It is established from the Prophet ﷺ that the Witr prayer is one, three, five, seven and nine rak’ahs.
One Rak’ah Witr:
Rabi’ bin Sulayman (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates:
سئل الشافعي عن الوتر: أيجوز أن يوتر الرجل بواحدة ، ليس قبلھا شيء؟ قال: نعم ، والّذي أختار أن أصلّي عشر ركعات ، ثمّ أوتر بواحدة ، فقلت للشافعي: فما الحجة في أن الوتر يجوز بواحدة؟ فقال: الحجة فيه السنّة و الآثار
“Imam al-Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about Witr: Is it permissible for a person to offer a single Witr with nothing prayed before it? He said: Yes, it is permissible. But what I prefer is to pray ten rak’ahs and then offer one Witr. I asked Imam al-Shafi’i: What is the proof that a single Witr is permissible? He said: The proof for it is the Sunnah and the narrations (athar).”
Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that a man asked the Prophet ﷺ about the night prayer, and the Prophet ﷺ said:
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى فإذا خشی أحدكم الصبح صلى ركعة واحدة ، توتر له ما قد صلى
“The night prayer is two by two. Then, when one fears that dawn is approaching, let him pray one rak’ah, which will make all his prayer odd (witr).”
A narration of Sahih Muslim (158/749) has the words:
ويوتر بركعة من آخر الليل
“Offer one Witr at the last part of the night.”
In Sahih Muslim (752, 753), it is narrated from Sayyidina Ibn Umar and Sayyidina Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
الوتر ركعة من آخر الليل
“Witr is one rak’ah at the last part of the night.”
Another narration of Sahih Muslim (159/749) has the words:
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى فإذا رآيت أنّ الصبح يدر كك ، فاوتر بواحدة
“The night prayer is two by two. When you see that dawn is near, offer one Witr.”
Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يصلي باليل إحدى عشرة ركعة ، يوتر منھا بواحدة ، فإذا فرغ منھا اضطجع على شقه الأيمن ، حتى يأتيه المؤذن ، فيصلی ركعتين خفيفتين
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray eleven rak’ahs at night, offering one of them as Witr. When he finished, he would lie down on his right side until the muezzin came to him, and then he would pray two light rak’ahs (the Fajr Sunnah).”
Sayyidina Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:
الوتر حق فمن شاء أوتر بسبع ومن شاء أوتر بخمس ، ومن شاء أوتر بثلاث ومن شاء أوتر بواحدة
“Witr is true. Whoever wishes may offer seven, whoever wishes may offer five, whoever wishes may offer three, and whoever wishes may offer one.”
Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) (2410) and Hafiz Ibn al-Mulaqqin (al-Badr al-Munir: 296/4) have declared this hadith “sahih”.
Imam al-Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it “sahih” according to the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim, and Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) agreed with him.
Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates:
أن النبی صلى الله عليه وسلم أوتر بركعة ۔
“The Prophet ﷺ offered one rak’ah as Witr.”
Sayyidina Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
أوتر بركعة ۔
“He ﷺ prayed one rak’ah as Witr.”
Ibn Abi Mulaykah narrates that Sayyidina Mu’awiya (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed one Witr after Isha. Sayyidina Ibn Abbas’s freedmen were present with him. They came and informed Sayyidina Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), and he said:
دعه فإنه صحب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم .
“Leave him, for he was a companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
In another narration of Sahih al-Bukhari (3765), it is stated that Ibn Abi Mulaykah said: Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) was asked, “What do you say about Amir al-Mu’minin Mu’awiya (may Allah be pleased with him)? He prayed only one rak’ah as Witr?” He said: إنه فقيه . “He is a faqih.”
Ata bin Abi Rabah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates:
أن معاوية أوتر بركعة ، فأنكر ذلك عليه ، فسئل ابن عباس ، فقال: أصاب السنّة .
“Sayyidina Mu’awiya (may Allah be pleased with him) offered one Witr, and this was objected to. Sayyidina Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) was asked, and he said: He acted upon the Sunnah.”
One rak’ah Witr is a Sunnah, and the sign of a faqih is that he holds and practises one rak’ah Witr.
Sayyidina Mu’awiya and Sayyidina Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), two eminent companions, both held and practised one rak’ah Witr.
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Practice of Other Companions
Abu Mijlaz reports that he asked Sayyidina Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them) about Witr, and said: What should I do if I am on a journey? He (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
ركعة من آخر الليل .
“Pray one rak’ah from the last part of the night.”
Abd al-Rahman al-Taymi reports: I thought that tonight no one would surpass me in qiyam al-layl. I got up and heard a man behind me. It was Sayyidina Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). I moved to one side. He (may Allah be pleased with him) went forward, began the Holy Quran and finished it, then bowed and prostrated. I thought: The Shaykh has forgotten. When he (may Allah be pleased with him) had finished the prayer, I submitted: O Commander of the Faithful! You have performed only one rak’ah of Witr. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Yes. This is my Witr.”
Abdullah ibn Maslamah reports that Sayyidina Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in the Isha prayer, then performed one rak’ah in a corner of the mosque. I went behind him and submitted: O Abu Ishaq! What kind of rak’ah is this? He said: وتر ، أنام عليه “This is Witr, after which I go to sleep.” Amr ibn Murrah says that I mentioned this to Mus’ab ibn Sa’d, and he said: Sayyidina Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray one rak’ah of Witr.
Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Tha’labah ibn Sughayr (may Allah be pleased with him), whose face was touched by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the conquest of Makkah, reports that Sayyidina Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him), who took part in Badr with the Prophet ﷺ, used to pray one Witr after the Isha prayer. He would not pray more than that, until the middle of the night when he would stand in prayer.
Nafi (may Allah have mercy on him) reports concerning Sayyidina Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them):
أنه كان يوتر بركعتة
“He (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray one rak’ah of Witr.”
Abu Mijlaz reports that Sayyidina Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed two rak’ahs of the Isha prayer between Makkah and Madinah, then stood up and prayed one rak’ah of Witr.
Jarir ibn Hazim reports:
سألت عطاء: أوتر بركعة؟ فقال: نعم ، إن شئت ۔
“I asked Imam Ata ibn Abi Rabah (may Allah have mercy on him): May I pray one rak’ah of Witr? He said: Yes, if you wish, pray it.”
Ibn Awn reports that I asked Imam Muhammad ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him): If a person slept and morning came, may he pray one rak’ah of Witr after dawn? He said:
لا أعلم به بأسا .
“I do not see any harm in it.”
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One, Three, Five and Seven Witr in the View of the Hanafis
Praying one, three, five and seven rak’ahs of Witr is permissible.
Now we present references from the authoritative books of the muqallidin:
➊ The well-known Hanafi, Abd al-Hayy Lucknawi, writes:
وقد صحّ من جمع من الصحابة أنّهم أوتروا بواحدة ، دون تقدّم نفل قبلها .
“It is established from a group of the Companions that they performed one rak’ah of Witr without first praying any nafl before it.”
➋ Allamah Sindhi al-Hanafi, in his commentary on the hadith of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), writes:
هذا صريح فى جواز الوتر بواحدة .
“This hadith is clear in the permissibility of one Witr.”
➌ Anwar Shah Kashmiri Deobandi writes:
نعم ، ثابت عن بعض الصحابة بلا ريب .
“Yes, it is established without any doubt from some of the Companions that they prayed one Witr.”
➍ Abd al-Shakur Faruqi Lucknawi Deobandi writes:
“This (praying only three Witr) is the position of Imam Sahib. According to him, one rak’ah Witr is not permissible. According to Imam al-Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him), one rak’ah in Witr is also permissible. Numerous sahih hadiths exist on both sides.”
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Warning No. 1:
It is incumbent upon some people to establish, with a sahih chain, the impermissibility of one rak’ah Witr from their Imam.
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Warning No. 2:
The narration that mentions three witr does not negate one or five witr.
➎ Janab Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri Deobandi writes:
The rak’ah of witr is present in the authentic hadiths, and the companions such as Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar and Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, and others among the Companions acknowledged it, as did Imam Malik, Imam al-Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on them. Then to criticize it is to criticize all of them. Tell me, what becomes of faith now?….”
It should be remembered that this book carries a foreword (taqriz) by Janab Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Deobandi.
Many matters are proven from the statement of Saharanpuri Deobandi, and among them is that those who criticize the one-rak’ah witr are without faith.
➏ When some people raised objections to the aforementioned book of Janab Saharanpuri, Hajji Imdadullah “Makki” Deobandi, the imam of the Deobandis’ doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud, wrote in reply:
“Likewise, in the discussion of witr that you wrote, that the objection of the author of ‘Baraheen’ reaches Imam Abu Hanifa and the two companions (Sahibain), this is purely bigotry or foolishness. The author of ‘Baraheen’ refutes the person who generally criticizes those who offer one witr, because among those who offer one witr there are also Companions and imams. When did Imam and the two companions criticize those who offer one witr, and when could they criticize, since on that side too there are great Companions and excellent imams? The author of ‘Anwar Sati’a’, since he generally criticized those who offer one witr, although among them are Companions and imams, has been warned about this and restrained from this impudence.” This text is appended at the end of Baraheen:
➐ A muqallid annotator of this writing states:
“Therefore, the objector’s saying that from the wording of ‘Baraheen’ it appears that the faith of Imam Abu Hanifa and the two companions is also in question, is extreme stupidity and wretchedness, because these scholars never criticized those who offered one witr among the Companions and imams, nor did they write words of contempt concerning these scholars. The author of ‘Anwar Sati’a’ generally wrote improper words about those who offer one witr, so he has been restrained from this impudence and it has been explained that there is no place for faith in contempt for hadith and contempt for the predecessors. If the author of ‘Anwar Sati’a’ says that his intention was not to object to the Companions and imams who hold the single witr, then this excuse is a sin worse than the sin, because in that book he has objected generally to those who offer one witr. The shari ruling is based on the apparent; and then, whether predecessors or successors, in whatever matter they follow the hadith of the Prophet, that act cannot be objected to, nor is contempt for it appropriate; the objection is based on something other than hadith or following. Otherwise it would be necessary that the false sects and people of desires be objected to in those beliefs and deeds in which they agree with the people of truth. Then, when the advocates of one witr are also Companions and Ahl al-Sunnah, what objection can there be to this act?”
➇ In support of Janab Saharanpuri and in refutation of the author of ‘Anwar Sati’a’, the well-known muqallid Janab Mahmud al-Hasan Deobandi writes:
“(Abd al-Samee Rampuri, author of ‘Anwar Sati’a’, has) criticized those who offer one rak’ah of witr in harsh words. Apart from that, the same complaint applies which his predecessors had already made, but against those who offer one rak’ah of witr, concerning whom there are authentic hadiths and there is that opinion of some imams such as Imam al-Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad and others, may Allah have mercy on them all. Tongue-lashing is the share of the author in question alone. It is a separate matter that the Hanafi scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, do not hold this position for other reasons and evidences, but merely on this basis one cannot taunt another.”
➒ Ashraf Ali Thanwi Deobandi says:
“According to some people witr is one rak’ah, according to some it is three, and according to some it is five, and the stated interpretation can apply to all of them; but in my view the excellent method is that it has been reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in all three ways.”
The foreword of this book is by Janab Taqi Usmani Deobandi.
➓ Janab Ashraf Ali Thanwi Deobandi, quoting from his teacher Janab Shaykh Muhammad Thanwi Deobandi, says:
“(The Ahl al-Hadith) chose the one-rak’ah hadith from all the hadiths on witr, although three rak’ahs have also come, five have come, and seven have come.”
Commentary:
It is Janab Thanwi’s slander that the Ahl al-Hadith chose the one-rak’ah hadith, whereas the Ahl al-Hadith do not disapprove of the hadiths on three, five and seven rak’ahs of witr besides the one rak’ah; rather they also affirm and practise them. والحمدلله على ذلك !
⓫ Janab Ahmad Saeed Kazmi Barelvi writes:
“That is, Allamah Kirmani said that the saying of Sayyiduna Qasim bin Muhammad (grandson of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him) ”إنَ كّلا“ means that witr of one rak’ah, three rak’ahs, five rak’ahs and seven and so on are all permissible.”
⓬ Janab Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi Barelvi writes:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to offer witr of one rak’ah, offered three or five, and offered seven; so he offered eleven or thirteen rak’ahs.”
