Question Summary:
Ahādīth for Dua Qunūt

Question Detail:

As salamu alaykum,
It was narrated that ‘Umar prayed Qunoot with the following words:
“Allaahumma inna nasta’eenuka wa nu’minu bika, wa natawakkalu ‘alayka wa nuthni ‘alayka al-khayr, wa laa nakfuruka. Allaahumma iyyaaka na’budu wa laka nusalli wa nasjudu, wa ilayka nas’aa wa nahfid. Narju rahmataka wa nakhsha ‘adhaabaka, inna ‘adhaabaka al-jadd bil kuffaari mulhaq. Allaahumma ‘adhdhib il-kafarata ahl al-kitaab alladheena yasuddoona ‘an sabeelika
(O Allaah, verily we seek Your help, we believe in You, we put our trust in You and we praise You and we are not ungrateful to You. O Allaah, You alone we worship and to You we pray and prostrate, for Your sake we strive. We hope for Your mercy and fear Your punishment, for Your punishment will certainly reach the disbelievers.  O Allaah, punish the infidels of the People of the Book who are preventing others from following Your way).” 
(Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, 2/210; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Irwa’, 2/170.)
The Hanafis read the duaas that starts as ''Allahumma inna nastainuka...Allahumma iyyaka na'budu...'' in the Witr.
But Shaykh al-Albaani said: This was reported from ‘Umar concerning Qunoot in Fajr, and it seems that this Qunoot is Qunoot al-Naazilah (Qunoot at times of calamity) as is indicated by his praying against the kuffaar). 
 
So is there any narration or athar from the sahaba that the duaas ''Allahumma inna nastainuka...Allahumma iyyaka na'budu...'' were read in the Witr ?
 
The only narration i found where it is explicitly mentioned what we should read in Witr is:
al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught me some words to say in qunoot al-witr: 
“Allaahumma ihdini feeman hadayta wa ‘aafini feeman ‘aafayta wa tawallani feeman tawallayta wa baarik li feema a’tayta, wa qini sharra ma qadayta , fa innaka taqdi wa la yuqda ‘alayk, wa innahu laa yadhillu man waalayta wa laa ya’izzu man ‘aadayta, tabaarakta Rabbana wa ta’aalayta la manja minka illa ilayk
(O Allaah, guide me among those whom You have guided, pardon me among those whom You have pardoned, turn to me in friendship among those on whom You have turned in friendship, and bless me in what You have bestowed, and save me from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can influence You; and he is not humiliated whom You have befriended, nor is he honoured who is Your enemy. Blessed are You, O Lord, and Exalted. There is no place of safety from You except with You).” 
(Narrated by Abu Dawood 1425, al-Tirmidhi 464, and al-Nasaa'i 1746)
al-Nasaa'i has the following addition at the end of this Qunut: “وصلى الله على النبي محمد”.
The last phrase – Laa manja minka illa ilayka (There is no place of safety from You except with You) – was narrated by Ibn Mandah in al-Tawheed and classed as hasan by al-Albaani. 
 
Was salaam.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The following Duā (with slight variations in the wordings) has been preferred by the Jurists to be recited in the Qunūt of Witr Salāh as this was the Duā taught by Ibn Masūd Radhiyallāhu Anhū to his companions:[1]  
اللهم إنّا نستعينك، ونستغفرك، ونؤمن بك، ونتوكل عليك، ونُثْنِي عليك الخيرَ، نشكرك ولا نكفرك، ونَخْلَعُ ونترك من يَفْجُرُكَ، اللهم إياك نعبد، ولك نصلّي ونسجد، وإليك نسعى ونَحْفِد، نرجو رحمتك. ونخشى عذابك، إن عذابك بالكفار مُلْحِق
Regarding this Duā, Allāmah Kāsānī Rahimahullāh writes in Badāi’ al-Sanāi’ that the Sahābah Radhiyallāhu Anhum agreed that this Duā is to be recited in the Qunūt. [2]   
Imām Ibn Abī Shaybah Rahimahullāh in his Musannaf mentions on the authority of Abī Abdir Rahmān Rahimahullāh that Abdullāh bin Masūd Radhiyallāhu Anhu taught them to recite the following Dua in Qunūt:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَعِينُكَ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُكَ، وَنُثْنِي عَلَيْكَ الْخَيْرَ، وَلَا نَكْفُرُكَ وَنَخْلَعُ وَنَتْرُكُ مَنْ يَفْجُرُكَ، اللَّهُمَّ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ، وَلَكَ نُصَلِّي، وَنَسْجُدُ، وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعَى وَنَحْفِدُ، َنَرْجُو رَحْمَتَكَ، وَنَخْشَى عَذَابَكَ، إِنَّ عَذَابَكَ الْجِدَّ بِالْكُفَّارِ مُلْحِقٌ
Imām Ibn Abī Shaybah Rahimahullāh brought this narration under the heading, “Chapter regarding the Duas to be recited in the Qunūt of Witr”: [3]
In the Musannaf of Abdur Razzāq, there is a narration in which this Duā has been mentioned to be recited in the Qunūt of Fajr (at times of calamities) and the Qunūt of Witr. [4]
Nevertheless, in Ahādīth various Duās are mentioned that used to be recited in Qunūt by Sahābah Radhiyallāhu Anhum.  In Sharīah, there is no hard and fast rule that the validity of Qunūt is dependent upon the recitation of one particular Duā. Hence, based on the leniency depicted in Ahādīth, according to the Hanafī school of thought, it is permissible to recite another Duā instead of the Duā stated above.  Allāmah Kāsānī Rahimahullāh states in Badāi’ al-Sanāi’:
فَالْأَوْلَى أَنْ يَقْرَأَهُ وَلَوْ قَرَأَ غَيْرَهُ جَازَ     
It is preferred to recite (the above-mentioned Duā).  However if one recites another Duā in its place, it is permissible.
 
Furthermore, according to the Hanafi school of thought, it is praiseworthy to recite the aforementioned Duā together with the Duā Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam taught to his grandson Hasan Radhiyallāhu Anhū. [5] Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam instructed him to recite this Duā in the Qunūt of Witr. The Duā is as follows:
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ، وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
 
Also, in a narration of Sunan al-Nasaī, salutation and Durūd on Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam has been reported to be recited in the Qunūt of Witr. [6]  Hence, based on this narration, the Hanafī Jurists have written that one should also recite Durūd in the Qunūt of Witr. [7]
In conclusion, according to the Hanafī Madhab, there is no specific Duā upon which the validity of Witr depends.  However, in order to follow the Sunnah and Ahādīth perfectly, the Hanafī Jurists have recommended the recitation of the two Duās that have been mentioned in Hadīth as well as Durūd Sharīf which has been mentioned in a narration of Sunan al-Nasaī.
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mawlana Abdul Azīm bin Abdur Rahman,
Student Darul Iftaa-Takhassus Fil Hadīth
U.S.A.
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.