Fiqh-us-Sunnah - 2.16

Hadith 2.16.1

How to perform the Qunut

It is permissible to make the qunut before going into ruku' (bowing), or lt may be recited when one stands up straight after the ruku'. Humaid says: "I asked Anas: 'Is the qunut before or after the ruku'?' He said: 'We would do it before or after.'" This was related by Ibn Majah and Muhammad ibn Nasr. In Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar comments that its chain is faultless.
If one makes the qunut before the ruku', one should make the takbir and raise one's hands after the recital, and similarly make another takbir after the qunut, and then bow. This has been related from some companions. Some scholars hold that it is preferable to raise one's hands in supplication during the qunut, while others disagree.
As to wiping face with hands after the qunut, al-Baihaqi writes: "It is preferred not to do so and to confine one's self to what the early generations did. They raised their hands but did not wipe their faces during the prayer."