as well as the noon prayer. Yet no one has narrated that he regularly performed qunūt using a fixed supplication. They therefore recommended reciting in it the qunūt of the witr prayer that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, taught al-Hasan ibn Alī: “O Allah, guide me among those whom You have guided”—and so forth.

Others among the hadith jurists and beyond, including Ahmad and others, adopted a middle position. They said: It is established that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performed qunūt in response to calamities caused by the enemy, such as the killing or detention of his Companions and similar events. He performed qunūt seeking victory, just as he prayed for rain during drought. Seeking victory in time of need is like seeking provision in time of need, for victory and provision sustain human affairs. Allah Most High says: “Who fed them against hunger and made them safe from fear” [Quraysh 106:4]. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said: “You are granted victory and provision only through the weak among you: through their supplications, prayers, and pleas for forgiveness.” Likewise, he said regarding the qualities of the abdāl: “Through them you are provided for, and through them you are granted victory.” Similarly, Allah mentions these two matters in Sūrat al-Mulk and explains that both are in His hand—Glory be to Him