Bukhaaree (no. 6340), Muslim (no. 2735), at-Tirmidhee (no. 3387), Aboo Daawood (no. 1484), Ibn Maajah (no. 3853) and by Imaam Ahmad. 28 The Du’aa of Qunoot 1. Allaahumma Ihdinee feeman Hadayt “O Allaah, guide me with those You have guided.” 2. Wa ‘Aafinee feeman ‘Aafayt “Heal me with those You have healed.” 3. Wa Tawallanee feeman Tawallayt “Care for me as a companion with those You have cared for.” 4. Wa Baarik lee feemaa A’tayt “Bless me in what You have given.” 5. Wa Qinee Sharra maa Qadhayt “And protect me from the evil of what You have decreed.” 29 6. Innaka Taqdhee wa laa Yuqdhaa ‘alayk “Indeed, You decree while no one decrees against You.” 7. Wa Innahu laa Yadhillu man Waalayt “Whoever You show loyalty towards will never be humiliated.” 8. Wa laa Ya’izzu man ‘Aadayt “And whoever You show enmity towards will never be honored.” 9. Tabaarakta Rabbanaa wa Ta’aalayt “Blessed are You, our Lord, and You are exalted far above (any deficiencies).” 30 Qunoot al-Witr word by word You have guided amongst those guide me O Allaah You have healed amongst those heal me And You have cared for amongst those Care for me And You have given in what Bless me And You have decreed that which from the evil And Save me against You and no one can decree You decree Indeed You You have befriended whom not humiliated Surely he is You have shown enmity whom not honored And You are Exalted And our Lord Blessed are You 31