Authentic hadith articleO father, you prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān, and ‘Ali here in Kufah for about five years. Did they use to recite the Qunūt in the Fajr prayer? He said: O son, this is an innovation in religion
Authentic hadithNarrated by Ibn Majah - Narrated by At-Termedhy - Narrated by AhmadHadeethEnc #10935
Arabic hadith textعن أبي مالك الأشجعي سعد بن طارق رضي الله عنه قال: قلت لأبي: يا أبت إنك قد صليت خلف رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأبي بكر وعمر وعثمان وعلي هاهنا بالكوفة، نحوًا من خمس سنين، «فكانوا يَقْنُتُونَ في الفجر؟» فقال: أَيْ بُنَيَّ مُحْدَثٌ.
English translationAbu Mālik al-Ashja‘i Sa‘d ibn Tāriq (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I said to my father: "O father, you prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān, and ‘Ali here in Kufah for about five years. Did they use to recite the Qunūt in the Fajr prayer?" He said: "O son, this is an innovation in religion."
ExplanationExplanation of the hadith
This noble Hadīth clarifies that the Qunūt during the Fajr prayer – if it is not because of a calamity that has befallen Muslims – is an innovation in religion.
Shaykh al-Islam said: "One should not make Qunūt except in the Witr prayer unless a calamity befalls the Muslims, in which case all people praying should make Qunūt in every prayer. However, this is emphasized in the Fajr and Maghrib prayers in proportion to that calamity. Whoever contemplates the Sunnah will know without a doubt that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) never consistently performed Qunūt in any of the prayers.