The witr at the end of the night is better than at the beginning
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Question:
The questioner (N. H.) from Bahrain asks: Is it permissible to delay my shaf' and witr prayers until the time of standing in night prayer; that is, I pray the night prayer and then conclude it with the shaf' and witr, or is it obligatory to perform them before sleeping?
Answer:
The believing man and woman have a choice. Whoever wishes may perform the witr at the beginning of the night, and whoever wishes may do so at the end of it. The best is at the end of the night for those for whom it is facilitated; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): narrated by Muslim in "al-Sahih".
And if it is facilitated for the believing man or woman to perform the witr and tahajjud at the end of the night, that is better; because that is the time when Allah descends, and the time when supplication is answered; as it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sunan Abi Dawud 4733Sahih (Al-Albani), and in another wording: He the Exalted says: , and this great hadith is mass-transmitted from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
And this descent is befitting for Allah. Nothing of His creation resembles Him in any of His attributes, neither in how, nor in likeness, such as His rising above His Throne, and His hearing and seeing, and His anger and His pleasure, and the like of that. All of them are attributes befitting for Allah, in which His creation does not resemble Him (Exalted and Majestic is He).
This is what the people of the Sunnah and the community said: It is obligatory to affirm the attributes of Allah as they came in the Book and the Sunnah in a manner befitting Him (Exalted and Majestic is He), as He the Exalted and Majestic said: [Surat al-Shura: 11], and He the Exalted said: [Surat al-Ikhlas: 4].
And the Sunnah is that the believer makes his last witr one rak'ah, in which he recites al-Fatihah and "Say: He is Allah, the One," then he bows, then he rises. And if he performs the witr with three rak'ahs with one tashahhud and one taslim, there is nothing wrong with it. And if he prays five in a row, there is nothing wrong with it. But the best is two by two, he says the taslim after every two, and he performs the witr with one; because of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 1326Sahih (Al-Albani) agreed upon for its authenticity.
So this is the Sunnah. But if he fears that he will not be able to get up at the end of the night, the Sunnah is to perform the witr at the beginning of the night. He prays two, or four, or six, or eight, or more, and he says the taslim after every two rak'ahs, then he performs the witr with one before he sleeps.
The questioner (N. H.) from Bahrain asks: Is it permissible to delay my shaf' and witr prayers until the time of standing in night prayer; that is, I pray the night prayer and then conclude it with the shaf' and witr, or is it obligatory to perform them before sleeping?
Answer:
The believing man and woman have a choice. Whoever wishes may perform the witr at the beginning of the night, and whoever wishes may do so at the end of it. The best is at the end of the night for those for whom it is facilitated; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever fears that he will not get up at the end of the night, let him perform the witr at the beginning of it. And whoever hopes to get up at the end of the night, let him perform the witr at the end of the night. For the prayer at the end of the night is witnessed, and that is better.
مَن خاف ألا يقوم من آخر الليل فليُوتر أوله، ومَن طمع أن يقوم آخر الليل فليوتر آخر الليل، فإن صلاة آخر الليل مشهودة، وذلك أفضلAnd if it is facilitated for the believing man or woman to perform the witr and tahajjud at the end of the night, that is better; because that is the time when Allah descends, and the time when supplication is answered; as it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Our lord gets down every night to the heaven of this world when a third night remains and says: (Is there anyone) who prays to Me so that I may accept his prayer? (Is there anyone) who asks of Me so that I may give him? (Is there anyone) who asks for my forgiveness so that I may forgive him?
ينزل ربنا إلى السماء الدنيا كل ليلةٍ حين يبقى ثلث الليل الآخر، فيقول: مَن يدعوني فأستجيب له؟ مَن يسألني فأعطيه؟ مَن يستغفرني فأغفر له؟ حتى ينفجر الفجرIs there anyone asking that I may give him what he asks? Is there anyone seeking forgiveness that I may forgive him? Is there anyone repenting that I may accept his repentance?
هل من سائلٍ فيُعطى سؤله؟ هل من مُستغفرٍ فيغفر له؟ هل من تائبٍ فيتاب عليه؟And this descent is befitting for Allah. Nothing of His creation resembles Him in any of His attributes, neither in how, nor in likeness, such as His rising above His Throne, and His hearing and seeing, and His anger and His pleasure, and the like of that. All of them are attributes befitting for Allah, in which His creation does not resemble Him (Exalted and Majestic is He).
This is what the people of the Sunnah and the community said: It is obligatory to affirm the attributes of Allah as they came in the Book and the Sunnah in a manner befitting Him (Exalted and Majestic is He), as He the Exalted and Majestic said:
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُNor is there to Him any equivalent."
وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌAnd the Sunnah is that the believer makes his last witr one rak'ah, in which he recites al-Fatihah and "Say: He is Allah, the One," then he bows, then he rises. And if he performs the witr with three rak'ahs with one tashahhud and one taslim, there is nothing wrong with it. And if he prays five in a row, there is nothing wrong with it. But the best is two by two, he says the taslim after every two, and he performs the witr with one; because of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
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 أحدُكم الصبح صلَّى ركعةً واحدةً تُوتر له ما قد صلىSo this is the Sunnah. But if he fears that he will not be able to get up at the end of the night, the Sunnah is to perform the witr at the beginning of the night. He prays two, or four, or six, or eight, or more, and he says the taslim after every two rak'ahs, then he performs the witr with one before he sleeps.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.