Discussion of Witr: Its Ruling, Time, and Number
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The Shaykh : Also important among the voluntary prayers is witr, the prayer that concludes the night prayer, whether it is in the first part of the night or the last. Some scholars held that witr is obligatory and that one who does not perform it commits a sin. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) even said: "Whoever leaves witr is a bad man, and his testimony should not be accepted", meaning whoever leaves it entirely, not just for a day or a week or the like. Witr concludes the night prayer, whether in the first part of the night or the last. Based on this, if a person combines the 'Isha' prayer with Maghrib for a reason that permits combining, should he perform witr or wait until the time of 'Isha' enters? The answer is: he performs witr. He performs witr where he is, if he does not intend to pray after that. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided his Ummah that the one who hopes to rise in the last part of the night should make witr in the last part of the night, and the one who fears he will not rise in the last part of the night should make witr in the first part of the night, so he does not sleep except having performed witr. With this, he advised Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: Sahih Muslim 721a And he mentioned among them: Muwatta Malik 7:18 Why? Because Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) would memorize hadiths in the first part of the night and feared he would not rise in the last part of the night, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded him with three things, one of which was to perform witr before he sleeps. The second is: Sunan an-Nasa'i 1677Sahih (Darussalam) And the third is: , meaning two rak'ahs of the Duha prayer. He advised him to do this every day. So a person should not leave witr. Here we ask: Does witr have a specific number? The answer is yes. Its minimum is one rak'ah, and its maximum is how many? Ten rak'ahs.
The student: Witr is eleven.
The Shaykh : Eleven rak'ahs is its maximum. If one performs witr with one rak'ah, there is no harm. If he performs it with three, it is more complete. If he performs it with five, it is more complete. With seven, more complete. With nine, more complete. With eleven, more complete, because that involves more work and reaching perfection. Let us limit ourselves to this extent of what we wish to discuss.
My friend (the Holy Prophet, may peace be upon him) has instructed me to do three things
أوصاني خليلي صلى الله عليه وسلم بثلاثpray the witr before he sleeps
أن يوتر قبل أن ينامto fast three days each month
صيام ثلاثة أيام من كل شهرTwo rak'ahs of the Duha prayer
ركعتا الضحىThe student: Witr is eleven.
The Shaykh : Eleven rak'ahs is its maximum. If one performs witr with one rak'ah, there is no harm. If he performs it with three, it is more complete. If he performs it with five, it is more complete. With seven, more complete. With nine, more complete. With eleven, more complete, because that involves more work and reaching perfection. Let us limit ourselves to this extent of what we wish to discuss.