Witr, The Night’s Odd Prayer

Witr (الوِتْر, “the odd one”) is the voluntary night prayer that ends the night’s prayers with an odd number of rak’at. The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Make witr the last prayer of your night.” Bukhari, Muslim

Witr is wajib (close to obligatory) per Imam Ahmad’s stronger view. Many scholars classify it as sunnah muakkadah (highly emphasized). Either way, do not abandon it.

When to pray witr

After Isha (and its 2 rak’at sunnah rawatib). The window extends from after Isha until just before Fajr.

• If you fear you will not wake before Fajr, pray witr right after Isha.
• If you usually wake for tahajjud / night prayer, delay witr to the last third of the night, after your tahajjud. This is more rewarding (the Prophet ﷺ said the last third of the night is when Allah descends to the lowest heaven).

Once you have prayed witr, you should not pray another witr the same night. If you wake later for tahajjud and have already prayed witr, just pray in pairs (2 + 2 + 2…) without a new witr.

How many rak’at

Any odd number is valid: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 rak’at.

The Prophet ﷺ most often prayed 11 (or sometimes 13) rak’at total in the night, with the last being his witr. For most people, 3 rak’at is the standard.

Method 1, 2 + 1 (most common)

The simplest and most common way to pray witr:

1. Pray 2 rak’at as any normal 2-rak’ah prayer (with tasleem at the end)
2. Stand up and pray 1 rak’ah by itself, with its own tasleem

That single final rak’ah is the witr. Total: 3 rak’at across two separate prayers, with two tasleems.

Method 2, 3 rak’at connected

Pray all 3 rak’at as one connected prayer with only one tasleem at the end and no first tashahhud after rak’ah 2. Go straight from the sujood of rak’ah 2 into rak’ah 3, with just the takbir.

The Prophet ﷺ warned against making witr resemble Maghrib (which has a first tashahhud), so if you pray 3 connected, omit the first tashahhud.

Method 3, 5, 7, or 9 connected

For longer witr, pray 5, 7, or 9 rak’at connected as one prayer with only one tasleem at the end and one final tashahhud. Recite Fatiha + a short surah in each rak’ah.

What to recite

There is no fixed recitation, but the Prophet ﷺ frequently recited:

• Rak’ah 1: Surat al-A’la (Q 87)
• Rak’ah 2: Surat al-Kafirun (Q 109)
• Rak’ah 3 (the witr): Surat al-Ikhlas (Q 112), sometimes with the Mu’awwidhatayn (Al-Falaq + An-Nas) added

If you only know shorter surahs, that is fine.

Qunoot, the supplication in witr

In the final rak’ah of witr, after rising from ruku and saying “Sami’allahu liman hamidah” + “Rabbana wa lakal hamd,” you may raise your hands to chest level and recite the qunoot du’a (before going down into sujood).

The well-known qunoot du’a

The qunoot du’a the Prophet ﷺ taught to his grandson al-Hasan ibn Ali:

You may add other authentic du’as after. Some imams add a salawat on the Prophet ﷺ at the end of qunoot.

After the qunoot, go down into sujood (saying “Allahu Akbar”), complete the two sujoods with iftirash between, then sit for the tashahhud and tasleem.

Is qunoot required every night?

Qunoot in witr is not required every night. The Prophet ﷺ did not pray qunoot every single night; pray it sometimes, leave it sometimes. Both are from the Sunnah.

In Ramadan, especially in the last 10 nights, qunoot becomes more common.

After tasleem

Some scholars recommend saying after the tasleem of witr:

What if I miss witr?

If you fall asleep or forget, you can make it up after Fajr time enters, before sunrise. Pray it as an even number (e.g., 2 rak’at instead of 1) to compensate, OR pray your usual witr count.

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that when the Prophet ﷺ was prevented from praying his night prayer due to sleep or illness, he would pray 12 rak’at in the morning to compensate (Muslim).

Witr behind an imam in tarawih

In Ramadan, witr is often prayed at the end of tarawih in congregation. Follow the imam’s pattern, whether he prays 2+1, 3 connected, or longer. Stay until he gives tasleem on the final witr; leaving before he completes is a missed congregation reward.