Ruling on Making Up the Witr Prayer

Question:
If I sleep through the witr prayer and do not perform it at night, should I make it up? And at what time?

Answer:
The recommended practice is to make it up in the morning after the sun has risen and before it reaches its zenith, in an even number of rak'ahs, not an odd number. So, if your custom is to complete the witr with three rak'ahs at night, and you sleep through it or forget it, it is prescribed for you to pray four rak'ahs in the day in two taslims. And if your custom is to complete the witr with five rak'ahs at night, and you sleep through it or forget it, it is prescribed for you to pray six rak'ahs in the day in three taslims. The ruling is the same for anything more than that. This is based on what is established from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when he was prevented from his night prayer by sleep or illness, would pray twelve rak'ahs during the day." Muslim narrated it in his Sahih.
His (peace and blessings be upon him) witr was usually eleven rak'ahs. The recommended practice is to pray the make-up in pairs of two rak'ahs; this is due to this noble hadith, and due to his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: Ahmad and the people of the Sunan collections narrated it with a sound chain, and its original source is in the two Sahihs from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), but without mentioning . This addition is established with those we mentioned earlier, namely Ahmad and the people of the Sunan collections. And Allah is the guarantor of success.