Humble Supplication - Section 1

Abu Huraira said that when God’s Messenger wished to invoke a curse or a blessing on someone he stood in supplication after bowing, and when he said, “God listens to him who praises Him,” he often said, “Praise be to You, our Lord! O God, rescue al-Walid b. al-Walid, Salama b. Hisham and ‘Ayyash b. Abu Rabi'a.1 O God, trample severely on Mudar and cause them a famine like that of Joseph,”2 saying that in a loud voice. And he would sometimes say in the course of his prayer, “O God, curse so and so and so and so of the tribes of the Arabs,” till God revealed, “You have nothing to do with the matter. . .”3 1. These were men who were persecuted for their faith and held prisoners. 2. The famine in the time of Joseph lasted seven years. 3. Al-Qur’an; 3:128. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ أَوْ يَدْعُوَ لِأَحَدٍ قَنَتَ بَعْدَ الرُّكُوعِ فَرُبَّمَا قَالَ إِذَا قَالَ: " سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ: اللَّهُمَّ أَنْج الْوَلِيد بن الْوَلِيد وَسَلَمَة ابْن هِشَام وَعَيَّاش بن رَبِيعَةَ اللَّهُمَّ اشْدُدْ وَطْأَتَكَ عَلَى مُضَرَ وَاجْعَلْهَا سِنِينَ كَسِنِي يُوسُفَ " يَجْهَرُ بِذَلِكَ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ فِي بَعْضِ صَلَاتِهِ: " اللَّهُمَّ الْعَنْ فُلَانًا وَفُلَانًا لِأَحْيَاءٍ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ حَتَّى أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ: (لَيْسَ لَك من الْأَمر شَيْء) الْآيَة)

‘Asim al-Ahwal said:

I asked Anas b. Malik whether the humble supplication1 during the prayer was before or after bowing and he replied, “Before it; God’s Messenger observed it after bowing only for a month. He had sent out some people called Qur’an readers, to the number of seventy, on an expedition and they were smitten,2 so for a month God’s Messenger stood in humble supplication after bowing, invoking a curse on their murderers.” 1. The Arabic is <i>qunut</i>, which means 'being obedient’, or 'the act of standing’. It is used of certain supplications in the <i>witr</i> or at other times, but there is some disagreement about when these supplications may be made. The traditions in this chapter deal with the appropriate times. 2. The reference is to an incident at Bi’r Ma'una in 4 A.H. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

وَعَن عَاصِم الْأَحول قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ عَنِ الْقُنُوتِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ كَانَ قَبْلَ الرُّكُوعِ أَوْ بَعْدَهُ؟ قَالَ: قَبْلَهُ إِنَّمَا قَنَتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَعْدُ الرُّكُوعِ شَهْرًا إِنَّهُ كَانَ بَعَثَ أُنَاسًا يُقَالُ لَهُمْ الْقُرَّاءُ سَبْعُونَ رَجُلًا فَأُصِيبُوا فَقَنَتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَعْدُ الرُّكُوعِ شَهْرًا يَدْعُو عَلَيْهِمْ

Ibn ‘Abbas said that God’s Messenger stood in humble supplication daily for a month at the noon, afternoon; sunset, evening and morning prayer when he said, “God listens to him who praises Him” in the last <i>rak'a</i>, invoking a curse on some clans of the B. Sulaim, Ri‘l, Dhakwan and ‘Usayya, and those standing behind him said Amen. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: قَنَتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَهْرًا مُتَتَابِعًا فِي الظّهْر وَالْعصر وَالْمغْرب وَالْعشَاء وَصَلَاة الصُّبْح إِذا قَالَ: «سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ» مِنَ الرَّكْعَةِ الْآخِرَة يَدْعُو عَلَى أَحْيَاءٍ مَنْ بَنِي سُلَيْمٍ: عَلَى رِعْلٍ وَذَكْوَانَ وَعُصَيَّةَ وَيُؤَمِّنُ مَنْ خَلْفَهُ. رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد

Anas said that the Prophet (ﷺ) stood in humble supplication for a month and then gave it up. Abu Dawud and Nasa'i transmitted it.

وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَنَتَ شَهْرًا ثُمَّ تَرَكَهُ. رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد وَالنَّسَائِيّ

Abu Malik al-Ashja‘i said:

I said to my father, “Father, you have prayed behind God’s Messenger, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman, and behind Ali here in al-Kufa for about five years. Did they stand in humble supplication?” He replied, “Sonny, it is an innovation.” Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

وَعَن أبي مَالك الْأَشْجَعِيّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي: يَا أَبَتِ إِنَّكَ قَدْ صليت خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبِي بكر وَعمر وَعُثْمَان وَعلي هَهُنَا بِالْكُوفَةِ نَحْوًا مِنْ خَمْسِ سِنِينَ أَكَانُوا يَقْنُتُونَ؟ قَالَ: أَيْ بُنَيَّ مُحْدَثٌ ". رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَالنَّسَائِيُّ وَابْن مَاجَه

Al-Hasan said that ‘Umar b. al-Khattab congregated the people with Ubayy b. Ka‘b as <i>imam</i> and he led them in prayer for twenty nights, but led them in humble supplication only in the second half. When the last ten days came he withdrew and prayed in his house, and the people were saying, “Ubayy has run away.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

عَن الْحسن: أَن عمر بن الْخطاب جَمَعَ النَّاسَ عَلَى أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ فَكَانَ يُصَلِّي بِهِمْ عِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً وَلَا يَقْنُتُ بِهِمْ إِلَّا فِي النِّصْفِ الْبَاقِي فَإِذَا كَانَتِ الْعَشْرُ الْأَوَاخِرُ تَخَلَّفَ فَصَلَّى فِي بَيْتِهِ فَكَانُوا يَقُولُونَ: أبق أبي. رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد

Anas b. Malik was asked about standing in humble supplication and replied, “God’s Messenger stood in humble supplication after bowing.” A version has “before and after bowing.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.

وَسُئِلَ أَن بْنُ مَالِكٍ عَنِ الْقُنُوتِ. فَقَالَ: قَنَتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَعْدُ الرُّكُوعِ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: قَبْلَ الرُّكُوعِ وَبَعْدَهُ. رَوَاهُ ابْنُ مَاجَهْ