Qunut Nazilah: A Guide to Making Dua for the Oppressed in Times of War | Blog
Qunūt Nazilah is a supplication made during times of war for Allah's help against calamities and oppression.
Published: January 29, 2024 • Updated: August 15, 2024
Author: Sh. Yousef Wahb
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Abū Dāwūd reported from Sahl b. Saʿd that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Supplications (duʿā) at two times are never (or seldomly) turned down, duʿā at the time of the call to prayer and duʿā at the time of fighting, when people are locked in battle.” In another version of the hadith reported by the same companion, “There are two times during which the gates of heaven are opened. Rarely is the duʿā of someone rejected at these times: when the call to prayer sounds and when standing in battle ranks for the cause of Allah.” While obligated to exert every worldly effort to achieve their objectives and advocate for their causes, Muslims also hold deep faith in the spiritual efficacy of duʿā and continual reliance on Allah’s support. This spiritual strength becomes especially evident during moments of conflict and fear. Integral to our belief in the unseen is the concept of the “soldiers of Allah,” a Qur’anic term that repeatedly illustrates the divine assistance provided to believers through angels or various natural phenomena.
O Allah, accomplish for me what You have promised to me. O Allah, fulfill what You have promised! O Allah, if this small band of Muslims is vanquished, Your worship will cease on earth.
O Allah! I ask you for the fulfillment of Your covenant and promise. O Allah! If You will (to destroy the believers), You will never be worshiped after today.
O Allah, this is Quraysh, who have come with their arrogance and pride, opposing and denying Your Messenger. O Allah, grant me the victory You promised. O Allah, make them perish this morning.
On the day of Badr, I engaged in some fighting, then I hurried to see how the Messenger of Allah was doing. I found him in prostration, saying, “O Ever-Living, O Sustainer!” (yā Ḥayy yā Qayyūm) repeating these words and not saying more. I returned to the battle, then came back, and he was still in prostration, saying the same words. I went back to fight, then returned, and he was still saying that. Then Allah granted him victory.
As for the Prophet's intense dedication and his fervor in supplication, he witnessed the angels being steadfast in battle, with Gabriel (Jibrīl) covered in dust on his sides. The ‘allies of Allah’ (anṣār Allah) engaged fearlessly in the face of death. Jihad takes two forms: the physical jihad with the sword and the spiritual jihad through supplication. It is a sunna for the Leader (imam) to be positioned behind the army, not engaging in combat with them. Everyone exerted themselves in dedication, with no one seeking respite from the fervor of the two struggles and jihads. The allies of Allah and His angels were engaged in intense effort, without giving preference to rest. The party of Allah, alongside their adversaries, remained steadfast.
The Legislation of the Duʿā of Calamities in Prayer (Qunūt al-Nawāzil)
Never did I see the Messenger of Allah in so much grief [at the loss of a] small army as I saw him in grief for those 70 men who were called qurrāʾ (and were killed) at the well of Maʿūna; and he invoked curses for a full month upon their murderers.
The Prophet of Allah bowed down (performed rukūʿ) and, upon raising his head, said: “[The tribe of] Ghifār, Allah has forgiven them. [The tribe of] Aslam, Allah has granted them safety. [The tribe of] ʿUsayya, has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger. O Allah, invoke your curse upon the tribes of Liḥyān, Riʿl, and Dhakwan.” Then, he prostrated.
When the Prophet raised his head from the final rakʿah of the Fajr prayer, he said: “O Allah, protect al-Walīd ibn al-Walīd, Salama ibn Hishām, ʿAyyāsh b. Abī Rabīʿa, and those oppressed in Mecca. O Allah, intensify Your grip on [the tribe of] Muḍar, and show them years similar to the years of [Prophet] Joseph (Yūsuf).”
How to Practice Qunūt al-Nawāzil
Some Examples of Duʿā in Qunūt al-Nawāzil:
O Allah, we seek Your assistance and guidance. We ask for Your forgiveness and sincerely repent to You. We firmly believe in You and place our trust entirely in You. We praise You for all the goodness that is inherent to You. We express our gratitude and strive not to be ungrateful for Your blessings. We forsake and distance ourselves from those who reject You.
O Allah, You alone do we worship, and to You we pray and prostrate. We dedicate our efforts to You, striving in Your worship. We earnestly hope for Your mercy while being fearful of Your punishment, Certainly Your punishment befalls the disbelievers.
O Allah, protect us, show us mercy, grant us victory, alleviate our distress, and the distress of all Muslims. Shield us and all Muslims from the evils of the calamities in this worldly and religious affairs. Guide us to rectitude, and guide those whose rectification brings goodness to Muslims. Spare us from destruction, and let those whose removal brings benefit to the Muslims face it. O Allah, shower us with Your mercy, gentleness, well-being, and blessings, and do not deprive us of Your favors.
O Allah, lift and turn away from us and from the Muslims harm, calamities, oppression, injustice, and all kinds of afflictions, diseases, deviations, misguidance, and ignorance, whether apparent or hidden. O Allah, save the weak, the distressed, and the oppressed among the Muslims. Provide for them, protect them, support them, care for them, guide them, and grant them success in what You love and are pleased with.
O Allah, Grant us and them success in what is ordained, and divert from us and them the evil of tyrants, oppressors, corruptors, and those who aid and abet them. O Allah, act quickly, without delay, in well-being and safety through Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.