his Companions. They also transmitted the qunūt of ‘Umar and ‘Alī against those with whom they were at war.

How, then, could the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, have regularly offered qunūt in the dawn prayer or any other prayer, using a fixed supplication, without this being transmitted from him in any report, whether authentic or weak? Indeed, the Prophet’s Companions, who knew his Sunnah best and were most eager to follow it, such as Ibn ‘Umar and others, rejected this practice. Ibn ‘Umar even said:

“We neither saw nor heard of it.”

In another version:

“Tell me about this standing of yours, offering supplication: we neither saw nor heard of it.”

Would any Muslim say that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, regularly offered qunūt when Ibn ‘Umar says, “We neither saw nor heard of it”? Other Companions besides Ibn ‘Umar likewise counted this among newly introduced practices.

Anyone who carefully considers the hadiths on this subject will know with absolute certainty that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not regularly offer qunūt in any of the prayers, just as he knows with certainty that he did not regularly offer qunūt in the noon, night, and sunset prayers. Those who regard qunūt in these prayers as a regular sunnah practice rely on the same kind of evidence as those who regard it as a regular sunnah practice in the dawn prayer.

There is no doubt that authentic reports establish that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, offered qunūt in these prayers. However, the Companions explained the supplication he offered, the reason for his qunūt, and that he discontinued it once its purpose had been achieved. They reported this concerning