The ruling on one who prays the witr with his imam during the tarawih, and then wants to pray after him?

Question : The questioner says: We see people praying tarawih with the imam, and when the shaf and witr come, they leave. Does the reward for standing in night prayer accrue to them, as mentioned in the hadith, or is it obligatory for them to follow the imam until he finishes?

Answer : The reward for standing in night prayer does not accrue to them because they left before the imam finished. However, it is not obligatory for them to remain with the imam, because the original ruling for standing in prayer in Ramadan is not obligatory, but rather recommended. If a person prays the obligatory prayer and then leaves, he has not committed a sin by doing so, but he has missed much good. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) . I mentioned a moment ago that what is recommended for one who prays behind the imam is to remain with him until he finishes. This is better than leaving before the imam and praying at the end of the night. If the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had known that leaving before the imam and keeping the night alive was better, he would have guided them to it. If it had been better, he would certainly have guided them to it. This indicates that what is recommended for the believer is to limit himself to praying with the imam and to conclude his prayer with his imam, so that the word of the Muslims is unified and they become one community. However, if he prays at the end of the night, he prays two rak'ahs at a time and does not break his witr.