How does a Muslim make up the witr prayer if dawn has broken and he did not pray witr at night?
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The questioner : He asks how a Muslim makes up the witr prayer if dawn has broken and he did not pray witr at night?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Before answering this question, I will clarify that the witr prayer is a confirmed sunnah (recommended practice) that a Muslim should not leave, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it and performed it, to the extent that some scholars held that it is obligatory and that a person sins by leaving it. It was also reported from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: "Whoever leaves the witr is a bad man, and his testimony should not be accepted".
This indicates that the witr is very important, to the point that its absence affects the acceptance of a person's testimony, as Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) stated. Also, many laypeople understand that the witr is the qunut, whereas in reality, the qunut has no connection to the witr in terms of being a condition for its validity. Rather, the witr means concluding the night prayer with one rak'ah (unit of prayer), based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he was asked: "What do you say about the night prayer?" He said:Sunan Abi Dawud 1326Sahih (Al-Albani) This is the witr.
After clarifying these two matters—the confirmation of the witr prayer and the clarification that the qunut is not the witr—we answer this question by saying: If a person misses the witr at night, he makes it up during the duha (morning) time, but he makes it up with an even number of rak'ahs. If his custom was to pray witr with three rak'ahs, for example, he prays four rak'ahs. If his custom was to pray witr with five, he prays six, and so on. This is because it is established in "Sahih Muslim" that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), if he was overcome by sleep or pain regarding the witr, would pray twelve rak'ahs during the day or during the duha time. In reality, this specifies the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): The implication of this last hadith is that the witr should be prayed in its original form, but the action of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) specified this hadith. The point is that the witr was legislated with one rak'ah in order to conclude the night prayer with it. Since the night has passed, there is no basis for praying an odd number, so the correct consideration is that the prayer is made up, but not in the form of an odd number.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Before answering this question, I will clarify that the witr prayer is a confirmed sunnah (recommended practice) that a Muslim should not leave, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it and performed it, to the extent that some scholars held that it is obligatory and that a person sins by leaving it. It was also reported from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: "Whoever leaves the witr is a bad man, and his testimony should not be accepted".
This indicates that the witr is very important, to the point that its absence affects the acceptance of a person's testimony, as Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) stated. Also, many laypeople understand that the witr is the qunut, whereas in reality, the qunut has no connection to the witr in terms of being a condition for its validity. Rather, the witr means concluding the night prayer with one rak'ah (unit of prayer), based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he was asked: "What do you say about the night prayer?" He said:
Prayer during the night should consist of pairs of rak'ahs, but if one of you fears the morning is near he should pray one rak'ah which will make his prayer an odd number for him.
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى، فإذا خشي أحدكم الصبح صلى واحدة فأوترت له ما صلىAfter clarifying these two matters—the confirmation of the witr prayer and the clarification that the qunut is not the witr—we answer this question by saying: If a person misses the witr at night, he makes it up during the duha (morning) time, but he makes it up with an even number of rak'ahs. If his custom was to pray witr with three rak'ahs, for example, he prays four rak'ahs. If his custom was to pray witr with five, he prays six, and so on. This is because it is established in "Sahih Muslim" that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), if he was overcome by sleep or pain regarding the witr, would pray twelve rak'ahs during the day or during the duha time. In reality, this specifies the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it, let him pray it when he remembers it.
من نام عن صلاة أو نسيها فليصلها إذا ذكرهاThe questioner : Yes.