The Witr Prayer After Midnight
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Fatwa No. ( 16536 )
Q: A man prays Witr after 2:00 AM, which is after midnight, and prays five rak'ahs in one session. Should he continue doing so, or should he pray before 12:00 AM, before midnight? And should he pray in pairs and conclude with a single rak'ah, or should he continue with the five rak'ahs?
Please inform us. May Allah reward you with good?
A: The time for Witr begins after the 'Isha' prayer until the dawn breaks. So, if he prays it at any time during this period, he has hit the time for Witr. It is better to pray in pairs and conclude with a single rak'ah at the end. If he prays five rak'ahs with one taslim, that is permissible, but it is contrary to what is best, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 1326Sahih (Al-Albani) It is agreed upon as authentic from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: A man prays Witr after 2:00 AM, which is after midnight, and prays five rak'ahs in one session. Should he continue doing so, or should he pray before 12:00 AM, before midnight? And should he pray in pairs and conclude with a single rak'ah, or should he continue with the five rak'ahs?
Please inform us. May Allah reward you with good?
A: The time for Witr begins after the 'Isha' prayer until the dawn breaks. So, if he prays it at any time during this period, he has hit the time for Witr. It is better to pray in pairs and conclude with a single rak'ah at the end. If he prays five rak'ahs with one taslim, that is permissible, but it is contrary to what is best, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Prayer during the night should consist of pairs of rak'ahs, but if one of you fears the morning is near he should pray one rak'ah which will make his prayer an odd number for him.
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى فإذا خشي أحدكم الصبح صلى ركعة واحدة توتر له ما قد صلى
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.