Dua-e-Qunoot: Arabic Text, Meaning & How to Read It in Witr

Dua-e-Qunoot is the supplication recited standing in the final rak’ah of the Witr prayer. For millions of Muslims it is the last thing they say to their Lord before sleep — a short, powerful plea for guidance, protection and mercy.

This guide gives you the authentic Dua-e-Qunoot in Arabic, an easy transliteration, a clear English translation, and a step-by-step method for reciting it in Witr. It also explains, respectfully and factually, why the version your local masjid uses may differ from the one in another masjid down the road.

What Is Dua-e-Qunoot?

The word qunūt (قُنُوت) comes from an Arabic root meaning obedience, devotion and standing in humble submission. The Qur’an uses the same root when it commands: “…and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient (qānitīn)” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:238).

In the language of the scholars, qunūt refers to a supplication made while standing in prayer. It appears in three main contexts:

• Qunut al-Witr — recited in the last rak’ah of Witr. This is what people usually mean by “Dua-e-Qunoot.”
• Qunut al-Fajr — recited in Fajr, practised regularly in some schools of thought.
• Qunut an-Nazilah — recited in any obligatory prayer during a calamity affecting the Muslims.

There is no single fixed wording that every Muslim must use. Two supplications are the most widespread, and both are traced back to authentic reports.

Dua-e-Qunoot in Arabic (Hanafi Version)

This is the version memorised across South Asia, Turkey and much of Central Asia. It is reported from several Companions — including ‘Umar, ‘Ali, ‘Uthman and Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with them) — in the Musannaf of ‘Abd ar-Razzaq (no. 4969), the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah (no. 7027), and al-Bayhaqi’s as-Sunan al-Kubra (2/210), where al-Bayhaqi graded the report as authentic.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَعِينُكَ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِكَ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ وَنُثْنِي عَلَيْكَ الْخَيْرَ وَنَشْكُرُكَ وَلَا نَكْفُرُكَ وَنَخْلَعُ وَنَتْرُكُ مَنْ يَفْجُرُكَ

اللَّهُمَّ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَلَكَ نُصَلِّي وَنَسْجُدُ وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعَىٰ وَنَحْفِدُ نَرْجُو رَحْمَتَكَ وَنَخْشَىٰ عَذَابَكَ إِنَّ عَذَابَكَ بِالْكُفَّارِ مُلْحِقٌ

Dua-e-Qunoot Transliteration

Allāhumma innā nasta’īnuka wa nastaghfiruka wa nu’minu bika wa natawakkalu ‘alayka wa nuthnī ‘alayk al-khayr, wa nashkuruka wa lā nakfuruka, wa nakhla’u wa natruku man yafjuruk.

Allāhumma iyyāka na’budu wa laka nuṣallī wa nasjudu, wa ilayka nas’ā wa naḥfidu, narjū raḥmataka wa nakhshā ‘adhābaka, inna ‘adhābaka bil-kuffāri mulḥiq.

Dua-e-Qunoot in English: Meaning Line by Line

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَعِينُكَ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُكَ	Allāhumma innā nasta’īnuka wa nastaghfiruk	O Allah, we seek Your help and Your forgiveness
وَنُؤْمِنُ بِكَ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ	wa nu’minu bika wa natawakkalu ‘alayk	We believe in You and put our trust in You
وَنُثْنِي عَلَيْكَ الْخَيْرَ وَنَشْكُرُكَ وَلَا نَكْفُرُكَ	wa nuthnī ‘alayk al-khayr wa nashkuruka wa lā nakfuruk	We praise You in the best way, we thank You, and we are not ungrateful to You
وَنَخْلَعُ وَنَتْرُكُ مَنْ يَفْجُرُكَ	wa nakhla’u wa natruku man yafjuruk	We cast off and forsake whoever disobeys You
اللَّهُمَّ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَلَكَ نُصَلِّي وَنَسْجُدُ	Allāhumma iyyāka na’budu wa laka nuṣallī wa nasjud	O Allah, You alone we worship; to You we pray and prostrate
وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعَىٰ وَنَحْفِدُ	wa ilayka nas’ā wa naḥfid	Toward You we strive and hasten
نَرْجُو رَحْمَتَكَ وَنَخْشَىٰ عَذَابَكَ	narjū raḥmataka wa nakhshā ‘adhābak	We hope for Your mercy and fear Your punishment
إِنَّ عَذَابَكَ بِالْكُفَّارِ مُلْحِقٌ	inna ‘adhābaka bil-kuffāri mulḥiq	Truly, Your punishment will overtake those who reject faith

Notice the structure: it opens with need (help, forgiveness), moves to faith (belief, trust, gratitude), then to worship (prayer, prostration, striving), and closes by holding hope and fear together — the balance the Qur’an describes in Surah al-Isra 17:57.

The Second Authentic Dua-e-Qunoot (Taught to al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali)

This is the version most commonly recited in the Shafi’i, Hanbali and Salafi-oriented traditions. Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ taught him words to say in the qunūt of Witr:

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

Transliteration: Allāhumma-hdinī fīman hadayt, wa ‘āfinī fīman ‘āfayt, wa tawallanī fīman tawallayt, wa bārik lī fīmā a’ṭayt, wa qinī sharra mā qaḍayt, fa innaka taqḍī wa lā yuqḍā ‘alayk, wa innahu lā yadhillu man wālayt, tabārakta Rabbanā wa ta’ālayt.

Translation: “O Allah, guide me among those You have guided, grant me well-being among those You have granted well-being, take me into Your care among those You have taken into Your care, bless me in what You have given, and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed. For You decree and none can decree against You. Whoever You befriend is never humiliated. Blessed are You, our Lord, and Exalted.”

Sources: Sunan Abi Dawud 1425 (graded sahih), Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 464, Sunan an-Nasa’i 1745–1746, Sunan Ibn Majah 1178, Musnad Ahmad 1718. Classed as authentic by an-Nawawi, Ibn Hajar, Ibn al-Mulaqqin and al-Albani.

Some narrations add wa lā ya’izzu man ‘ādayt (“and whoever You oppose is never honoured”) after lā yadhillu man wālayt. Many congregations recite it; a number of hadith scholars considered this phrase an addition not present in the strongest chains.

When and How to Recite Dua-e-Qunoot in Witr

How to Read Witr (Hanafi Method, Step by Step)

Witr in the Hanafi school is three rak’ahs prayed with one salam, offered after ‘Isha and before Fajr.

1. Make the intention for three rak’ahs of Witr and begin with takbir.
2. Rak’ah 1: Surah al-Fatihah + any surah. Ruku, sujud.
3. Rak’ah 2: Surah al-Fatihah + any surah. Ruku, sujud, then sit and recite at-Tahiyyat only.
4. Rak’ah 3: Stand, recite Surah al-Fatihah + any surah.
5. Before ruku, raise both hands to ear level and say Allahu Akbar, then fold the hands again.
6. Recite Dua-e-Qunoot quietly.
7. Say Allahu Akbar, go into ruku, and complete the rak’ah as normal.
8. Finish with at-Tahiyyat, Durood Ibrahim, a closing dua, and salam.

Witr is prayed every night of the year, not only in Ramadan. If you regularly miss it, praying it earlier in the night is better than losing it altogether.

Dua-e-Qunoot Hanafi vs. Other Schools of Thought

Muslims have prayed qunūt in different ways since the earliest generations, and all four schools rest their positions on evidence. The differences below are matters of fiqh, not of correct versus incorrect faith.

	Hanafi	Shafi’i	Maliki	Hanbali
Qunut in Witr	Yes, all year	Sunnah in the last half of Ramadan	Not the established practice	Sunnah, all year
Position	Before ruku	After ruku	—	After ruku
Usual wording	Allāhumma innā nasta’īnuk…	Allāhumma-hdinī fīman hadayt…	—	Allāhumma-hdinī fīman hadayt…
Qunut in Fajr	Only during calamity (nazilah)	Recommended daily	Recommended daily, before ruku	Only during calamity
Hands raised	Takbir with hands raised, then folded	Hands raised, palms up	Hands not raised	Hands raised, palms up

The practical rule most scholars give: follow the practice of the imam you are praying behind, and follow your own school when praying alone. If you have a personal question about your prayer, ask a qualified scholar or your local imam rather than relying on an article.

Benefits and Virtues of Dua-e-Qunoot

• It is dua inside salah. The Prophet ﷺ said the closest a servant is to his Lord is in prostration, and prayer as a whole is the believer’s most direct conversation with Allah.
• It ends the night in remembrance. Witr seals the day’s prayers, so Dua-e-Qunoot is often a Muslim’s final act of worship before sleep.
• It is prophetic teaching, word for word. The hadith of al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali is one of the few supplications the Prophet ﷺ taught to a child directly.
• It trains the heart in balance — hope in Allah’s mercy alongside awareness of His justice.
• It builds tawakkul. “We put our trust in You” is a sentence that reshapes how you meet the next day.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Rushing the Arabic so that letters merge and meanings change — for example confusing nakhshā (we fear) with a mispronounced form.
• Reciting it loudly when praying alone; qunūt in Witr is normally recited quietly (imams in Ramadan may recite aloud according to their school’s practice).
• Forgetting the takbir before qunūt in the Hanafi method.
• Panicking if you forget the dua. If you cannot recall it, recite something else — for example Rabbanā ātinā fid-dunyā ḥasanah wa fil-ākhirati ḥasanah wa qinā ‘adhāban-nār (Qur’an 2:201) — or, in the Hanafi school, make sujud as-sahw if you omitted the qunūt entirely. Ask your imam how to apply this to your situation.
• Treating one version as the “only correct” one. Both wordings are well established.
• Memorising from an unvowelled text. Learn it from a teacher or reliable recitation so the harakāt are correct.

Dua-e-Qunoot PDF

Many learners want a dua qunoot PDF with Arabic, transliteration and translation on a single page to keep on their phone or print for the family. A downloadable page card is the easiest way to memorise it in three or four sittings — but pair it with audio, because transliteration alone cannot teach you the throat letters (ح, ع, ق, ط) accurately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dua-e-Qunoot obligatory?

No school considers it an obligation (fard). In the Hanafi school it is wajib (necessary) in Witr, and omitting it deliberately is blameworthy, with sujud as-sahw required if forgotten. The Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali schools treat it as recommended in their respective contexts. Missing it does not invalidate your prayer.

When is Dua-e-Qunoot recited?

In the third rak’ah of Witr, after Surah al-Fatihah and the additional surah. Hanafis recite it before ruku all year round; Shafi’is recite it after ruku, chiefly in the last half of Ramadan; Hanbalis recite it after ruku throughout the year.

Can I read Dua-e-Qunoot in English?

The recitation inside the prayer should be in Arabic, as that is the language in which it was taught and preserved. If you have not yet memorised it, most scholars advise reciting another Arabic supplication you do know, such as Rabbanā ātinā fid-dunyā ḥasanah…, while you learn. Read the English meaning outside the prayer so you understand what you are saying.

Which Dua-e-Qunoot is the correct one?

Both are authentic. The Allāhumma innā nasta’īnuka version is reported from the Companions with a chain graded sahih; the Allāhumma-hdinī fīman hadayt version is reported directly from the Prophet ﷺ in Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa’i. Some scholars recommend combining them.

What if I forget Dua-e-Qunoot in Witr?

Complete the prayer and perform sujud as-sahw (two prostrations after the final tashahhud, before or after salam depending on your school) if your school requires it for omitting a wajib act. If it is merely recommended in your school, no correction is needed.

Can I raise my hands during Dua-e-Qunoot?

In the Hanafi method the hands are raised for the takbir before qunūt and then folded during the supplication. In the Shafi’i and Hanbali methods the hands are held open, palms up, throughout. Follow the method of your school or your imam.

Can I add my own duas to Dua-e-Qunoot?

Yes. Scholars have long permitted adding supplications for oneself, one’s family and the Muslim community — this was the practice of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) during Ramadan. Keep additions moderate so the congregation is not burdened.

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Learn to Recite Dua-e-Qunoot Correctly

Reading Dua-e-Qunoot from transliteration will get you started — but only proper Tajweed will make sure the words you say are the words that were taught. A single mispronounced letter can change a meaning entirely.

Al-Ilm Academy offers one-to-one online Quran and Tajweed classes with qualified male and female teachers, at times that fit around work and school. Your first class is free.

👉 Book your free trial Quran class at Al-Ilm Academy and recite Dua-e-Qunoot the way it was meant to be recited, in shā’ Allah.