Is it permissible to read the Qunut supplication from a book during prayer when one is unable to memorize it?
It is permissible to read Du'a al-Qunut from a paper or a booklet during the Witr prayer, and then the Muslim can supplicate from memory. There is no objection to reading the Qur'an from the Mushaf during the Tarawih prayer, because Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) instructed her freed slave Dhakwan to lead her in prayer during Ramadan, and he used to read from the Mushaf. Du'a al-Qunut does not have to be recited with specific wording; rather, the worshipper may supplicate with any supplication, or add to it, or recite verses from the Holy Qur'an that include supplication. However, reciting the Qur'an instead of Du'a al-Qunut is not appropriate, because the purpose of Qunut is supplication. Qunut is a Sunnah, not an obligation, so if the worshipper omits it, their prayer remains valid.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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