Which Prayer Could One Recite for Qunut?

Question

Is there another prayer that can be read in place of Qunut Nazila according to the Shafi’i School if one does not know or is still learning it?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

May Allah alleviate our difficulties and guide us to that which is pleasing to Him. Amin.

Please note that the recitation of the Qunut prayer in the second unit of the Fajr prayer is an emphasized Sunna (not obligatory) in the Shafi‘i School. This is a regular Qunut and not a Qunut Nazlia (Affliction Prayer), which may be recited in the last unit of any Prayer when an affliction affects the Muslims. [Nawawi, Majmu‘]

If one has not learned any Qunut prayers reported in the Sunna, one may recite any valid words or even omit the prayer. However, one should preferably not skip this prayer because it is considered an essential element (emphasized sunna) of the Fajr prayer in the Shafi‘I School, and Allah knows best. [ibid.]

The Wording of the Qunut Prayer

There are different traditions (hadiths) that cite the Qunut supplication. Accordingly, words and phrases can sometimes differ depending on what you rely on. The words of this supplication are not fixed to only one set of words. They may be accomplished by pronouncing any supplication and praise or Quranic verse containing a supplication, such as the last verses of al-Baqara (Quran, 2:285-86). [Misri, ‘Umdat Al-Salik]

So that you know, the wording has been provided in the attached articles.

Please also see the following:
What is the Preferred Method to Recite the Qunut Supplication?
Supplication During Qunut
What is The Minimum Amount That Can Be Recited in Qunut?
Could You Teach Me the Qunut Supplication for the Witr Prayer?
What Can We Learn From the Supplication of the Witr Prayer Regarding Our Relations With Non-Muslims?

And Allah Most High knows best.

I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.