What is the ruling regarding the Qunut (supplication) in Witr prayer throughout the year?
Chapter on the Times When Prayer is Prohibited
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
The chosen opinion among our associates, which is also the view of Ibn Mas'ud, Ibrahim, Ishaq, and the Ashab al-Ra'y, is that the single rak'ah of Witr is performed throughout the entire year. This position is supported by the narration from Abu that the Messenger of Allah used to perform Qunut before Ruku' (bowing) in Witr, and from 'Ali regarding the supplication the Prophet used to say at the end of his Witr, indicating its continuous nature. The practice of Abu Ubayy, where he only recited Qunut in the second half of the night prayer for twenty nights when leading people, is taken by some as an indication that Qunut should be reserved for the latter half.
Supporting text
An alternative view, narrated from Ahmad, is that Qunut should only be observed in the latter half of Ramadan. This is also attributed to 'Ali and Abu, and supported by Ibn Sirin, Sa'id ibn Abi al-Hasan, al-Zuhri, Yahya ibn Waththab, Malik, and al-Shafi'i. Qatadah holds that Qunut should be said throughout the entire year except for the first half of Ramadan, based on the cited narration concerning 'Umar. Ibn Umar has a narration stating Qunut is only made in the latter half of Ramadan, and another stating he never made Qunut in prayer at all.