Is Qunut in prayer (raising the hands after Rukoo‘) from the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, or was it exceptional? And does his saying, "The prayer in which there is Qunut is longer," mean that Qunut is an indication of the prayer's superiority?

Qunūt is supplication within prayer at a specific standing posture. It is legislated in the Witr prayer after bowing, according to the correct opinion, and in times of calamity (nawāzil) in the last unit (rakʿah) of every obligatory prayer after rising from bowing until Allah removes the calamity. It has not been authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he singled out the Fajr prayer for Qunūt or made it continuous; rather, he performed Qunūt only during calamities, and this is what the Rightly Guided Caliphs followed.

Among the supplications for Witr Qunūt are: "O Allah, guide me among those whom You have guided..." and "O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath...". It is recommended to invoke blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) at the end of the Witr Qunūt. As for the Qunūt for calamities, one supplicates with what is appropriate for the situation, such as cursing the disbelievers and supplicating for the oppressed. ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) performed Qunūt with the supplication: "O Allah, we seek Your help and believe in You...".

It is permissible to supplicate in Qunūt with formulas other than those reported, as the majority of scholars have affirmed that supplication is not restricted to a specific formula. Regarding the position of Qunūt, most scholars are of the opinion that it is after bowing, though it is also permissible before it. The hadith "The best prayer is the one with prolonged Qunūt" refers to the prolonged standing and not the Qunūt supplication.