what has befallen the Muslims from this disbeliever, meaning Babak (41). Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad being asked about Qunut in the Fajr prayer? He said: If he performs Qunut for known days, then leaves it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) did—if he were to perform Qunut against the Khurramiyyah, if he were to perform Qunut against the Romans (43). The Khurramiyyah are the followers of Babak. Abu Hanifah and al-Thawri also held this view, and that is due to what we have mentioned: that the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) performed Qunut for a month, supplicating against a tribe of the Arab tribes, then left it; and that Ali performed Qunut and said: "We are only seeking help against this enemy of ours." Individual people should not perform Qunut. He says in his Qunut something similar to what the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and his companions said (44). It was narrated from Umar, may God be pleased with him, that he used to say in the Qunut: "O God, forgive the believing men and believing women, the Muslim men and Muslim women, reconcile their hearts, rectify their mutual affairs, and grant them victory over Your enemy and theirs. O God, curse the disbelievers of the People of the Book who belie Your messengers and fight Your allies. O God, cause division among them, shake their foundations, and bring upon them Your punishment which is not averted from the criminal people. In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O God, we seek Your help (45)." One should not perform Qunut in any of the obligatory prayers other than the Subh (morning) prayer. Abd Allah narrated from his father: Everything established from the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) regarding Qunut is only in the Fajr prayer. He does not perform Qunut in the prayer except in the Witr and the morning prayer, when he is seeking help and supplicating for the Muslims. Abu al-Khattab said: He performs Qunut in the Fajr and Maghrib prayers because they are both audible prayers at the two ends of the day. It has been said: He performs Qunut in all audible prayers, by analogy
(41) The onset of the affair of Babak al-Khurrami was in the year 201 AH, by rebelling against the Abbasid State. He claimed that the spirit of Javidan ibn Sahl entered him and he began to commit transgression and corruption. The interpretation of 'Javidan' is the eternal, everlasting one. The meaning of 'Khurram' is pleasure, which are the doctrines of the Magians; a man among them would marry his mother, sister, and daughter, which is why they call it the religion of pleasure. They believe in the doctrine of transmigration, that souls are transferred from one animal to another. The matter of Babak ended with him killing himself after Afshin defeated him. Al-Kamil 6/328, 510, 515. See the index of names in al-Kamil. (42) In [A] and [M]: "or". (43) In [A] and [M]: "al-Dawam" which is a distortion. (44) Omitted from the original. (45) Recorded by al-Bayhaqi, in: The Chapter on the Supplication of Qunut, from the Book of Prayer. Al-Sunan al-Kubra 2/210, 211.
