The odd-numbered prayer and the witr?

The questioner : What is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the recitation of Surat al-A'la al-Shaf and al-Kafirun?

The Shaykh : Is it reported? Very well.

The questioner : The questioner says: What is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the recitation of Surat al-A'la al-Shirk, and al-Kafirun in the second rak'ah of the sunnah, or is it a custom the imams have adopted?

The Shaykh : The answer is that when a person performs witr with three rak'ahs, he recites in the first rak'ah, al-Kafirun in the second, and al-Ikhlas in the third. This is what the Sunnah has come with, and it is not something the people have merely adopted as a custom. However, it must be known that it is not obligatory for a person to recite these specific surahs; if he recites others, there is no blame on him. But if it is easy for him to recite them and he does so frequently, that is better. This is not a pillar of the prayer, because the only pillar is the recitation of al-Fatihah. On this occasion, I would like to clarify that what people call "al-Shaf" is actually part of the witr. If you pray two rak'ahs and conclude the prayer, then you come and pray a third, it is said that you have performed witr with three. Therefore, when we stand up for al-Shaf, we should intend it to be witr, because it is truly witr and not an independent prayer. This is why we say that we have performed witr with three. What I have said protects a person from an issue that sometimes occurs: the imam intends to perform witr with one rak'ah but does not make this clear to the ma'mumin. He stands up and prays the witr, performing it with one rak'ah. The ma'mumin, however, have intended al-Shaf, and for most of the general public, al-Shaf is not considered part of the witr. In that case, when the imam concludes the prayer with this rak'ah, you complete the remaining part of al-Shaf and then perform witr afterwards, because you did not intend it to be witr. But if you intended, when you said the opening takbir for al-Shaf, that it was witr, then when you conclude the prayer with your imam, there is no blame on you, and you have performed the witr.
And regarding the witr, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Make the last of your night prayer witr." We will make our last question tonight about the witr, because the time has run out. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet.