The Ruling on Witr Prayer: Sunnah Mu’akkadah
Excerpt taken from: Ṣalāh Panjgānah with Rakʿāt of Witr and Tahajjud by Abū ʿAdnān Muḥammad Munīr Qamar Nawāb al-Dīn
◈ Those Who Consider Witr Wājib and Their Evidences
Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (RA) considered Witr to be wājib, basing his opinion on narrations that highlight the virtues of Witr.
For example, the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Allah has helped you with a prayer which is Witr, and it is better for you than red camels."
(al-Albānī graded the ḥadīth authentic except for these additional words. See al-Irwāʾ 2/156)
However, this narration speaks of virtue, not obligation. If virtue alone established obligation, then the Sunnah of Fajr would have to be considered wājib, since the Prophet ﷺ declared it “better than the world and all it contains” (Bukhārī & Muslim). And since the world in its entirety is greater than red camels, yet despite this great virtue, the Sunnah of Fajr is still only regarded as Sunnah Mu’akkadah, not wājib.
Similarly, another narration states:
«الوتر واجب على كل مسلم»
"Witr is wājib upon every Muslim."
(al-Bazzār, cited in al-Nayl 2/30/3)
But this ḥadīth contains Jābir al-Juʿfī, who is weak according to the majority of scholars. Even if taken as authentic, a problem arises: the Prophet ﷺ also said regarding Jumuʿah bath:
«غسل يوم الجمعة واجب على كل محتلم»
"The Friday bath is wājib upon every adult."
(Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, Nasā’ī)
Yet, the consensus of scholars, past and present, is that Friday bath is mustaḥabb, not wājib.
(See al-Nayl 1/231/8)
Thus, the explicit wording "wājib" is often understood to mean emphasis and encouragement rather than legal obligation. Imām al-Shawkānī detailed this principle in Nayl al-Awṭār.
The same reasoning applies to narrations such as:
«الوتر حق»
"Witr is a right."
This wording also appears in relation to Friday bath, yet it is agreed not to be wājib. Imām al-Baghawī explained in Sharḥ al-Sunnah (4/103) that here “ḥaqq” means encouragement and exhortation, not obligation.
Therefore, while some narrations use terms suggestive of obligation, context and supporting evidence turn them towards Sunnah Mu’akkadah. This view is further strengthened by the fact that even Imām Abū Ḥanīfah’s foremost students — Imām Abū Yūsuf and Imām Muḥammad — held Witr to be Sunnah Mu’akkadah. Ibn Ḥajar recorded this in Fatḥ al-Bārī (2/489), quoting Shaykh Abū Ḥāmid. The same stance is also documented in the Ḥanafī reference al-Hidāyah.
◈ Those Who Do Not Consider Witr Wājib and Their Evidences
The majority of scholars — the three Imāms (Mālik, Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad) and the jumhūr — hold that Witr is not wājib, but Sunnah Mu’akkadah.
Their reasoning includes:
✔ Most ḥadīths that apparently indicate obligation are weak in chain. (al-Shawkānī quoting al-ʿIrāqī, Nayl 3/2/31)
✔ Even the sound narrations do not conclusively prove obligation.
✔ Several authentic ḥadīths explicitly indicate non-obligation.
For instance:
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Witr is not like your obligatory prayers; rather, it is the Sunnah of your Prophet ﷺ.”
- In another narration, he ﷺ grouped Qurbānī, Witr, and Sunnah of Fajr together as Tatawwuʿ (voluntary prayers).
Also, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (RA) narrated:
«إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أوتر على بعيره»
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed Witr on his riding animal."
(Bukhārī with Fatḥ al-Bārī 2/389; al-Nayl 2/29/3)
The Prophet ﷺ never performed any obligatory prayer on a riding animal, so this shows Witr is not obligatory.
Furthermore, in Bukhārī and Muslim, when an Arab asked the Prophet ﷺ if there were any obligatory prayers besides the five daily prayers, the Prophet ﷺ replied:
«ولا إلا أن تطوع»
"No, except if you offer voluntary prayers."
Abū Dāwūd, Nasā’ī, Ibn Mājah, Dāraqutnī, Muwaṭṭaʾ Imām Mālik, and Musnad Aḥmad narrate from ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit (RA) that the Prophet ﷺ explicitly stated Witr is not wājib but Sunnah Mu’akkadah (Tatawwuʿ).
◈ Important Note on Terminology
According to the Ḥanafī school, Farḍ and Wājib are two distinct categories:
- Farḍ: proven by definitive evidence (qaṭʿī).
- Wājib: proven by strong but non-definitive evidence (ẓannī).
Thus, Wājib is ranked below Farḍ but above Sunnah Mu’akkadah.
However, among the other scholars, Farḍ and Wājib are synonymous, with no distinction. Hence, proving this distinction itself requires evidence. Ibn Ḥajar alluded to this when he commented:
«وهذا يتوقف على أن ابن عمر كان يفرق بين الفرض والواجب»
"This depends on whether Ibn ʿUmar distinguished between Farḍ and Wājib."
(Fatḥ al-Bārī 2/489)
Conclusion:According to jumhūr scholars and majority evidence, Witr is Sunnah Mu’akkadah, not wājib, though it carries immense importance and should not be neglected.
"ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب"
