The Number of Witr Rak‘āt in Light of Authentic Aḥādīth
Excerpt taken from: Abū ʿAdnān Muḥammad Munīr Qamar Nawāb ad-Dīn’s book: “Namāz Panjgānah kī Rakʿatein Maʿa Namāz Witr wa Tahajjud”
① Legitimacy of One Rakʿah Witr
- From Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, and Sunan Arbaʿah:
A man asked the Prophet ﷺ about the night prayer. The Prophet ﷺ said:
«صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى فإذا خفت الصبح فأوتر بواحدة»
“The night prayer is two by two, and when you fear the coming of dawn, pray one rakʿah Witr.”
(Al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Mishkāt 1/394)
- In Abū Dāwūd, Nasā’ī, and Ibn Mājah:
«ومن أحب أن يوتر بواحدة فليفعل»
“Whoever wishes to pray only one Witr may do so.”
(Mishkāt 1/396, Nayl al-Awṭār 2/29–30)
- In Muslim and Musnad Aḥmad:
«الوتر ركعة من آخر الليل»
“Witr is one rakʿah at the end of the night.”
(Nayl al-Awṭār 2/33)
- Many Ṣaḥābah practiced one rakʿah Witr, including ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Muʿādh ibn Jabal, Abū’d-Dardā’, Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, Ibn ʿAbbās, and Muʿāwiyah (رضي الله عنهم).
- Imām ash-Shawkānī mentions that the majority of scholars accept one rakʿah Witr as valid. Among them: Imām Aḥmad, Mālik, Shāfiʿī, Awzāʿī, Isḥāq ibn Rāhwayh, Abū Thawr, Dāwūd, and Ibn Ḥazm.
(Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī 2/555–558)
② Three Rakʿah Witr
- From ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
«ثم يصلي ثلاثا»
“Then he ﷺ prayed three (rakʿāt Witr).”
(Al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī 3/549) - From Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما):
«ثم أوتر بثلاث»
“Then he ﷺ prayed three rakʿāt Witr.”
(Muslim, Tirmidhī, Nasā’ī, Ibn Mājah) - The Prophet ﷺ also said:
«ومن أحب أن يوتر بثلاث فليفعل»
“Whoever wishes to pray three rakʿāt Witr may do so.”
(Mishkāt 1/396, Nayl al-Awṭār 2/29–30)
③ Five Rakʿah Witr
- From ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
The Prophet ﷺ would pray thirteen rakʿāt at night, of which five were Witr, and he would only sit for tashahhud in the last rakʿah.
(Al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Nayl al-Awṭār 2/46)
④ Seven Rakʿah Witr
- From ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
«وكان رسول الله ﷺ يوتر بسبع وخمس لا يفصل بينهن بسلام ولا كلام»
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sometimes prayed seven, and sometimes five rakʿāt of Witr, without separating them with salām or speech.”
(Nasā’ī, Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Mājah, Nayl al-Awṭār 2/36)
⑤ Nine Rakʿah Witr
- From ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
The Prophet ﷺ prayed nine rakʿāt, sitting only in the eighth and ninth for tashahhud, then ending with salām.
(Nayl al-Awṭār 4/271, Sharḥ as-Sunnah 14/180)
⑥ Eleven Rakʿah Witr
- The most frequent practice of the Prophet ﷺ was eleven rakʿāt at night, including Witr.
(Bukhārī, Muslim, Fatḥ al-Bārī 2/80) - Imām at-Tirmidhī records: The Prophet ﷺ was reported to have prayed Witr as one, three, five, seven, nine, eleven, and thirteen rakʿāt.
(at-Tirmidhī, al-Mustadrak of al-Ḥākim 1/306)
Conclusion
✔ One rakʿah Witr is authentically proven and valid.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ prayed one, three, five, seven, nine, and eleven rakʿāt at different times.
✔ The most common practice was eleven rakʿāt including Witr.
✔ A Muslim may choose any of these forms according to ease and ability.
