What is the ruling on the witr prayer, and is it obligatory to recite the qunut supplication in it? And if the one praying recites the qunut supplication, does he wipe his face with his hand after finishing the supplication?
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The questioner : This questioner, A.M.A., says in this question: What is the ruling on the witr prayer, and is it obligatory to recite the qunut supplication? And if one recites the qunut supplication, does he wipe his face with his hand after finishing the supplication?
The Shaykh : The witr prayer is a confirmed sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 751b Its time is from the 'Isha' prayer, even if it is combined with Maghrib by combining them early, until the dawn breaks. However, a person should make it the last of his prayers at night. Then, if he is one of those who stands in prayer in the last part of the night, let him delay the witr to the last part of the night until he finishes the tahajjud. And if he is one of those who does not stand in prayer, he should perform the witr before he sleeps, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) instructed Abu Hurayrah to perform the witr before he sleeps. The scholars said that the reason for this is that Abu Hurayrah used to stay up in the first part of the night memorizing the hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
As for the qunut in the witr, it is not obligatory. What a person should do is not to make it a constant habit, but rather to perform it sometimes and leave it off sometimes.
As for wiping the face with the hands after supplication, some scholars said that it is a religious innovation (bid'ah) because of the weakness of the hadiths reported regarding it, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). He said that if the one making supplication finishes his supplication, even if he was raising his hands, he does not wipe his face with his hands, because the hadiths reported regarding that are weak, and the authentic hadiths reported from the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) regarding his supplication when he raised his hands are that he did not wipe them.
Some scholars said that the wiping is a sunnah, based on the principle that when weak hadiths multiply, they strengthen one another. And what I see is that wiping the face is not a sunnah, but if someone wipes, he is not to be rebuked for it, and if someone leaves it off, he is not to be rebuked for it. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : The witr prayer is a confirmed sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Make Witr the end of your night prayer.
اجعلوا ءاخر صلاتكم بالليل وتراAs for the qunut in the witr, it is not obligatory. What a person should do is not to make it a constant habit, but rather to perform it sometimes and leave it off sometimes.
As for wiping the face with the hands after supplication, some scholars said that it is a religious innovation (bid'ah) because of the weakness of the hadiths reported regarding it, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). He said that if the one making supplication finishes his supplication, even if he was raising his hands, he does not wipe his face with his hands, because the hadiths reported regarding that are weak, and the authentic hadiths reported from the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) regarding his supplication when he raised his hands are that he did not wipe them.
Some scholars said that the wiping is a sunnah, based on the principle that when weak hadiths multiply, they strengthen one another. And what I see is that wiping the face is not a sunnah, but if someone wipes, he is not to be rebuked for it, and if someone leaves it off, he is not to be rebuked for it. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.