The Best Times for the Witr Prayer and What One Who Sleeps Through It Should Do

Question:
May Allah reward you with good. I pray 'Isha' and leave the witr, then I sleep intending to get up and pray the witr before Fajr enters. Sometimes I get up, and sometimes I sleep until the night ends without praying the witr. Also, I sometimes pray the witr before sleeping. What is your guidance, may Allah preserve you?

Answer:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated that a person should pray the witr before sleeping if he does not trust that he will get up in the last part of the night. So, the better and more desirable option for you is to pray the witr before you sleep. If you get up in the last part of the night, you pray whatever is easy for you and are content with the first witr. However, if you trust that you will get up in the last part of the night, then delaying the witr to the last part of the night is better. You get up and pray whatever is easy for you in the last part of the night, and you conclude that with the witr before the dawn breaks. As for if you sleep through the witr and do not get up until the dawn breaks, then the witr has been missed for you. But if you make it up during the day, between the sun rising a spear's length and the time of Dhuhr entering, and you make up the witr in this period, then that is good. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do this if he slept through his night prayer; he (peace and blessings be upon him) would make it up during the Duha time. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) would make it an even number. So, if you pray the witr with three rak'ahs, you pray four rak'ahs of Duha. And if you pray the witr with five, you make it six, and so on. Yes.