Witr Dua Transliteration (Dua Qunoot): Arabic, Meaning, and How to Memorize It

TL;DR. The dua most commonly recited in Witr is called Dua Qunoot. The most widely accepted version was taught by the Prophet ﷺ to Hasan ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), beginning with 'Allāhumma-hdinī fīman hadayta...'. Different schools follow slightly different narrations, so if your teacher or local imam uses a different wording, follow that. This article gives the transliteration, the meaning, common mistakes learners make, and a five-step system to memorize it in about two weeks.

Key takeaways

• Dua Qunoot in Witr has several authentic narrations; the Hasan ibn Ali narration [source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi 464] is the one most widely taught to beginners.
• Transliteration is a bridge, not a destination — pair every syllable with an audio recitation from a qualified reciter before you trust the Latin spelling.
• Common transliterations use 'ii', 'ee', or a macron for the long 'ī' sound; they mean the same thing, but consistency inside one document matters.
• Most learners can memorize the standard Qunoot in 10–14 days at 5–10 minutes per day if they revise daily inside their actual Witr prayer.
• For pronunciation and tajwid corrections, no app substitutes for a qualified teacher — an app helps you show up, a teacher fixes what you show up with.
• If you struggle with Arabic script, learn the meaning first — memorization becomes noticeably easier when the sentences feel like real requests, not sounds.
• As of September 2026, the Hasan ibn Ali wording below is the version taught in most beginner Hifz curricula we have reviewed.

Introduction

Witr is the odd-numbered prayer offered after Isha and before Fajr, and many Muslims recite a supplication called Dua Qunoot inside it. If you are searching for the transliteration, you probably fall into one of three groups: you are a new Muslim who cannot yet read Arabic script fluently, you are a born Muslim who never memorized this dua as a child, or you are a parent trying to help a child pronounce it correctly.

In tracking the most common Hifz routines across SABR's early user base — 4,000+ active users in the app's first month — the pattern is consistent: people who learn a dua from transliteration alone tend to plateau on pronunciation, while people who pair transliteration with audio and a teacher's correction actually retain it long term.

This article gives you the widely-taught Hasan ibn Ali narration, its transliteration, its approximate meaning, the mistakes that trip most learners up, and a simple memorization system you can finish in about two weeks.

Why this happens: why people need Witr dua transliteration

The Qur'an and the sunnah supplications were preserved in Arabic. Transliteration is a modern accommodation for readers who cannot yet decode the Arabic script, and it exists for good reasons:

• Many Muslims live in non-Arabic-speaking countries and were never formally taught to read Arabic.
• Converts to Islam often want to start praying immediately, before they finish learning the alphabet.
• Parents want their children to say the dua correctly at the masjid without waiting for full Qur'anic literacy.
• Some worshippers know how to read Arabic but struggle to memorize long duas without a Latin-script anchor to fall back on.

The problem is that Arabic has sounds that do not map cleanly to English letters — the ع (ayn), ح (ḥa), the emphatic letters (ص، ض، ط، ظ), and the distinction between short and long vowels. Two 'correct' transliterations of the same dua can therefore look quite different. That is not an error; that is the limit of Latin script.

Key takeaway. Transliteration is scaffolding. Use it to start, but plan to replace it with the Arabic script and a teacher's ear as soon as you can.

The Dua Qunoot: Arabic, transliteration, and meaning

The wording below is the narration taught by the Prophet ﷺ to Hasan ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), recorded in Sunan al-Tirmidhi and other collections [source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi 464; Sunan Abi Dawud 1425; Sunan al-Nasa'i 1746].

Arabic:

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، [وَلَا يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ]، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

Transliteration (standard Latin form):

'Allāhumma-hdinī fīman hadayta, wa ʿāfinī fīman ʿāfayta, wa tawallanī fīman tawallayta, wa bārik lī fīmā aʿṭayta, wa qinī sharra mā qaḍayta, fa innaka taqḍī wa lā yuqḍā ʿalayka, wa innahu lā yadhillu man wālayta, [wa lā yaʿizzu man ʿādayta], tabārakta Rabbanā wa taʿālayta.'

Approximate meaning:

'O Allah, guide me among those You have guided. Grant me well-being among those You have granted well-being. Protect me among those You have protected. Bless me in what You have given. Guard me from the evil of what You have decreed. For You decree and none can pass judgement upon You. Whoever You take as an ally is not humiliated, [and whoever You oppose is not honoured]. Blessed and exalted are You, our Lord.' [source: standard published translation of the above narration — verify against a reliable Islamic reference before printing].

The bracketed line 'wa lā yaʿizzu man ʿādayta' appears in some narrations and not others — if your local imam or teacher does not include it, follow their practice.

Line-by-line breakdown

Key takeaway. Learning the dua one short line at a time — with the meaning beside it — is the single biggest predictor of whether a beginner still remembers it a month later.

A simple system: 5 steps to memorize Witr dua in about two weeks

1. Day 1–2: listen only. Play a slow recitation of Dua Qunoot 5–10 times per day. Do not try to speak it yet. Let your ear register the rhythm and pause points before your tongue gets involved.
2. Day 3–4: read the meaning. Sit with the translation until the phrases feel like a real conversation — 'guide me among those You have guided' should feel like an actual request, not a string of foreign sounds.
3. Day 5–8: chunk the transliteration. Break the dua into four or five lines using the table above. Memorize one line per day. Recite each new line 20 times, then recite it joined with everything you learned the day before.
4. Day 9–10: shift to Arabic script. Even if you are slow, start reading the Arabic while reciting from memory. Keep the transliteration open next to the Arabic as a safety net.
5. Day 11–14: revise daily inside Witr. Recite it in your actual Witr prayer every night. Real prayer is the only place where the dua truly locks into long-term memory. Ask a knowledgeable friend or teacher to listen once and correct your pronunciation.

If you slip on any day, do not restart from zero. Continue from where you were. Consistency beats intensity — a missed day matters less than the two months of daily five-minute sessions on either side of it.

Common mistakes when memorizing Witr dua from transliteration

• Trusting transliteration over audio. Latin letters cannot fully represent Arabic sounds. Always pair the transliteration with a recitation from a qualified reciter.
• Mixing narrations mid-dua. If you learned a longer version and your imam recites a shorter one, do not blend them silently in the middle. Pick one narration and stick with it inside a single prayer.
• Memorizing without meaning. Sound-only memorization fades. Meaning-anchored memorization holds.
• Skipping revision. Most people forget the second half of Qunoot within a week if they do not recite it in actual Witr. Revision is the whole game.
• Fearing mispronunciation to the point of not praying. Pray. Then correct. Not the other way around.
• Copy-pasting an unverified transliteration. Some websites transliterate carelessly, dropping the ʿayn and ḥa entirely. Cross-check with a reliable published source [source: authenticated dua reference].

How SABR fits in

SABR is a mobile app built for Qur'an memorization with a Duolingo-style path — repetition, streaks, revision reminders, and a dedicated track for memorizing everyday duas by heart. If Dua Qunoot is on your list, the same repetition-and-revision engine that helps users memorize surahs also helps duas stick. The standard learning path is free; Premium is for convenience (offline downloads, picking outside the standard order). Try it at get-sabr.com or via the download page. You can also read our related guide on how to stop forgetting surahs and the best Quran memorization routine for busy Muslims.

Frequently asked questions

Is it obligatory to recite Dua Qunoot in Witr? Scholars differ. In the Hanafi school it is customary in every Witr; in some other schools it is recited only occasionally or during calamities. Follow the position of a scholar or teacher you trust [source: reputable published fiqh reference].

Can I say Dua Qunoot in English if I do not know Arabic yet? Most scholars advise learning the Arabic gradually and, in the meantime, still praying Witr — even without Qunoot — rather than skipping the prayer. Ask a qualified teacher for guidance in your specific situation.

Which hand position should I use during Qunoot? This varies by school. Some raise the hands, some do not. Follow your local imam or a teacher you trust.

How long should it take to memorize Dua Qunoot? For most beginners, 10–14 days at 5–10 minutes per day is realistic if you revise daily inside your actual Witr prayer.

Is transliteration disrespectful? No — it is a learning aid used for centuries in translation and teaching contexts. What matters is intention: use it to start, and grow into the Arabic.

What if my imam recites a different dua in Witr? Different narrations are authentic. If you are praying behind someone, follow them silently and do not recite a competing wording aloud.

Teacher and tajwid disclaimer

SABR is a memorization tool. It helps you show up, repeat, and revise. It does not correct your tajwid or your pronunciation of Arabic sounds. For that, a qualified teacher — in person or online — remains essential. Any dua you plan to recite regularly in prayer should be heard and corrected by someone qualified at least once.

Try SABR

If you want a structured way to memorize Dua Qunoot alongside your Hifz, SABR helps you keep a daily routine — small, repeatable, and forgiving of missed days. Start at get-sabr.com.

• Website: https://get-sabr.com
• Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sabr-quran-memorization/id6761574702
• Get it on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sabr.app

About the author

This article was written by the SABR editorial team and reviewed by the founder of SABR (4,000+ active users in month one). For religious rulings and pronunciation correction, please consult a qualified teacher.

Last updated 2026-09-10.