The Number of Rak'ahs in Witr with the Intention of Witr
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, this questioner says: After performing the recommended Sunnah of the 'Isha' prayer, some people pray one rak'ah with the intention of the Witr. Is this act valid? And if he prays three rak'ahs in one sitting with the intention of the Witr, is that also valid?
Answer:
The minimum for the Witr is one rak'ah. So if he prays one rak'ah and intends it as the Witr, it is valid; this is the minimum for the Witr. The lower limit of perfection is three rak'ahs, and the upper limit of perfection is eleven or thirteen rak'ahs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do. It is permissible if he prays just one rak'ah and no others, but it is the least amount. However, it is better if he prays two rak'ahs before it, making it three; this is the most beautiful. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, this questioner says: After performing the recommended Sunnah of the 'Isha' prayer, some people pray one rak'ah with the intention of the Witr. Is this act valid? And if he prays three rak'ahs in one sitting with the intention of the Witr, is that also valid?
Answer:
The minimum for the Witr is one rak'ah. So if he prays one rak'ah and intends it as the Witr, it is valid; this is the minimum for the Witr. The lower limit of perfection is three rak'ahs, and the upper limit of perfection is eleven or thirteen rak'ahs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do. It is permissible if he prays just one rak'ah and no others, but it is the least amount. However, it is better if he prays two rak'ahs before it, making it three; this is the most beautiful. Yes.
Source
75-اللقاء الأسبوعي مع الشيخ صالح الفوزان - 23 — archive.org (48:37)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.