Dua Qunoot (Witr) — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ، وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

Transliteration: Allāhumma ihdinī 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.

English translation: O Allah, guide me among those You have guided, grant me wellness among those You have granted wellness, 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. You decree and none decrees against You. None whom You befriend is humiliated. Blessed are You, our Lord, and Exalted.

Spiritual context

Hasan ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught me words to say in the Qunut of Witr. The narration is graded Hasan by the compilers. This is the well-known Witr qunoot — distinct from the longer Qunut Nazilah recited at times of calamity.

Word-by-word meaning

• اهْدِنِي — ihdinī: guide me
• فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ — fīman hadayt: among those You have guided
• وَعَافِنِي — wa ‘āfinī: and grant me wellness
• وَتَوَلَّنِي — wa tawallanī: and take me into Your care
• وَبَارِكْ لِي — wa bārik lī: and bless me
• فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ — fīmā a‘ṭayt: in what You have given
• وَقِنِي — wa qinī: and protect me
• شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ — sharra mā qaḍayt: from the evil of what You decreed
• تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ — taqḍī wa lā yuqḍā ‘alayk: You decree and none decrees over You
• لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ — lā yadhillu man wālayt: none You befriend is humiliated
• تَبَارَكْتَ وَتَعَالَيْتَ — tabārakta wa ta‘ālayt: You are blessed and exalted

How to recite

1. Recite in the final rak‘ah of Witr after ruku‘ (or before ruku‘, according to the school you follow).
2. Raise the hands if that is your madhhab’s practice, and say the dua slowly enough to mean every clause.
3. It is a dua, not a surah: learn it word by word so Witr does not become an uncomprehended recitation.

Key benefits

• Asks for the five things people need most: guidance, wellness, Allah’s care, blessing in gifts, and protection from harm in the decree.
• Ends by declaring Allah’s exclusive right to decree — a tawhid of qadr inside the prayer.
• A concise Witr habit that fits after Isha without a long text.

Frequently asked questions