Dua e Qunoot

Dua e Qunoot is a special dua that we recite to show our complete trust and humble submission to Allah.

This is the second most important dua from our dua list.

The word "Qunoot" itself means being obedient or the act of standing still in prayer.

This is a beautiful way to ask for guidance, protection, and forgiveness while acknowledging that everything in our lives happens only by the will of Allah.

Full Dua e Qunoot

اَللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَعِينُكَ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِكَ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ وَنُثْنِيْ عَلَيْكَ الْخَيْرَ وَنَشْكُرُكَ وَلَا نَكْفُرُكَ وَنَخْلَعُ وَنَتْرُكُ مَنْ يَّفْجُرُكَ اَللَّهُمَّ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَلَكَ نُصَلِّيْ وَنَسْجُدُ وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعٰى وَنَحْفِدُ وَنَرْجُوْ رَحْمَتَكَ وَنَخْشٰى عَذَابَكَ إِنَّ عَذَابَكَ بِالْكُفَّارِ مُلْحِقٌ

Translation

Allahumma inna nasta’inuka wa nastaghfiruka wa nu’minu bika wa natawakkalu ‘alaika wa nuthni ‘alaikal khair, wa nashkuruka wala nakfuruka wa nakhla’u wa natruku may yafjuruk. Allahumma iyyaka na’budu wa laka nusalli wa nasjudu wa ilaika nas’a wa nahfidu wa narju rahmataka wa nakhsha ‘adhabaka inna ‘adhabaka bil kuffari mulhiq.

Significance

This dua is a deep conversation with Allah where we start by saying, "O Allah, we seek Your help and we ask for Your forgiveness."
This means we admit that we are weak and we need His strength for everything. We then state that we believe in Him, we put our full trust in Him, and we praise Him in the best way possible for all the blessings He gives us.
The prayer continues with a promise: "We thank You and we are not ungrateful to You, and we turn away from and leave anyone who disobeys You." This shows our loyalty to Allah and our desire to stay on the right path.
In the second half, we focus on worship. We say, "O Allah, You alone we worship, and for You we pray and prostrate."
We explain that our efforts and our quickness in action are all for Him. We hope for His mercy and we fear His punishment, recognizing that His punishment will truly reach those who reject the truth. This part of the dua reminds us to keep a balance between hope and fear in our hearts.

When to Recite This Dua

Dua e Qunoot is most commonly recited during the Witr prayer, which is performed after the Isha prayer.

It is recited in the third and final unit (Rak'ah) of Witr.

After finishing the recitation of the Quran and before going down into Ruku, a person says "Allahu Akbar," raises their hands, and then recites this dua while standing.

Hadith Reference

While there are different versions of Qunoot mentioned in various narrations, the version widely practiced and recorded in the collections of the Sahaba and early scholars is found in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah (Hadith: 6965).

عن خالد بن أبي عمران قال: بَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَدْعُو عَلَى مُضَرَ، إِذْ جَاءَهُ جِبْرِيلُ فَأَوْمَأَ إِلَيْهِ أَنِ اسْكُتْ، فَسَكَتَ، فَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَبْعَثْكَ سَبَّابًا وَلَا لَعَّانًا، وَإِنَّمَا بَعَثَكَ رَحْمَةً، وَلَمْ يَبْعَثْكَ عَذَابًا، {لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَوْ يُعَذِّبَهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ} [آل عمران: 128] ثُمَّ عَلَّمَهُ هَذَا الْقُنُوتَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَعِينُكَ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُكَ...