المعنى الاصطلاحي :

Despair of the mercy of Allah the Almighty and His favor.

الشرح المختصر :

"Qunoot" (despair) is a blameworthy trait and one of the disbelievers’ characteristics. It contradicts belief in the oneness of the Lord, and features impoliteness with Allah. It is when one loses hope in Allah’s mercy, forgiveness, and graciousness, so he abandons worship and repentance to Allah. One of the forms of "qunoot" is when a slave firmly believes that he is one of the dwellers of Hell, and that Allah will not forgive him. It is the very goal which the devil tries to accomplish to keep man away from seeking forgiveness and repentance. "Qunoot" of Allah’s mercy has three causes: 1. Committing many sins while insisting on them, so one despairs of Allah’s mercy because of his numerous sins. 2. Extreme fear from Allah"s punishment because of sins. 3. Lack of knowledge about Allah, His names, and His attributes. The one who despairs of Allah"s mercy is ignorant about his Lord, and ignorant about what Allah has of expansive mercy, great forgiveness, openhandedness, and generosity. The opposite of "qunoot" is feeling safe from Allah’s plan and punishment, and it has two reasons: 1. Turning away from religion, heedlessness of one"s Lord, and negligence concerning Allah"s rights. 2. Self-admiration and being deceived by one"s deeds, so one depends upon his deeds and forgets about Allah"s favor upon him. One has to adopt a middle course towards Allah between fear and hope. He fears Allah and His punishment, and asks Allah for forgiveness, pardon, and mercy while hoping for His bliss and Paradise. So, one should neither despair of Allah"s mercy, nor think that he is safe from Allah"s plots and punishment.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر :

"Qunoot": hopelessness, extreme despair. Opposite: "rajā"" (hope). Other meanings: giving up hope. It is derived from "qant" which means prevention.