Different ways of praying Witr

by Asma bint Shameem

🔺The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam ALWAYS prayed witr and never left it even though it’s not obligatory.

Therefore Witr is classified as a “highly stressed Sunnah” and we should always pay attention to praying it regularly.

📌 The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“Allaah has prescribed for you a prayer (by which He may increase your reward), which is Witr; Allaah has enjoined it for you during the time between ‘Ishaa’ prayer until dawn begins.”

(al-Tirmidhi 425 - saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi)

🔺It’s better to DELAY the Witr

We should read Witr any time after ishaa but before the fajr prayer.

However it’s better to DELAY praying the Witr IF we’re sure that we’ll wake up before Fajr to pray it.

📌The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“Whoever fears that he will not get up at the end of the night, let him pray Witr at the beginning of the night, but whoever thinks that he will be able to get up at the end of the night, let him pray Witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels) and that is better.” (Muslim 755)

🔺Different ways of praying Witr PROVEN in the authentic Sunnah

Witr means ‘odd-numbered’ and the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam used to pray witr In multiple ways.

Although the average person is aware of only praying Witr with 3 rak’aat, it is proven that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam would pray witr with 1, 3, 5, 7, and even 9 rak’aat.

🍃1) Praying Witr with ONE rak’ah:

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam sometimes prayed Witr as ONE rak’ah ONLY.

PROOF:

The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

“The night prayers are two (rak’ahs) by two, but if one of you fears that dawn is about to break, let him pray ONE rak’ah to make what he has prayed odd-numbered.” (al-Bukhaari 911, Muslim 749)

And the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam said:

“Witr is one rak'ah at the end of the night.” (Muslim, 752)

HOW TO PRAY IT?

Just pray as many rak’aat of tahajjud or night prayer as Allaah enables you to.

Then when you want to finish, pray a “single” rak’ah with the intention of praying Witr and you’re done.

🍃2) Praying Witr with THREE rak’aat

Many times the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam prayed Witr as THREE rak’aat.

And there are DIFFERENT ways of doing so.

a) Praying ALL the three rak’aat one after the other, WITHOUT sitting for tashahhud except in the last rak’ah.

PROOF:

Our Mother Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:

“He used to pray Witr with three rak'ahs and he did not sit except in the last of them.” (al-Nasai 3/234, al-Bayhaqi 3/31-Saheeh by al-Nawawi)

HOW TO PRAY IT?

Make your niyyah to pray three rak’aat of Witr in your heart.

Read three rak’aat CONSECUTIVELY WITHOUT sitting for tashahhud in the second rak’ah.

In other words, when you finish your second rak’ah, do NOT sit for Tashahhud; rather immediately stand up and pray the third rak’ah.

Then after the third rak’ah, sit for tashahhud and continue normally until salaam.

b) ANOTHER WAY of praying three rak’aat of Witr:

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam also read three rak’aat of Witr by first praying two rak’aat separately (called shaf’ or “even” numbered rak’aat) and then say salaam.

Then he would stand up and pray a single rak’ah (witr or “odd” numbered rak’ah) after that, thus making it three.

PROOF:

Ibn ‘Umar radhi Allaahu used to separate the two rak'ahs from the single rak'ah with a tasleem, and he said that the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to do that.” (Ibn Hibbaan 2435: Ibn Hajar said: “its isnad is qawi (strong)” (al-Fath 2/482)

HOW TO PRAY IT?

Make your intention to pray three rak’aat of Witr, dividing it into two parts.

For the first part, pray two rak’aat (also called “ash-Shaf’”, the “even” part of the Witr), and say Salaam and get out of prayer.

Then stand up right away with the intention to pray a single rak’ah, (the “odd” or witr) finishing the three rak’aat of Witr.

🍃 3) Praying Witr with FIVE or SEVEN rak’aat:

Sometimes the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam would read Witr as FIVE or SEVEN rak’aat.

PROOF:

Our Mother Aaishah Radhi Allaahu anhaa said:

“The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam used to pray thirteen rak’ahs at night, praying five rak’ahs of Witr, in which he would not sit except in the last rak’ah. (Muslim 737)

Our Mother Umm Salamah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:

“The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to pray Witr with five or seven (rak’ahs) and he did not separate between them with any salaam or words. (Ahmad 6/290, al-Nasai, 1714- saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasai)

HOW TO PRAY IT?

Make your niyyah to pray FIVE or SEVEN rak’aat (whichever you want) in your heart.

Pray five or seven rak’aat CONTINUOUSLY, WITHOUT sitting for the tashahhud.

Then when you finish your LAST rak’ah, sit for tashahhud and continue normally until tasleem.

🍃 4) Praying Witr with NINE rak’aat:

And lastly, sometimes the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam also prayed NINE rak’aat for Witr.

PROOF:

Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:

“The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to pray nine rak'ahs during which he would not sit except in the eighth rak’ah, when he would remember Allaah and praise Him and call upon Him, then he would get up without saying the salaam, then he would stand and pray the ninth rak’ah, then he would sit and remember Allaah (dhikr) and praise Him and call upon Him, then he would say a tasleem that we could hear.” (Muslim 746)

HOW TO PRAY IT?

Make your niyyah to pray NINE rak’aat in your heart.

Pray EIGHT rak’aat one after another WITHOUT sitting for tashahhud in any of them UNTIL you reach the EIGHTH rak’ah.

Next, sit and read the tashahhud but do NOT say the tasleem.

Instead, get up for the NINTH rak’ah and finish it. Then once again, sit for tashahhud and continue normally until Tasleem.

Thus, praying Witr this way, there would be TWO tashahhuds.

🔺What about praying witr like Maghrib?

If we pray three rak’aat of Witr with two rak’aat and then tashahhud and then stand up to pray the third rak’ah, that’s similar to praying Maghrib.

Although the Witr will be still VALID, it’s NOT the PREFERRED way of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam

He actually told us NOT to make our Witr similar to Maghrib.

🍃 He Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

“Do not pray Witr with three rak’ahs that resemble Maghrib.” (al-Haakim 1/304, al-Bayhaqi 3/31 and al-Daaraqutni 172- saheeh)

🍃 Ibn Hajar explained:

“what he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam meant was that we should not sit to recite the first Tashahhud in a manner that resembles Maghrib.” (Fath al-Baari 4/301)

So even though reading Witr resembling Maghrib is VALID, it is DISLIKED.

And the other two ways are closest to the Sunnah.

❓QUESTION ❓

What about Qunoot?

🔺IF you want to read Qunoot, that would be done in the LAST RAK’AH of any of these ways to pray Witr.

Do keep in mind though, that the Qunoot does not HAVE to be read when you read your Witr prayer.

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam sometimes read Qunoot in Witr and sometimes, he DIDN’T.

Shaikh ibn Uthaymeen said:

“It is better not to recite qunoot in witr all the time, rather it should be done sometimes, because there is no evidence that the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam did it all the time.”

(al-Sharh al-Mumti)

And Shaikh ibn Baaz said:

“When Ubayy ibn Ka’b radhi Allaahu anhu led the Sahaabah in prayer in the Masjid of the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam, he used to omit Qunoot some nights; perhaps that was in order to teach the people that it is not obligatory.”

(Fataawa Islamiyyah, 2/159)

🌷CONCLUSION

These are different ways the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam prayed his Witr Salah.

We should emulate his beautiful example and also try and read Witr in these different ways, varying them from time to time.

And with Allaah is the Taufeeq.

And Allaah knows best.