The Ruling of Melodiously Reciting Dua Qunoot

[Abu_Hafsa_Khalid]

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy,

From Abu Abdullah Mahir bin Thafir Al-Qahtani…


To My Muslim brothers all across the globe, As-salaamu aleykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, to proceed…

All praise is due to Allah and Salutations and Peace be upon the Messenger of Allah and his companions, to proceed…

We praise Allah who there is no one worthy of worship except Him for His great favors and signs, and from those favors is that he has blessed us with reaching blessed occasions, such as the blessed month of Ramadan, and what is in it from great acts of obedience and gaining nearness to Allah. From those acts is the Taraweeh Salah, that is established in Ramadan in congregation. And in this salah qunnot is legislated both in Ramadan and due to calamities. So, so long as it is worship then it requires two condition in order to be valid, just like every other form of worship. After tawheed, those two conditions are, sincerity (ikhlaas) and following the messenger(mutaaba’ah). So the one that does qunoot must offer it in the same way that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) and his companions (radhiallahu anhum) did. Their guidance is the best guidance.

Sufyan Ath-Thawree said (rahimahullah) said, “Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) is the major benchmark, all actions are measured against him, his guidance…, his character…, his biography…, what agrees with that is the truth and what differs with it is falsehood.” In that regard, many of the masjid imams have brought something new in regard to the dua of qunoot, in it is speaking to Allah with improper manners. Something that they have been brought up upon from a young age, staying with them until they are elderly. The general folk have taken this from them to be a Sunnah without any evidence and if you change it then sometimes they will say that you have changed the Sunnah! This innovation is that if one of them makes dua in the qunoot of witr in Ramadan or in the qunnot for calamities, he recites it as if he were reciting the Quran. He recites it melodiously in a way that if a non-Arab were to hear it, he would think that he is reciting the Quran, whilst it is not from the Quran. Rather this action is a reprehensible innovation (derived from their minds) that has no evidence for it.

The proof of this is from many angles:

One:
The origin for all worship is that it is prohibited, due to the statement of the Messenger (salallaahu Alaihi wa salam), as occurs in Sahih Muslim, from the hadith of Aa’ishah (radiallahu anhaa), “Whoever innovated something in this affair of ours what is not from it then it is rejected”, and in one narration, “Whoever does an action that is not upon our affair then it is rejected”. That prohibition is not just in the actual worship itself, but also in how it’s done, the reasons for doing it, the time it is done, the quantity and its description, even if the actual worship is established. So, the dua of qunoot in Ramadan and in times of calamity is a prescribed worship, but reciting it melodiously is prohibited until we see an evidence for that. But there is no evidence for it, and if it was something good, then they would have done it before us, and if they had done it then it would have been well known due to the need to narrate it. So, due to the recitation of it not being narrated in those two situations, it is known that it is an innovation in the religion and the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said “The worst affairs are the newly invented ones and every newly invented thing is an innovation and every innovation is a misguidance.”

Two:
The way of reciting melodiously is specifically for the Quran due to what was narrated by Al-Bukhari in his Saheeh who said with his chain to Abu Hurayra that the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said “He is not from us who does not recite (melodiously) the Quran”. The Messenger did not say “with du’a” so that one could do so with the seeking refuge with Allah before reciting. There is no evidence for that, so it is an innovation. If melodiously reciting dua was something obligatory or recommended, then it would have been narrated, but rather only reciting the Quran has been ordered, and every good is in following those that have gone before us, and every evil is in the innovations of those that came after.

Three:
Al-Alaamah Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih bin Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) mentioned on ‘nur ala ad-darb’ when he was asked the following:

“Is it permissible to use tajweed in other than the quran like when reading the Hadith of the prophet (salalallahu alaihi wa salam) or other than that?”

He answered: Some of the scholars of tafsir mentioned about the ayah ‘And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from Allah," but it is not from Allah,’ some of the later scholars of tafsir said that it means if people were to recite other than the Quran in the same way they recite the Quran, like if we were to recite the hadith of the messenger as we recite the quran, or recite the speech of the scholars as we recite the quran. So, it is not permissible for anyone to recite other than the quran in the same way we recite the quran, especially as the general people don’t distinguish between the Quran and other than the quran except by the way it’s recited.”

I say that due to the way the Shaykh used this ayah as an evidence to prohibit melodiously reciting the dua, it can be said that when one recites the dua one could think that it is from the Book even when it’s not and even if the reciter didn’t intend any deception. But resembling the kufar’s actions is prohibited even if it isn’t intended just as in the case of praying at the time of sunset being prohibited even if it was voluntary prayer because that is the prayer of the kufar. Doing it is prohibited for us even if the intention is not to worship the sun because resembling something outwardly could lead to resembling it internally.

Four:
Elongating the dua is narrated by An-nisaa’ee with his chain to Ubay bin Ka’b that the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) would make witr with three rakah. He would recite Sabih ism rabbik al-a’laa in the first rakah, qul yaa ayuha al-kaafiroon in the second rakah and qul huwa Allahu ahad in the third rakah. Then he would make qunoot before ruku. Then after finishing he would say subhaan al-malik al-qudoos three times and make the last one longer.
So, saying “make the last one longer” shows that it is elongated and if he elongated anything else then it would be narrated as such. So, we elongate what he elongated and don’t elongate what he didn’t. Like as in what As-Sakhaawee narrated in ‘Al-qawl al-badee’ that Al-Hasan bin Ali (radiyallahu anhu) said, “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) taught me these words in witr……” and he did not order him to make any elongation or recitation of the dua for qunoot, neither did the Messenger do that. And if it was something good, he would of ordered Al-Hasan to do it.

Shaykh-ul-Islaam said “The Messenger (salalallahu alaihi wa salam) leaving something is a Sunnah, just as him doing it is a Sunnah.” I say that leaving melodiously reciting the dua is a sunnah (Sunnah tarkiyyah) and doing it is a bid’ah.

Five:
Shaykh-ul-Islam mentioned that melodiously reciting dua in the prayer or generally is from the Christian’s way and whoever resembles a people is from them. In his fatawa (28-603) he said “Placing melodies in the prayer was not ordered by the messiah, nor his disciples.” I say that it is understood from this that Shaykh-ul-Islaam is forbidding what the Christians did by innovating melodies in their prayer.

Six:
Some of the Ulama mentioned that melodiously reciting the dua is from the way of the Shi’a and they are right. Look at them in hajj and they are all reciting and singing the dua together. Also, when they are next to what they believe to be the graves of the Aal-al-bayt in the baqee. And whoever resembles a people is from them.

Seven:
If you were to ask the one that melodiously recites the dua in qunoot in congregation, ‘if you make dua in the jumah khutbah, or qunoot when you pray alone, or when calamity strikes you, do you recite melodiously or politely without overburdening yourself?’ So if he says to you ‘I don’t (recite it melodiously)’, then say to him ‘what’s the difference?’ For the sharia, as Shaykh-ul-Islam said, has come with similarities, so don’t distinguish between two similar things. Is it not said that that thing done on the minbar is dua, and likewise what is done in the qunoot of Ramadan or qunoot of calamity is dua? So why do you melodiously recite that one and not the other?

And I mentioned this evidence to some of them along with other evidences and they recanted, alhamdulillah, from that overburdening.

So, if he says to you that it makes sense logically for the two to be different, then say that the religion of Allah is not established through logic or experimentation. The religion of Allah is only established through the authentic texts. Imam Malik said, “Whoever innovates a good innovation in Islam according to his opinion then he has claimed that the Prophet betrayed the message. Read the statement of Allah ‘Today I have perfected for you your religion, completed my favor upon you and am pleased for you Islam as your religion’, so whatever was not religion then is not religion now.” Ash-Shaafi’ee said, “Whoever approves something then he has legislated.” And what is better than this is the statement of Allah, “Do they have partners legislating for them in the religion what Allah has not permitted?” And His statement, “Say did Allah permit this for you or do you utter a fabrication upon Allah?”

So the intellect is not a proof in the legislation, neither Is specifying worship and approving them with no textual evidence. Ali (radiyallahu anhu) said, “If this religion was established by opinions then wiping the bottom of the foot would be more appropriate than wiping the bottom.”

Eight:
They say that the Arabs used to melodiously recite and the dua is read in the Arab’s language. So, we say, firstly prove that the Arabs did that, and if this way of reciting was done specifically in dua then it would have been narrated just as it is narrated what the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) did when completing witr. As was mentioned before, that he would say ‘subhaan al-malik al-qudoos’ three times, elongating the last and not elongating what was before it. So, is it legislated for us to elongate all of them due to the Arabs doing that generally?

Nine:
The Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) informed us that a people will transgress the bounds as regards to dua as Abu Dawud narrates with his chain to Abu Na’aama that Abdullah bin Mughaffal heard his son say, “Oh Allah, I ask you for the white palace to the right as you enter Jannah.” So, he said, “Oh my son, ask Allah for Jannah and seek refuge from the fire, for I heard the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) say, ‘There will be in this nation a people will exceed the bounds in purification and dua.’”

The Messenger didn’t inform us how one could transgress the bound in dua, so every way of making dua which isn’t according the Sunnah or as was done by the companions is a transgression. That is because transgressing is overstepping the legislated limits and this is an innovated way so the one that does it has transgressed in dua, especially what we hear from the inventive compositions, going up at times and going down at other times. So how can this not be called transgressing the bounds? For indeed when a text can carry different meanings, then it carries all of the meanings except when something indicates otherwise. So, if you ask about transgressing, is it asking Allah for the impossible? Or giving specific details when being general is possible? As occurs in the sunan that a man said, “Oh Allah I seek refuge in you from the fire, it’s zaqoom (a tree in hell), and it’s chains,” or another who said, “Oh Allah provide with the house or the palace to right of the door of Jannah,” so the Sahaba rebuked them and one of them mentioned the hadith prohibiting transgression in dua. Or is transgression innovating in the way it is done? The answer is that it can take many meanings and is not specified to one meaning at the expense of the others except with an evidence and we have no evidence to specify the meaning. So, every transgression is prohibited from because it is general, encompassing the way it is done and everything else. And Allah knows best.

Ten:
If they say we do it like that in order to soften the hearts and to make the congregation have more khushoo, it is said to them that the people who should be the first to get to this good that you want is the Messenger and his companions. For the Messenger (alaihi-ssalaam) said, “There is no good that draws you close to Allah or distances you from the fire except that I have directed you to it.” So where is his melodious reciting of dua generally and specifically in the qunoot? Likewise, the rightly guided caliphs after him? If he did do it then the ones entrusted with his revelation (his truthful companions) would not have hidden it. The innovation of reciting the talbiya in hajj can be appended to this issue.

Eleven:
Not everyone that does an innovation is an innovator, as mentioned by Shaikh-ul-Islam, on account of some interpretation by the person or relying on a weak hadith that he thinks is authentic or any other excuse if the scholar is known for defending the Sunnah. Refer to his treatise on that (called al-ma’aarij) as it is very beneficial.

Twelve:
Ruling an action that has no basis to be an innovation does not require that an imam preceded with that ruling. This is because innovation, as Al-Alaamah Al-Muhaddith Al-Faqeeh Al-albaani said, is continuously revived. An-Nawawi (rahimahullah) said that wiping over the neck is an innovation and did not mention that anyone preceded him in that.
And it is narrated in the Musnad of Ar-Rawyaanee, “Wiping on the neck is a protection from rancor on the day of judgement.” (narrated with a weak chain), and Shaykh-ul-Islam ibn Taymiya (rahimahullah) said, “Islamic rulings are not built upon weak hadith.” But some people acted upon it wiping over their necks during wudhu but it has not basis.

Thirteen:
So long as it is known that dua is a request directed to Allah, then is it appropriate to melodiously recite that request or is it bad manners with Allah? Would they accept that someone melodiously recite when requesting something from a king of one of the kings of the dunya? So how can they accept that a request is melodiously recited to the King of kings? Indeed, we fear for this person who mimics the Quran in its melodious recitation that his dua is not accepted.

Fourteen:
If the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) or his companions did not do an action then in order to judge it to be an innovation it is not a condition that all the scholars agreed upon that. Nor should someone use their differing as a proof to take the action lightly. Rather if they differ in warning against an innovation then the truth is with those that say it is an innovation until the other party provide an evidence for doing it. This is due to the principle that worship is prohibited (without an evidence). Shaykh-ul-Islam ibn Taymiya said, “If the scholars differ then the statement of one scholar is not proof against the other except with legislative evidence.” And ibn Abdil-Barr said, “No one uses differing as a proof except the ignoramus.” And better than that is the statement of Our Lord, Most High, “And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.” Shafi’ee said, “The ummah since the time of the Messenger of Allah have agreed that whoever has the Sunnah made clear to him then it is not for him to reject it in favor of the statement of anyone, no matter who that is.” And the consensus that he narrated does not differentiate between those Sunnah tarkiya (things that the Messenger left) or ‘amaliya (that which he did). So, the Sunnah tarkiya takes precedence over whoever opposed that from the ulama and ruled (by some interpretation) it to be permissible. For the speech of the scholars needs to be supported by evidence, it is not an evidence in itself.

I heard some of those that ascribe to knowledge allowing an innovation due to the differing of the scholars about it and thus allowed so-called Islamic shows. This statement necessitates also permitting the innovation of the mawlid because some scholars like Al-Sakhaawee permitted it, and a true follower of the salaf would not say that.

Fifteen:
The fact that an innovation is widespread amongst the people does not mean that it has a foundation in the sharia. Allah says, “And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah.” The people are not legislators, only Allah is the Legislator and the time when tacit approval was proof was the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alaihi wa salam) and his companions.

And Allah is Most High and knows best. May the Salutations, Sanctity and Blessings of Allah be upon his Messenger Muhammad and Also upon his family and companions.

Written by Shaykh Mahir bin Thafir Al-Qahtani
Translated by Abu Hafsa Khalid Coutet