❀ Time of Witr Prayer ❀
The Prophet ﷺ Performed Witr at All Times of the Night
Umm al-Mu’minīn ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) said:
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed Witr at the beginning, middle, and the end of the night."
(Muslim, Ṣalāt al-Musāfirīn, Bāb Ṣalāt al-Layl wa ʿAdad Rakʿāt al-Nabī fī al-Layl, 745)
Instruction of the Prophet ﷺ About Witr
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever fears he will not wake up in the last part of the night should pray Witr in the first part, then sleep. Whoever is sure he will wake up should pray it at the end of the night, for the recitation at the end of the night is witnessed by the angels, and it is better."
(Muslim, Ṣalāt al-Musāfirīn, Bāb Man Khāfa An Lā Yaqūm min Ākhir al-Layl, 755)
Advice of Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما)
Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) said:
"Whoever prays at night should make Witr the last of his prayer, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would instruct this."
(Ibn Mājah, Iqāmat al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Mā Jā’a fī al-Witr Awwal al-Layl, 1172)
Witr Timing of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما)
Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh (رضي الله عنه) said:
The Prophet ﷺ asked Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه):
"When do you perform Witr?"
He said: "After ʿIshā’ in the early part of the night."
Then the Prophet ﷺ asked ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه):
"When do you perform Witr?"
He said: "In the last part of the night."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Abū Bakr, you have taken hold of the firm one, and ʿUmar, you have taken the strong one."
(Muslim, 138)
Completing Witr if the Adhān Starts
Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn (رحمه الله) said:
"If one is performing Witr and the adhān begins, he should complete the prayer; there is no harm in doing so."
(Fatāwā Islāmiyyah, 1/449)
If the Time of Witr Passes
Al-Agharr al-Muzanī (رضي الله عنه) reported:
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I woke up in the morning and the time of Witr had passed."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Witr is part of the night prayer."
He repeated his concern, and the Prophet ﷺ replied:
"Pray Witr."
(al-Albānī, al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah, 2172)
❀ Recitation in Tahajjud ❀
Silent and Loud Recitation
The Prophet ﷺ would recite in night prayer:
◈ Sometimes silently (sirran)
◈ Sometimes aloud (jahran)
(al-Tirmidhī, al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Mā Jā’a fī al-Qirā’ah bi-al-Layl, 449; Ibn Mājah, 1334)
Recitation Audible at Home
When the Prophet ﷺ prayed at home, his recitation could be heard from within the chamber.
(Abū Dāwūd, al-Taṭawwuʿ, Bāb Rafʿ al-Ṣawt bi-al-Qirā’ah fī Ṣalāt al-Layl, 1327)
The Recitation of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما)
One night, the Prophet ﷺ went out and saw Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) praying softly, and ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) praying loudly.
He said to Abū Bakr:
"O Abū Bakr, I passed by you and you were reciting softly?"
He replied: "O Messenger of Allah, the One I was conversing with could hear me."
He said to ʿUmar:
"I passed by you and you were reciting loudly?"
He replied: "I wanted to wake up the sleeping and drive away the devil."
The Prophet ﷺ then instructed:
◈ Abū Bakr to raise his voice slightly
◈ ʿUmar to lower his voice slightly
(Abū Dāwūd, 1328 – authenticated by Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Ḥākim, and al-Dhahabī)
