the Witr prayer. This was the view of the adherents of Imam Ahmad, who said that it is sunnah to perform qunūt in the Witr prayer every night.

Some scholars held that one should perform qunūt only in Ramadan. Others held that it should be performed during the latter part of Ramadan.

No authentic hadith has been established from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, concerning qunūt in the Witr prayer. However, Ibn Majah related a hadith with a weak chain, which some scholars deemed sound on account of its corroborating reports (1): “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performed qunūt in the Witr prayer” (2).

As for Imam Ahmad, he said that nothing has been authentically reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, concerning qunūt in the Witr prayer, whether before or after bowing. However, it is authentically reported from Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he would perform qunūt (3).

Whoever reflects on the Prophet’s night prayer will see that he did not perform qunūt in the Witr prayer; rather, he would pray a single rakʿah with which he made odd the prayers he had performed. This is better: that one should not consistently perform qunūt in the Witr prayer, because this has not been established from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Yet he taught al-Hasan ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, a supplication to recite in the qunūt of the Witr prayer (4), which indicates that it is sunnah. However, this was not established through his practice, but through his statement.

Some scholars, however, identified a defect in the hadith of al-Hasan: namely, that al-Hasan was eight years old when the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, died. But this