The two Sunnah units are performed exactly like the early morning prayer As for the three Witr units, they are performed just like the sunset prayer with two exceptions: (a) in the third unit the Fatihah is followed by a portion of the Qur’an, and (b) while standing after bowing and before prostration the worshipper says these words:

“Allahumma inna nasta ‘eenuk, wa nastahdeek wa nastaghifiruk, wa natubu ilayk, wa nu’minu bik, wa natawakkalu ‘alayk, wa nuthni ‘alayka-l-Khayra kullah. Nashkurk, wa la nakfruk, wa nakhla’u wa natruku man yafjuruk. Allahumma iyyaka na’ bud, wa laka nusalli wa laka nasjud, wa ilayka nas’ a wa nahfid. Narju rahmatak, wa nakhsha ‘adhabak; inna adhabaka bi-l-Kuffari mulhaq wa salli-l-llahumma ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim.”

This supplication is called Qunut and may be interpreted as follows:

“O God! We beseech You for help and guidance, and seek Your protection and believe in You and rely on You, and extol You and are thankful to You and are not ingrate to You, and we declare ourselves clear of, and forsake, him who disobeys You “O God! To You do we pray and prostrate ourselves, and to You do we betake ourselves and to obey You we are quick, and Your mercy do we hope for and Your punishment do we fear, for Your punishment overtakes the unbelievers “O God! Exalt Muhammad and his people and its true followers.”

If this Qunut cannot be commanded by memory, it sufficient to say any recitation similar to it till it is mastered There are minor differences of interpretation between the various schools of law regarding the wordings and times of qunut. Some require no qunut; others require it in the Early Morning prayer with slight variations.