Question 2068: Does the Witr prayer have two Qunuts?

71 03 Sep 2025
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✅ Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِیلَ بْنِ بَزِیعٍ عَنْ أَبِی الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا قال: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْقُنُوتِ فِی الْفَجْرِ وَ الْوَتْرِ قَالَ قَبْلَ الرُّکُوعِ.

📚Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha Vol. 2, p. 18

Muhammad ibn Isma'il said: 'I asked Imam Ridha (peace be upon him) about the Qunut in the Fajr prayer and the Witr prayer; the Imam said: 'It is before the bowing (Ruku')!'

2 عن زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِی جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: الْقُنُوتُ فِی کُلِّ صَلَاةٍ فِی الرَّکْعَةِ الثَّانِیَةِ قَبْلَ الرُّکُوع

📚Tahdhib Vol. 2, p. 89

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: 'The Qunut in every prayer is in the second Raka'at, before the bowing!'

3 عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِیزِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِی بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا قال: کَانَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلُ (علیه السلام) إِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنْ آخِرِ رَکْعَةِ الْوَتْرِ قَالَ هَذَا مَقَامُ مَنْ حَسَنَاتُهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنْکَ وَ شُکْرُهُ ضَعِیفٌ وَ ذَنْبُهُ عَظِیمٌ وَ لَیْسَ لَهُ إِلَّا دَفْعُکَ وَ رَحْمَتُکَ فَإِنَّکَ قُلْتَ فِی کِتَابِکَ الْمُنْزَلِ عَلَی نَبِیِّکَ الْمُرْسَلِ صلی الله علیه و آله کانُوا قَلِیلًا مِنَ اللَّیْلِ ما یَهْجَعُونَ وَ بِالْأَسْحارِ هُمْ یَسْتَغْفِرُونَ طَالَ هُجُوعِی وَ قَلَّ قِیَامِی وَ هَذَا السَّحَرُ وَ أَنَا أَسْتَغْفِرُکَ لِذَنْبِی اسْتِغْفَارَ مَنْ لَمْ یَجِدْ لِنَفْسِهِ ضَرًّا وَ لا نَفْعاً وَ لَا مَوْتاً وَ لا حَیاةً وَ لا نُشُوراً ثُمَّ یَخِرُّ سَاجِداً.

📚Al-Kafi Vol. 3, p. 325

Ahmad ibn Abdulaziz said: 'One of the companions narrated to me that Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him), when he raised his head from the last Raka'at of Witr, would say: ...'

هَذَا مَقَامُ مَنْ حَسَنَاتُهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنْکَ وَ شُکْرُهُ ضَعِیفٌ وَ ذَنْبُهُ عَظِیمٌ وَ لَیْسَ لَهُ إِلَّا دَفْعُکَ وَ رَحْمَتُکَ فَإِنَّکَ قُلْتَ فِی کِتَابِکَ الْمُنْزَلِ عَلَی نَبِیِّکَ الْمُرْسَلِ صلی الله علیه و آله کانُوا قَلِیلًا مِنَ اللَّیْلِ ما یَهْجَعُونَ وَ بِالْأَسْحارِ هُمْ یَسْتَغْفِرُونَ طَالَ هُجُوعِی وَ قَلَّ قِیَامِی وَ هَذَا السَّحَرُ وَ أَنَا أَسْتَغْفِرُکَ لِذَنْبِی اسْتِغْفَارَ مَنْ لَمْ یَجِدْ لِنَفْسِهِ ضَرًّا وَ لا نَفْعاً وَ لَا مَوْتاً وَ لا حَیاةً وَ لا نُشُوراً

Then he would prostrate!

4 عن أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِیزِ الرَّازِیِّ عن بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَبِی الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلِ علیه السلام قَالَ: كَانَ إِذَا اسْتَوَی مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ فِی آخِرِ رَكْعَتِهِ مِنَ الْوَتْرِ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ قُلْتَ فِی كِتَابِكَ الْمُنْزَلِ- كانُوا قَلِیلًا مِنَ اللَّیْلِ ما یَهْجَعُونَ وَ بِالْأَسْحارِ هُمْ یَسْتَغْفِرُونَ طَالَ وَاللَّهِ هُجُوعِی وَ قَلَّ قِیَامِی و هَذَا السَّحَرُ وَ أَنَا أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِذُنُوبِی اسْتِغْفَارَ مَنْ لَا یَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِهِ ضَرّاً وَ لَا نَفْعاً وَ لَا مَوْتاً وَ لَا حَیَاةً وَ لَا نُشُوراً ثُمَّ یَخِرُّ سَاجِداً

📚Ilal al-Shara'i Vol. 2, p. 53

One of the companions said: 'When Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) raised his head after the last bowing of the Witr prayer and stood upright, he would say: ...'

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ قُلْتَ فِی كِتَابِكَ الْمُنْزَلِ كانُوا قَلِیلًا مِنَ اللَّیْلِ ما یَهْجَعُونَ وَ بِالْأَسْحارِ هُمْ یَسْتَغْفِرُونَ طَالَ وَاللَّهِ هُجُوعِی وَ قَلَّ قِیَامِی وَ هَذَا السَّحَرُ وَ أَنَا أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِذُنُوبِی اسْتِغْفَارَ مَنْ لَا یَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِهِ ضَرّاً وَ لَا نَفْعاً وَ لَا مَوْتاً وَ لَا حَیَاةً وَ لَا نُشُوراً

Then he would fall into prostration!

✅ According to the above narrations and others, the Witr prayer is referred to both as the combination of the Shaf' prayer and the one Raka'at that is recited after the night prayer, and also as the single Raka'at that is recited after the Shaf' prayer.

According to narration 2 and others, in the Shaf' prayer, in the second Raka'at, the Qunut is recited after the recitation and before the bowing.

In the Witr prayer, which is a single Raka'at and after the Shaf' prayer, the Qunut is recited after the recitation and before the bowing, for which specific supplications are mentioned in the narrations.

✅ According to narrations 3 and 4, Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) would recite a supplication after raising his head from the bowing of the Witr prayer, which is not called Qunut and is merely a supplication that can be recited while rising from the bowing of the Witr prayer, but it does not have the name or rituals of Qunut.

✅ Narrations 3 and 4, which describe a supplication after the bowing of the Witr prayer from the action of Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him), are in fact one narration from one narrator in two sources, and due to a minor difference, both have been cited.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْر

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