Explanation of Witr Prayer
This prayer is called Witr because it is always odd-numbered; it is part of Qiyam al-Layl and is performed at its end. For this reason, Qiyam al-Layl is also called Witr.
Importance of Witr Prayer:
❀ The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
الوتر حق على كل مسلم
“Performing Witr is an obligation upon every Muslim.”
❀ And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
إن الله تعالى قد أمدكم بصلاة وهى خير لكم من حمر النعم وهى الوتر
“Allah has helped you with one prayer to gain righteousness, which is better for you than red camels, and that prayer is Witr.”
❀ Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
الوتر ليس بحتم كهيئة المكتوبة لكنه سنة سنها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
“Witr is not obligatory like the obligatory prayers, rather it is a Sunnah established by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.”
❀ Witr should be prayed in both travel and non-travel conditions. Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:
“The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, used to pray voluntary prayers while traveling on a mount; he would gesture towards the direction the mount was facing (for bowing and prostration), but he did not pray obligatory prayers on the mount. He also prayed Witr on the mount.”
Virtue of Witr Prayer:
❀ The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
إن الله وتر يحب الوتر
“Allah Almighty is Witr (One) and He loves the Witr prayer.”
Time for Witr Prayer:
❀ Witr is a part of Qiyam al-Layl, not a part of the Isha prayer as is commonly understood here. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
الوتر جعله الله لكم فيما بين صلاة العشاء إلى أن يطلع الفجر
“Allah has appointed the time for your Witr prayer from Isha until the break of dawn.”
❀ Witr can be performed at any time after Isha until Fajr. Sayyida Aisha (RA) said:
كل الليل أوتر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وانتهى وتره إلى السحر
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed Witr in every part of the night, and at the end, his Witr prayer was near the morning.”
❀ Even if one does not perform Tahajjud, Witr should still be prayed. Sayyida Aisha (RA) said:
“The Prophet ﷺ used to pray Tahajjud and I would be sleeping in front of him on the bed. When he intended to pray Witr, he would wake me up, so I would also pray Witr.”
❀ The best time for Witr prayer is the last part of the night, but if one does not wake up at the last part, it is permissible to pray Witr before sleeping. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من خاف أن لا يقوم من آخر الليل فليوتر أوله ثم ليرقد ومن طمع أن يقوم آخره فليوتر آخر الليل فإن صلاة آخر الليل مشهودة وذلك أفضل
“Whoever does not expect to wake up in the last part of the night should pray Witr in the earlier part and then sleep. Whoever desires to stay up in the last part of the night should pray Witr then, because angels are present at the prayer in the last part of the night, and it is better.”
❀ One who prays Tahajjud should pray Witr at the very end. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
اجعلوا آخر صلاتكم بالليل وترا
“Pray Witr at the end of the Tahajjud prayer.”
❀ If Witr is missed due to some compulsion, it can be prayed before Fajr. Muhammad bin al-Muntashir narrates from his father that Abdullah bin Mas’ud (RA) was asked: “Is it permissible to pray Witr after the Adhan?” He replied: “Yes! And even after Iqamah (i.e., after the congregation), because after Iqamah the (obligatory) prayer is not permissible.”
Prayer after Witr:
❀ If a person prays Witr at night and then sleeps, and wakes up at Tahajjud time in the morning, he can pray two rak’ahs, because it is proven from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to pray two rak’ahs sitting after Witr. Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها says:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray nine rak’ahs (including Witr). Then after giving salam, he would pray two rak’ahs sitting.”
❀ Prayer after Witr is permissible, but it is not permissible to pray Witr again after that. Qais bin Talq says:
“One day in Ramadan, Sayyidna Talq bin Ali رضي الله عنه came to us and broke fast with us, then he led us in Taraweeh and Witr at night, then he went to the mosque and led his companions in Taraweeh. When Witr remained, he made another person lead and said: ‘Make your companions pray Witr, because I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: لا وتران فى ليلة There is no two Witr in one night.'”
Although this narration allows praying more than two rak’ahs after Witr, it is a Mawkuf narration; it is only proven from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to pray two rak’ahs, so it is better to suffice with two rak’ahs.
Number of Witr Rak’ahs:
❀ The number of Witr prayer rak’ahs is established by authentic hadiths, that is, one rak’ah, three rak’ahs, five rak’ahs, seven rak’ahs, and nine rak’ahs. The method of performing them is as follows.
Method of performing one rak’ah:
❀ One way to perform one rak’ah of Witr is to pray one rak’ah and then offer the salam.
❀ Some people are not willing to accept one rak’ah of Witr, while Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked about the night prayer, he (peace be upon him) said:
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى فإذا خشي أحدكم الصبح صلى ركعة واحدة توتر له ما قد صلى
“The night prayer is two by two rak’ahs, then if anyone fears the coming of dawn, he should pray one rak’ah, and that one rak’ah will make his entire prayer odd (Witr).”
Some people raise a strange objection that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to pray Witr along with Tahajjud, so prove Witr without Tahajjud. So Sayyiduna Ibn Abi Mulaika (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed only one rak’ah of Witr after Isha, and Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas’s (may Allah be pleased with them both) servant was also present there. He came to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas and told him about this incident, so he said: Leave him, he is a companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) (and in one narration) and he is a jurist.”
Method of praying three Rak’ahs:
❀ It is prohibited to make the Witr prayer of three Rak’ahs resemble the Maghrib prayer. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
لا توتروا بثلاث ولا تشبهوا بصلاة المغرب
“Do not pray two or three Rak’ahs of Witr and do not resemble the Maghrib prayer.”
❀ The resemblance to Maghrib can be avoided in two ways: one is to pray the three Rak’ahs together without sitting for Tashahhud in between. Sayyida Aisha (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed five Rak’ahs of Witr without sitting for Tashahhud in between.
Therefore, the three Rak’ahs should also be prayed in such a way that there is no sitting for Tashahhud in between.
Pray two Rak’ahs separately and give Salam, then pray one Rak’ah separately. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Pray the night prayer two by two, and when you are about to finish, pray one Rak’ah.”
Method of praying five Rak’ahs of Witr:
❀ In five Rak’ahs of Witr, sit for Tashahhud only in the last Rak’ah and then give Salam; do not sit for Tashahhud in between. Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says:
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to pray five Rak’ahs of Witr, and he would sit for Tashahhud only in the last Rak’ah.”
Method of praying seven Rak’ahs of Witr:
❀ Two methods of praying seven Rak’ahs of Witr have been narrated. Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says:
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to pray seven Rak’ahs of Witr, sitting for Tashahhud only at the end.”
❀ Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) also says:
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to pray seven Rak’ahs of Witr in such a way that he would sit for Tashahhud in the sixth Rak’ah but without giving Salam, he would stand up, then perform the seventh Rak’ah, and then give Salam.”
Method of praying nine Rak’ahs:
❀ Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها says:
“The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم used to pray nine rak’ahs of Witr and would sit for Tashahhud only in the eighth rak’ah, remember Allah, praise Him, and supplicate to Him, then stand up without giving salam, then perform the ninth rak’ah, then sit, remember Allah, praise Him, and supplicate to Him, then give salam.”
Recitation in Witr:
❀ Sayyiduna Abi bin Ka’b رضي الله عنه narrates:
“The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم used to recite Surah Al-A’la in the first rak’ah of Witr, Surah Al-Kafirun in the second rak’ah, and Surah Al-Ikhlas in the third rak’ah.”
When should Qunoot be performed in Witr?
❀ Qunoot in Witr prayer should be performed before Ruku. Sayyiduna Abi bin Ka’b رضي الله عنه states:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يوتر فيقنت قبل الركوع
“The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم used to perform Qunoot in Witr before Ruku.”
Supplications of Qunoot in Witr:
❀ The following supplications are established for Qunoot in Witr:
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
“O Allah! Guide me and include me among those whom You have guided, and grant me well-being and include me among those whom You have granted well-being, and make me Your friend and include me among those whom You have made Your friends, and bless what You have bestowed upon me, and protect me from the evil You have decreed. Indeed, You are the One who decrees, no one can command You, and he is never humiliated whom You befriend, and he never attains honor whom You oppose. O our Lord! You alone are the Source of blessings and the Most High.”
❀ Another supplication:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ وَبِمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ
“O Allah! I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your displeasure, and in Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and I seek refuge with You from You. I cannot fully praise You, You are as You have praised Yourself.”
Our master Abi bin Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) used to send blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the end of the Qunoot supplication.
Supplication after Witr:
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, concluded the Witr prayer with the salam, he would recite these words three times:
سُبْحَانَ الْمَلِكِ الْقُدُّوسِ
“Pure is the King, truly pure.”
The third time, he would recite it a little longer and in a louder voice.
Making up missed Witr:
❀ If Witr is missed at night, it should be prayed later. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
من نام عن وتره أو نسيه فليصله إذا ذكره
“Whoever does not wake up for Witr or forgets to pray Witr, when he remembers, he should definitely pray it.”
❀ If Witr or other prayers are missed at night due to sleep, they should be performed after sunrise. This is also correct. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
من نام عن حزبه أو عن شيء منه فقرأه فيما بين صلاة الفجر وصلاة الظهر كتب له كأنما قرأه من الليل
“Whoever misses any portion of the night prayer or anything else due to sleep, let him pray it between Fajr and Dhuhr prayers, and it will be counted for him as if he performed it during the night.”
❀ If a person misses Tahajjud prayer and prays twelve rak’ahs during the day, this is also permissible. Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
إذا نام من الليل أو مرض صلى من النهار ثنتي عشرة ركعة
“Whenever the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, could not stay awake or was ill, he would pray twelve rak’ahs during the day.”
