Salah is the 2nd pillar of Islam, and there are five daily prayers that all Muslims must offer. One of the salah is Isha. This consists of four Rakat that are obligatory alongside two Rakat that is sunnah. However, after that, there is also the witr salah, which is either wajib or a highly recommended sunnah and doesn’t exist for any other prayer. You can only offer it after Isha. The most common method of reciting witr salah is by reciting either on or three rakats. With the latter, you don’t sit after the second Rakat. One of the integral sunnah parts of the Isha prayer is the Arabic recitation of Dua e Qunoot.
What is Dua Qunoot?
This dua is a specific dua that the Prophet (PBUH) used to recite on certain occasions. To recite Dua Qunoot, we should stand. Besides reciting it during witr prayer, some schools of thought prescribe recitation even during the Maghrib and Fajr prayer. The Prophet (PBUH) also used to recite it during times of calamities, to ask for Allah’s help.
The most common recitation of Dua Qunoot is during the witr prayer. We recite it in the final Rakat of the witr. However, it must be noted here that this dua is not compulsory. It’s a sunnah, and we must always try to abide by it, but if we miss out occasionally for some reason, the witr is still acceptable.
People are often confused about when to recite Dua Qunoot due to some conflicting opinions. The reality is that you can recite it before or after ruku in the final Rakat. In some places, reciting it before the ruku is more prevalent while in other places, people recite it after the ruku.
If a Muslim goes to a mosque regularly, he will realize that the Imams of mosques don’t always recite Dua Qunoot for the witr. This is most noticeable during Taraweeh prayer in Ramadan, where we read witr every day in the congregation. Then, the Imam usually recites duas from his heart, praying for the welfare and well-being of Muslims.
Transliteration and Translation of Dua Qunoot
Transliteration: Allah humma inna nasta eenoka wa nastagh firuka wa nu’minu bika wa nata wakkalu alaika wa nusni alaikal khair, an akh kuruka wala nak furuka wa nakhla-oo an ak ruku mai yaf juruka, Allah humma iyya ka na’budu wa laka nusalli wa nasjudu wa ilayka nas aaa wa nahfizu wa narju rahma taka an akh shaa ‘azaa baka inna ‘azaabaka bil kuffari mulhik.
Translation: Oh Allah, we ask for Your help. We beg You for forgiveness, and we believe in You and rely on You. We extol You, and we are thankful to You. We aren’t ungrateful to You, and we stay away from and forsake those who disobey You. Oh, Allah, we worship You alone! We pray and prostrate to You, and we aim to please You. We present ourselves to You for service in Your cause. We hope for Your mercy, and we fear Your punishment. Surely your torment will overtake the disbelievers.
Comments