Nasai

1422. Commentary: In the aforementioned narrations, the number of rak‘ahs (units) for witr mentioned are one, three, and five, while in Sahih Muslim, Sunan Ibn Majah, and Sunan al-Nasa’i, there is also mention of seven, nine, and eleven rak‘ahs. For details, see [صحيح مسلم، صلاة المسافرين، حديث: 736-737-738 وسنن النسائي، قيام الليل، حديث: 1697-1698 -1705-1707-1710 وسنن ابن ماجه، إقامة الصلوات، حديث: 1190-1191-1192]
Among us, most people perform three witr, and that too in a manner contrary to the Sunnah, and they do not consider a single rak‘ah of witr to be correct, nor do they think well of someone who performs one witr, even though a single rak‘ah of witr is established from the hadith of the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). The correct method of performing three witr is to perform two rak‘ahs, say the salam, and then perform one rak‘ah of witr separately. See [سنن ابن ماجة، حدیث: 1177]
However, it is also permissible to perform them with one salam without sitting for tashahhud in between. Sitting for tashahhud in between makes it resemble the Maghrib prayer, and the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade resembling the Maghrib prayer. See: [سنن الدار قطني: 2؍27،25 وصحیح ابن حبان، حدیث:280]

Benefits and Issues:
“Witr is obligatory; whoever wishes may pray seven, whoever wishes may pray five, whoever wishes may pray three, and whoever wishes may pray one.” [سنن ابي داؤد 1422، سنن النسائي: 1711، سنن ابن ماجه: 1190، وسندہ صحيح]
Imam Ibn Hibban rahimahullah (2410) and Hafiz Ibn al-Mulaqqin (al-Badr al-Munir: 4/296) have declared this hadith to be “authentic.”
Imam Hakim rahimahullah has declared it “authentic” according to the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim, and Hafiz Dhahabi rahimahullah has agreed with him.
Sayyidah Aishah radi Allahu anha narrates:
«أن النبی صلى الله عليه وسلم أوتر بركعة۔»
“The Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam performed one rak‘ah of witr.” [سنن الدارقطني: 1656، وسندہ صحيحٌ]
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma reports regarding the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:
«أوتر بركعة۔»
“He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam prayed one rak‘ah of witr.” [صحيح ابن حبان: 2424۔ وسنده صحيحٌ]

One, three, five, and seven witr according to the Hanafis
It is permissible to pray one, three, five, or seven rak‘ahs of witr.
Now we present references from the authoritative books of the followers (muqallideen):

➊ The famous Hanafi, Janab Abdul Hayy Lakhnawi writes:
«وقد صحّ من جمع من الصحابة أنّهم أوتروا بواحدة، دون تقدّم نفل قبلها .»
“It is established from a group of the noble Companions that they performed one rak‘ah of witr without offering any supererogatory (nafl) prayers before it.” [التعليق الممجد للكنوي: 508/1]

➋ Allamah Sindhi Hanafi, in his commentary on the hadith of Sayyidah Aishah radi Allahu anha, writes:
«هذا صريح فى جواز الوتر بواحدة .»
“This hadith is clear regarding the permissibility of one witr.” [حاشية السندي على النسائي: 30/2]

It is correct to perform one rak‘ah of witr, and it is also correct to perform three rak‘ahs of witr.

See: [سنن ابي داود 1422 سنن النسائي 1712 اور هدية المسلمين ص62 ح26]

Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari radi Allahu anhu said: Whoever wishes to perform three witr, let him perform three, and whoever wishes to perform one witr, let him perform one witr. [سنن النسائي 238/3۔ 239 ح1713، وسنده صحيح]

The method of performing three rak‘ahs of witr is that two rak‘ahs are performed, then the salam is said, and then one witr is performed. See: [صحيح مسلم ج1 ص254 ح738، صحيح ابن حبان، الاحسان: 2426 اور هدية المسلمين ص62، 63]

In one narration it is mentioned: “The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to perform three rak‘ahs of witr and would only say the salam after the last rak‘ah.” etc. [المستدرك للحاكم ج1 ص304 ح1140]

The chain of this narration is weak due to the tadlis (‘an‘anah) of Qatadah, who is a mudallis.

While criticizing a narrator, Master Amin Okaraawi said:

“Firstly, this chain is severely weak because in the chain Sa‘id ibn Abi ‘Arubah is mukhtalit (mixed up in memory) and Qatadah is a mudallis.” [جزء رفع اليدين كا ترجمه و تشريح ص289 ح29 تا 31]

In al-Mustadrak [304/1 ح1139], in the supporting narration, both Sa‘id ibn Abi ‘Arubah and Qatadah are present, and both have narrated with «عن».

Therefore, this supporting narration is also rejected.

To say that “one rak‘ah of witr is not established from any hadith” is also a complete falsehood.

Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri Deobandi has written: “One rak‘ah of witr is present in the authentic hadith collections, and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu and Ibn ‘Abbas radi Allahu anhum and other Companions radi Allahu anhum have prescribed it, and Malik rahimahullah, Shafi‘i rahimahullah, and Ahmad rahimahullah held this view, so to criticize this is to criticize all of them—then what remains of faith?” [براهين قاطعه ص7]

For details, see Hadiyyat al-Muslimeen (H26)

… Original article …

Fatawa ‘Ilmiyyah (Tawdih al-Ahkam) vol. 2, p. 77

Benefits and Issues:
➊ Some scholars have deduced the obligation (wujub) of witr from the phrase (al-witr haqq), even though this very word has also been used regarding the ritual bath (ghusl) for Jumu‘ah. However, it is not considered obligatory (wajib) in that context. Nevertheless, on the basis of this hadith, witr can certainly be regarded as an emphasized Sunnah (sunnah mu’akkadah).

➋ It is permissible to perform five witr with one salutation (salam), and also three witr.

➌ If one intends to perform three witr, then after praying two rak‘ahs, one should say the salutation (salam), and then pray one witr. This is the best method for performing three witr. Alternatively, three rak‘ahs may be prayed with one salutation, in which case the tashahhud is not recited after the second rak‘ah.

Takhrij:
«أخرجه أبوداود، الصلاة، باب كم الوتر؟، حديث:1422، والنسائي، قيام الليل، حديث:1711، وابن ماجه، إقامة الصلوات، حديث:1190، وابن حبان (الموارد)، حديث:670.* المرفوع والموقوف، صحيحان كلاهما، ولم أرلمضعفه حجة.»©Explanation:
➊ Is witr obligatory (wajib) or Sunnah? There is a difference of opinion among the Imams on this matter.
Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah considers it obligatory (wajib), but the majority of scholars consider it Sunnah.
The words “Performing witr is a right” do not indicate obligation, but they certainly indicate its importance.

➋ In another hadith as well: «اَلْوِتْرُ حَقٌّ فَمَنْ لَّمْ یُوتِرْ فَلَیْسَ مِنَّا» “Witr is indeed a right; whoever does not perform witr is not from among us.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Witr, Chapter: Regarding one who does not perform witr, Hadith: 1419; and Musnad Ahmad: 5/357) Some researchers have graded this hadith as hasan li-ghayrihi (sound due to corroborating evidence).
See: (Al-Mawsu‘ah al-Hadithiyyah, Musnad al-Imam Ahmad: 38/127, 128) In this hadith as well, the emphasis on performing witr is mentioned, but not its obligation.
This is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam performed witr both while traveling and at home, and even on his mount.
See: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Witr, Chapter: Witr on a mount, and Chapter: Witr while traveling, Hadith: 999, 1000) And performing it on a mount is evidence that witr is not obligatory.

➌ It is also understood from this hadith that one, three, or five rak‘ahs of witr are all valid.
The practice of the Hanafis of restricting witr to only three rak‘ahs is not correct based on authentic and explicit narrations.