How To Pray Witr & How Many Rak'ah?

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How To Pray Witr & How Many Rak'ah?

As we mentioned before, the Witr should be an odd numbered of rak’ah. So the minimum number of rak’ah is one (which is the Sunnah) and it can go up to three, five, seven, nine..etc.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Witr is a duty, so whoever likes to pray witr with five let him do so, and whoever likes to pray witr with three let him do so, and whoever likes to pray witr with one let him do so."
[Ibn Majah 1190]

The Prophet (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

"Witr is one rak'ah at the end of the night."
[An-Nasa'i 1689]

And the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:

"The night prayers are [performed] two by two, but if one of you fears that dawn is about to break, let him pray one rak’ah.
[An-Nasa'i 1671]

How to Pray Three Rak'ah for Witr

For those who pray three rak’as of Witr, there are two ways in which it can be performed:

1. To pray all three rak’ahs continuously right after each other without the middle tashahhud. Meaning, there will be only one Tashahhud which is the Final tashahhud. As narrated by Ai’sha (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Prophet (ﷺ) used not to say the tasleem in the (first) two rakahs of Witr.

According to another version: “He used to pray Witr with three rak'ahs and he did not sit except in the last of them.”
Narrated by [Al-Nasaa’i, 3/234; al-Bayhaqi, 3/31]

2. To pray the first two rak’ahs separately ending it with tasleem then praying the last rak’ah separately. So having two final tashhahud.

As narrated by Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), that he used to separate the two rak'ahs from the single rak'ah with a tasleem, and he said that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to do that.
Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan (2435); Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath (2/482): its isnaad is strong.

The Prophet (ﷺ) also advised to not perform Witr like the Maghrib prayer “Do not pray Witr with three rak’ahs like Maghrib.”
[Al-Haakim, 1/403 ]

How to Pray Five or Seven Rak'ah for Witr

For those who decide to pray five or seven rak’ah for witr, then it should be continuous and should consist of only one tashahhud which is the final one followed by the tasleem.

This is because it was narrated by A’isha "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray thirteen rak'ah at night, praying five rak'ahs of witr, in which he would not sit except in the last rak’ah."
[Muslim: 737]

And it was narrated that Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:

"The Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray witr with five or seven (rak’ah) and he did not separate between them with any salaam or words."
[Ahmad, 6/290; al-Nasaa’i, 1714]

How to Pray Nine Rak'ah for Witr

For those who decide to pray nine rak’ah for witr, then he/she should be pray continuously until the eight rak’ah where one is to sit and recite the tashahhud without the tasleem.

He then should stand up for the ninth rak’ah and end it with the final tashahhud.

As it was narrated by A’isha "The Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray nine rak'ahs in which he did not sit except in the eighth, when he would remember Allah, praise Him and call upon Him, then he would get up and not say the tasleem, and he would stand up and pray the ninth (rak'ah), then he would sit and remember Allah and praise Him and call upon Him, then he would say a tasleem that we could hear."
[Muslim: 746 a]

How to Pray Eleven Rak'ah for Witr

For those who decide to pray eleven rak’ah for witr, then it should be prayer two by two (with tasleem after each two rak’ah) and then end it with one rak’ah.