The Ruling on Praying After the Witr

We received this message from the sender Fahmi Abd al-Rahman Ahmad, who asks about prayer in several questions. He says: First question: I performed the 'Isha' prayer and the witr, then I slept. I woke up after midnight. Is it permissible to pray, meaning the standing in night prayer (qiyam al-layl) after the witr?
Answer: It is a recommended practice (sunnah) for the believer to seek out the time he is able to for the late-night prayer (tahajjud). If he is able to stay up until the end of the night, he should delay his tahajjud until the end of the night, for this is better. It is the time of the Divine Descent, about which there is a widely transmitted authentic hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he said: . This is a great time for the descent of the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, a descent befitting His Majesty, Glorified and Exalted is He. In it, He says: And in a second narration: This is a great favor. One should seek out this time, which is the end of the night, the last third, because of this authentic hadith regarding the descent. This descent is a description of our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, as befits Him, Glorified and Exalted is He; it is not asked how (takyif) nor likened to creation (tamthil). Rather, it is said regarding this: a descent befitting His Majesty, not resembling Him in His creation, Glorified and Exalted is He, just as other attributes. Just as we say: He rose (istawa) above the Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty, not likening Him to His creation, Glorified and Exalted is He. And just as we say: His knowledge is befitting His Majesty, His mercy, and so on, His face, and so on, His hand, and so on, all other attributes. They are all true, and they are all established for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, in the manner befitting Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He, as He said, Glorified and Exalted is He: [Surat al-Shura: 11]. He affirmed for Himself hearing and sight and negated for Himself any likeness, Glorified and Exalted is He. This is the truth upon which the people of the Sunnah and the community (Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah) have proceeded. That is the affirmation of all the attributes and names mentioned in the Noble Book or in the pure authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). We affirm them as an affirmation without likening (tamthil), and we purify them from denial of the divine attributes (ta'til). So we say: It is obligatory to affirm the attributes and names of the Lord, such as the descent, the rising above the Throne (istiwa'), mercy, anger, the face, the hand, the fingers, and others. We affirm them for Allah as they came in the texts, as an affirmation without likening (tamthil), and we purify His attributes from resembling His creation, a purification free from denial of the divine attributes (ta'til). This is what the people of the Sunnah and the community (Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah) say. So the descent is from this category; the descent of the Lord in the last part of the night is from this category. We affirm it for Allah in the manner befitting Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, along with the belief in His Highness above the Throne and that He is above the Throne, Exalted and Majestic is He. For His attributes are not equal to the attributes of His creation, so the descent in His case does not conflict with His Highness above the Throne, Glorified and Exalted is He. This and that do not conflict in His case, Mighty and Majestic. For it is a descent whose essence and manner no one knows except He, Glorified and Exalted is He. So it is a descent befitting Allah, in which there is this great good. In it, He says: . This is a great favor. In this time, one should increase in supplication (du'a') in the last part of the night, along with prayer and recitation. This is how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided. As for if he is not able to do that and fears that he will fall asleep, he should perform the witr prayer in the first part of the night. He prays what is easy for him in the first part of the night. He performs witr with three, five, seven, more, or at least one. There is no harm. One prayer is sufficient for him after the sunnah of 'Isha'. If he prays 'Isha and its sunnah of two, and performs witr with one, that is sufficient. If he performs witr with three, it is better. If he performs witr with more, it is better. Then, if he gets up from the last part of the night or during the night and wants to perform tahajjud, there is no harm. If he gets up from the last part of the night and wants to pray two rak'ahs, four rak'ahs, or more without witr, there is no harm. He does not repeat the witr. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: But he prays what is easy for him during the night or in the last part of the night, in pairs: two, four, six, eight, without witr. The first witr is sufficient for him. And it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he sometimes prayed two rak'ahs after the witr while sitting. And this, may Allah know best, is to make it clear to people that prayer after the witr is permissible and not forbidden. Rather, the better is that the witr is the last of the prayer, that he concludes his prayer with the witr, by his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . So the better is that he concludes with the witr. But if it happens that he performed witr and then he found energy and got up in the last part of the night, there is no harm in that. He prays what is easy for him, two rak'ahs or four rak'ahs. There is no blame on him, and praise be to Allah. Yes.