Author: Abu Thaqib Muhammad Safdar Hazrovi
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
➊ "Allah is One and loves odd numbers."
[Bukhari: 6410, Muslim: 2677]
➋ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"Witr is one rak'ah from the latter part of the night."
[Muslim: 756]
➌ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"The night prayer is offered as two rak'ahs followed by two rak'ahs. If you fear the dawn is approaching, pray one rak'ah to make your prayer odd-numbered."
[Bukhari: 993, 990; Muslim: 749]
➍ Ummul Mu'mineen, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray one rak'ah Witr and talk to me between the two rak'ahs and the one rak'ah."
[Ibn Majah: 77; Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/291]
➎ Ummul Mu'mineen, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:"The Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray eleven rak'ahs between the 'Isha prayer and the Fajr prayer, offering salutations every two rak'ahs and performing one rak'ah Witr."
[Muslim: 736]
➏ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:"Witr is a duty for every Muslim. Whoever wishes may perform five rak'ahs, whoever wishes may perform three rak'ahs, and whoever wishes may perform one rak'ah."
[Abu Dawood: 1422; Nasa'i: 1710; Ibn Majah: 1190; Sahih Ibn Hibban: 270; Mustadrak 1/302 and others]↰ The method for praying three rak'ah Witr is to pray two rak'ahs and then perform Tasleem. After that, pray one rak'ah Witr as indicated in the blessed Hadiths.
[See Muslim: 752, 736, 765, 769; Bukhari: 626, 990, 993, 994, 2013; Ibn Majah: 1177; Nasa'i 1698; Sahih Ibn Hibban: 678; Sahih Ibn Hibban al-Ihsan 4/70, 2426 and others]
➐ Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) was asked about Witr, and he said:"I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say that Witr is one rak'ah at the end of the night." When Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) was asked, he said the same.
[Muslim: 753]
➑ Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform one rak'ah Witr.
[Bukhari: 991; Tahawi: 1549, 1551; Athar al-Sunan 200, 201, 202]
➒ Amir Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform one rak'ah Witr.
[Bukhari: 3764, 3765; Athar al-Sunan 203]
➓ Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform one rak'ah Witr.
[Bukhari: 2356; Tahawi: 1634; Athar al-Sunan 205, 206, and others]
⓫ Amirul Mu'mineen Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform one rak'ah Witr.
[Darqutni: 1657; Tahawi: 1631; Athar al-Sunan 204]
⓬ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"Whoever fears that he will not get up at the end of the night should perform Witr at the beginning of the night, and whoever hopes to get up at the end of the night should perform Witr at the end of the night, because the prayer at the end of the night is attended (by the angels) and that is better." [Muslim: 755]
⓭ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performed the prayer at the beginning of the night, in the middle of the night, and at the end of the night.
[Bukhari: 755, 996]
⓮ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"It is not permissible to perform two Witr prayers in one night."
[Abu Dawood: 1439; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1101; Ibn Hibban: 671, and others]
⓯ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"Make Witr your last prayer at night."
[Muslim: 751]↰ This Hadith refutes those who perform Tahajjud after Witr.
⓰ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:"Do not pray three Witr like the Maghrib prayer. Pray five or seven Witr instead."
[Darqutni: 1634; Ibn Hibban: 680; Athar al-Sunan 591, 596, and others]
[See Ilm al-Fiqh, p. 186, by Abdul Shakoor Lakhnawi Deobandi]
Deobandi Mufti Azam Azizur Rahman (Deobandi) issued a fatwa stating: "Do not pray behind an Imam who performs one rak'ah Witr as much as possible, because he appears to be a non-conformist, and it is not good to appoint such a person as an Imam."
[See Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband, Vol. 3, p. 154, Question No. 770, Maktaba Imdadiya Multan, Pakistan]
Even in the Haramain Sharifain, the Imam performs one rak'ah Witr. What will happen to the prayers of those pilgrims? Which personalities fall under the scope of this fatwa?
◈ Meanwhile, Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (Deobandi) refutes the innovating Molvi in Anwar Sati'ah, stating:"Witr of one rak'ah is found in the authentic Hadiths. Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) adhered to it, as did Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), Imam Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him), and Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him). Criticizing this is akin to criticizing all these scholars. Now, what about one's faith?"
[Barahin Qatiah, p. 7]
We provide references from the books of the opposing faction to complete the argument against them. Moreover, for every group, their book or the book of their elders is an authority, as long as they do not disavow it.
[See Bukhari: 3635; Muslim: 1299]
Those who perform three Witr together should correct themselves and ask their scholars for evidence of any authentic Hadith that supports performing three Witr together. The narrations that mention three rak'ahs with one Tasleem are all weak in terms of their chains. Some contain the defect of Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) being a Mudallis, and a Mudallis' narration with "an" is not authentic unless he explicitly states that he heard it, or another reliable narrator corroborates it. (However, performing three Witr together is established from some companions). It should be noted that Tadlis is not harmful in Sahihain, as it is assumed to be from other reliable sources.
[See Khazain al-Sunan, Vol. 1, Part 1; Izalat al-Rayb, p. 1237, by Sarfaraz Khan Safdar Deobandi; Haqaiq al-Sunan, pp. 156, 161, and others]
However, if anyone wants to act upon these weak narrations (and Athar), he should not sit for Tashahhud in the second rak'ah, but only in the last rak'ah, as mentioned in the narration of Qatadah in [al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi, etc.] The narration in [Musnad Ahmad, p. 155, Vol. 5] with "no separation" is weak due to the defects of Yazid bin Yumar and Hasan al-Basri's (may Allah have mercy on him) An'anah.
↰ The marfu' (raised) narration with two Tashahhuds and three Witr is fabricated and false in terms of its chain.
See [al-Istiab, p. 471, Vol. 4, biography of Umm Abd Bint Aswad; Mizanu'l-I'tidal, etc.]
The primary narrators, Hafs bin Suleiman al-Qari and Aban bin Abi Ayyash, are both abandoned and accused. The lower chain is missing, and there is also the An'anah of a Mudallis. Despite such severe weakness, the author of "Hadith wa Ahl-e-Hadith" has used this fabricated (false) narration for inference.
See [the aforementioned book, p. 523, No. 22, May 1993 edition; for details, see Hadiyyah al-Muslimeen, p. 56]
Dear brothers! Allah has warned against those who oppose the command of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Allah says in the Quran: "Let those beware who oppose his order, lest a trial (of disbelief or hypocrisy) or a painful punishment befall them."
[Surah An-Nur: 63]
The characteristic of a believer is that when the command of Allah or His Messenger (ﷺ) comes, he submits. If his previous actions were contrary to the Sunnah, upon finding evidence, he aligns his actions with the Hadith of the Messenger (ﷺ). How obstinate is it to try to conform the Hadith of the Messenger (ﷺ) to one's preconceived principles and actions!
[Adapted from Hadiyyah al-Muslimeen, p. 54, by Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai]
↰ They do not change themselves but change the Hadith. May Allah protect us from such thinking and attitudes. Ameen.
⓱ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"All of my Ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse." Someone asked: "Who will refuse?" He replied: "Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused."
[Sahih Bukhari: 7680]
The Prophet (ﷺ) also said:
⓲ "Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me."
[Bukhari: 5023; Muslim: 1401]
⓳ "When I command you to do something, do it."
[Bukhari: 7688; Muslim: 1337]
⓴ The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded: "Pray as you have seen me praying."
[Bukhari: 231]
[Bukhari: 396]
[Bukhari: 3288; Muslim: 2639]
Wama 'alayna illa al-balagh (Our duty is only to convey).
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
➊ "Allah is One and loves odd numbers."
[Bukhari: 6410, Muslim: 2677]
➋ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"Witr is one rak'ah from the latter part of the night."
[Muslim: 756]
➌ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"The night prayer is offered as two rak'ahs followed by two rak'ahs. If you fear the dawn is approaching, pray one rak'ah to make your prayer odd-numbered."
[Bukhari: 993, 990; Muslim: 749]
➍ Ummul Mu'mineen, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray one rak'ah Witr and talk to me between the two rak'ahs and the one rak'ah."
[Ibn Majah: 77; Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/291]
➎ Ummul Mu'mineen, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:"The Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray eleven rak'ahs between the 'Isha prayer and the Fajr prayer, offering salutations every two rak'ahs and performing one rak'ah Witr."
[Muslim: 736]
➏ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:"Witr is a duty for every Muslim. Whoever wishes may perform five rak'ahs, whoever wishes may perform three rak'ahs, and whoever wishes may perform one rak'ah."
[Abu Dawood: 1422; Nasa'i: 1710; Ibn Majah: 1190; Sahih Ibn Hibban: 270; Mustadrak 1/302 and others]↰ The method for praying three rak'ah Witr is to pray two rak'ahs and then perform Tasleem. After that, pray one rak'ah Witr as indicated in the blessed Hadiths.
[See Muslim: 752, 736, 765, 769; Bukhari: 626, 990, 993, 994, 2013; Ibn Majah: 1177; Nasa'i 1698; Sahih Ibn Hibban: 678; Sahih Ibn Hibban al-Ihsan 4/70, 2426 and others]
➐ Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) was asked about Witr, and he said:"I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say that Witr is one rak'ah at the end of the night." When Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) was asked, he said the same.
[Muslim: 753]
➑ Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform one rak'ah Witr.
[Bukhari: 991; Tahawi: 1549, 1551; Athar al-Sunan 200, 201, 202]
➒ Amir Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform one rak'ah Witr.
[Bukhari: 3764, 3765; Athar al-Sunan 203]
➓ Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform one rak'ah Witr.
[Bukhari: 2356; Tahawi: 1634; Athar al-Sunan 205, 206, and others]
⓫ Amirul Mu'mineen Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform one rak'ah Witr.
[Darqutni: 1657; Tahawi: 1631; Athar al-Sunan 204]
⓬ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"Whoever fears that he will not get up at the end of the night should perform Witr at the beginning of the night, and whoever hopes to get up at the end of the night should perform Witr at the end of the night, because the prayer at the end of the night is attended (by the angels) and that is better." [Muslim: 755]
⓭ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performed the prayer at the beginning of the night, in the middle of the night, and at the end of the night.
[Bukhari: 755, 996]
⓮ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"It is not permissible to perform two Witr prayers in one night."
[Abu Dawood: 1439; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1101; Ibn Hibban: 671, and others]
⓯ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"Make Witr your last prayer at night."
[Muslim: 751]↰ This Hadith refutes those who perform Tahajjud after Witr.
⓰ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:"Do not pray three Witr like the Maghrib prayer. Pray five or seven Witr instead."
[Darqutni: 1634; Ibn Hibban: 680; Athar al-Sunan 591, 596, and others]
Note:
Conversely, some individuals have issued a fatwa stating that it is not permissible to perform one rak'ah Witr.[See Ilm al-Fiqh, p. 186, by Abdul Shakoor Lakhnawi Deobandi]
Deobandi Mufti Azam Azizur Rahman (Deobandi) issued a fatwa stating: "Do not pray behind an Imam who performs one rak'ah Witr as much as possible, because he appears to be a non-conformist, and it is not good to appoint such a person as an Imam."
[See Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband, Vol. 3, p. 154, Question No. 770, Maktaba Imdadiya Multan, Pakistan]
Even in the Haramain Sharifain, the Imam performs one rak'ah Witr. What will happen to the prayers of those pilgrims? Which personalities fall under the scope of this fatwa?
◈ Meanwhile, Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (Deobandi) refutes the innovating Molvi in Anwar Sati'ah, stating:"Witr of one rak'ah is found in the authentic Hadiths. Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) adhered to it, as did Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), Imam Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him), and Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him). Criticizing this is akin to criticizing all these scholars. Now, what about one's faith?"
[Barahin Qatiah, p. 7]
We provide references from the books of the opposing faction to complete the argument against them. Moreover, for every group, their book or the book of their elders is an authority, as long as they do not disavow it.
[See Bukhari: 3635; Muslim: 1299]
Those who perform three Witr together should correct themselves and ask their scholars for evidence of any authentic Hadith that supports performing three Witr together. The narrations that mention three rak'ahs with one Tasleem are all weak in terms of their chains. Some contain the defect of Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) being a Mudallis, and a Mudallis' narration with "an" is not authentic unless he explicitly states that he heard it, or another reliable narrator corroborates it. (However, performing three Witr together is established from some companions). It should be noted that Tadlis is not harmful in Sahihain, as it is assumed to be from other reliable sources.
[See Khazain al-Sunan, Vol. 1, Part 1; Izalat al-Rayb, p. 1237, by Sarfaraz Khan Safdar Deobandi; Haqaiq al-Sunan, pp. 156, 161, and others]
However, if anyone wants to act upon these weak narrations (and Athar), he should not sit for Tashahhud in the second rak'ah, but only in the last rak'ah, as mentioned in the narration of Qatadah in [al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi, etc.] The narration in [Musnad Ahmad, p. 155, Vol. 5] with "no separation" is weak due to the defects of Yazid bin Yumar and Hasan al-Basri's (may Allah have mercy on him) An'anah.
↰ The marfu' (raised) narration with two Tashahhuds and three Witr is fabricated and false in terms of its chain.
See [al-Istiab, p. 471, Vol. 4, biography of Umm Abd Bint Aswad; Mizanu'l-I'tidal, etc.]
The primary narrators, Hafs bin Suleiman al-Qari and Aban bin Abi Ayyash, are both abandoned and accused. The lower chain is missing, and there is also the An'anah of a Mudallis. Despite such severe weakness, the author of "Hadith wa Ahl-e-Hadith" has used this fabricated (false) narration for inference.
See [the aforementioned book, p. 523, No. 22, May 1993 edition; for details, see Hadiyyah al-Muslimeen, p. 56]
Dear brothers! Allah has warned against those who oppose the command of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Allah says in the Quran: "Let those beware who oppose his order, lest a trial (of disbelief or hypocrisy) or a painful punishment befall them."
[Surah An-Nur: 63]
The characteristic of a believer is that when the command of Allah or His Messenger (ﷺ) comes, he submits. If his previous actions were contrary to the Sunnah, upon finding evidence, he aligns his actions with the Hadith of the Messenger (ﷺ). How obstinate is it to try to conform the Hadith of the Messenger (ﷺ) to one's preconceived principles and actions!
[Adapted from Hadiyyah al-Muslimeen, p. 54, by Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai]
↰ They do not change themselves but change the Hadith. May Allah protect us from such thinking and attitudes. Ameen.
⓱ The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"All of my Ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse." Someone asked: "Who will refuse?" He replied: "Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused."
[Sahih Bukhari: 7680]
The Prophet (ﷺ) also said:
⓲ "Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me."
[Bukhari: 5023; Muslim: 1401]
⓳ "When I command you to do something, do it."
[Bukhari: 7688; Muslim: 1337]
⓴ The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded: "Pray as you have seen me praying."
[Bukhari: 231]
- The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"Whoever prays like us, faces our Qiblah, and eats our slaughtered animals is a Muslim."
- [Bukhari: 391]
[Bukhari: 396]
- The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"Hold firmly to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me."
- [Abu Dawood: 2607; Tirmidhi: 6276, and he said: Hasan Sahih; authenticated by Ibn Hibban: 102 or Hakim 1/95, 96, and agreed by Dhahabi]
- The Prophet (ﷺ) said:"In the latter days, there will be Dajjals and liars. They will narrate to you such narrations which neither you nor your forefathers have heard. So beware of them lest they mislead you and cause you tribulation."
- [Muslim: 7]
- "Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment."
- [Surah Al-Ahzab: 71]
[Bukhari: 3288; Muslim: 2639]
Wama 'alayna illa al-balagh (Our duty is only to convey).
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