Prayed Witr After ʿIshā’? Here’s What to Do If You Wake for Tahajjud

What Should One Do in Tahajjud After Having Prayed Witr After ʿIshā’? ◈
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri

❖ Question:​

If someone has already prayed Witr after ʿIshā’, but then wishes to pray Tahajjud in the last part of the night, what should he do?

❖ Answer:​

The ruling is derived from the ḥadīth:


لا وتران في ليلة
"There are no two Witr prayers in one night."


(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1439; Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 1680; Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 470 – hasan isnād. Also reported in Musnad Aḥmad: 4/23 – hasan isnād.)


Imām al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan, while Imām Ibn Khuzaymah (1101) and Imām Ibn Ḥibbān (2494) declared it ṣaḥīḥ.
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar also graded it ḥasan (Fatḥ al-Bārī: 2/481).


Hence, praying Witr more than once in a single night is not permissible.


If one has already prayed Witr and then wakes up for Tahajjud, he has two valid options:

① First Option: Cancel the First Witr by Adding One Rakʿah​

This means praying one rakʿah to make the previous Witr even, then praying Tahajjud in pairs, and finally offering Witr again at the end.

Evidences:​

➤ Sayyidunā ʿAlī رضي الله عنه said:


"Witr is of three types: One may perform it early in the night and then pray two rakʿahs at a time until morning. Or he may add one rakʿah after Witr to make it even, then pray two at a time, and offer Witr again at the end."


(Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār by al-Ṭaḥāwī: 1/340; al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī: 3/37 – authentic chain)


➤ Nāfiʿ رحمه الله reported:


"I was with ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما in Makkah. The sky was cloudy, so he feared missing Fajr and prayed Witr. Later, the sky cleared, and he saw that part of the night remained. So he prayed one rakʿah to make his previous Witr even, then offered two rakʿahs at a time. When he feared Fajr, he prayed Witr again."

(al-Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik: 1/125 – authentic)


➤ Abū Majlaz رحمه الله said:


"Usāmah and Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهم used to cancel their Witr (by adding one rakʿah)."


(al-Awsaṭ by Ibn al-Mundhir: 5/87 – authentic)


➤ Another narration from Abū Majlaz:


"If you pray Witr early in the night and later wake up, then pray as much as you want, add one rakʿah to make the previous Witr even, and then perform Witr at the end."

(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/284 – authentic)


➤ ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr رحمه الله:


"He would pray Witr in the early night, and if he woke up, he would make it even."


(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/284 – ḥasan)


➤ Sayyidunā ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān رضي الله عنه said:


"If I intend to perform night prayer, I pray one Witr and sleep. If I get up, I add one rakʿah to it."


(al-Awsaṭ by Ibn al-Mundhir: 5/197 – authentic)

② Second Option: Leave Previous Witr As-Is and Continue with Nafl​

Pray two rakʿahs at a time in Tahajjud without adding a rakʿah to cancel the first Witr. The previous Witr remains valid, and no new Witr is prayed.

Evidences:​

➤ Abū Jamrah رحمه الله narrates from Ibn ʿAbbās and ʿĀʾidh ibn ʿAmr رضي الله عنهم:


"If you perform Witr at the beginning of the night, do not pray it again at the end. If you want to pray at the end, don’t pray it at the beginning."


(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/284; Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār: 1/343 – ḥasan isnād)


➤ ʿAmmār رحمه الله said:


"I pray Witr, and if I get up later, I pray two rakʿahs at a time and leave the earlier Witr as it is."


(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/284 – ḥasan)


➤ Makhḥūl al-Shāmī رحمه الله said:


"If someone has prayed Witr and then wakes up for prayer, he should pray in pairs (two by two)."


(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/284 – ḥasan)

✦ Important Clarification:​

Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:


اجعلوا آخر صلاتكم بالليل وترا.
"Make Witr the last of your night prayers."


(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 998; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 751)


However, scholars agree that this instruction is recommended (mustaḥabb), not obligatory.
The Prophet ﷺ himself is reported to have prayed two rakʿahs after Witr:


(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 738)


Also, the practice of the Salaf affirms this.

Summary:​

There are two valid options for one who prayed Witr after ʿIshā’ and wakes up for Tahajjud:


① Cancel the earlier Witr by praying one rakʿah, then pray Tahajjud in pairs and perform Witr at the end.
② Keep the earlier Witr, perform Tahajjud in pairs, and do not repeat Witr.


Both options are practiced and supported by authentic narrations.