If one prays with the imam and then stands up after the imam’s taslim in order to make his witr even so that he can perform witr at the end of the night, is he considered to have departed with the imam and thus receive the virtue of standing in night prayer?

The questioner : May Allah reward you. The questioner asks: If one prays with the imam and then stands up after the imam’s taslim in order to make his witr even so that he can perform witr at the end of the night, is he considered to have departed with the imam and thus receive the virtue of standing in night prayer?

The Shaykh : Yes, there is no doubt that he is considered to have departed with the imam. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And this person stood with the imam until he departed. He did not perform the even number of rak'ahs until after the imam had said the taslim. Therefore, the hadith applies to him. However, I am asking now: Do we say that this is better? I mean, do we tell the man: If the imam has performed witr and you want to pray at night, then when he says the taslim, stand up and perform one rak'ah so that your prayer becomes... how many rak'ahs did you pray? You prayed two rak'ahs and you make the witr at the end of your prayer. Is it better to do this and not pray at the end of the night? Or is it better to do this and pray at the end of the night? Or is it better to limit yourself to your prayer with the imam?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Well, take a rest. Limiting yourself to your prayer with the imam is a position that certainly has merit. When the Companions said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "If you would let us pray the rest of the night," he said: He did not say, "And if you wish, make your prayer with the imam even and stand up at the end of the night." If making the prayer even with the imam and standing up at the end of the night had been better, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have guided them to it. So, the answer given by the brother certainly has a very strong perspective. However, it may be objected that standing in prayer in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was not like standing in prayer in our time. They stood until the middle of the night and prolonged their standing, their bowing, and their prostration. So the man says, "I have not satisfied my desire for standing with the imam, because I would like to stand for a long time, bow for a long time, and prostrate for a long time." The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to stand with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) for a long time. In that case, we prefer that he make his prayer even with the imam and stand up at the end of the night.
The issue is possible in both ways, for this reason and that reason. But in my opinion, though not by a large margin, limiting oneself to what one prayed with the imam is better. Yes.