The 365 · Sunnah · Day 41 · Prayer
Praying Witr Before Sleep or in the Night
The hadith
الْوِتْرُ حَقٌّ، فَمَنْ شَاءَ أَوْتَرَ بِخَمْسٍ، وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَوْتَرَ بِثَلَاثٍ، وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَوْتَرَ بِوَاحِدَةٍ
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Witr is a right (incumbent practice). Whoever wishes, let him pray witr with five rakʿahs; whoever wishes, with three; whoever wishes, with one.' (Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1422, classed ḥasan.) Cross-ref Bukhārī 998, Muslim 749 on the various lengths of the Prophet's ﷺ witr practice. The frequency of practice is every night.
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ sade: 'Witr är en plikt (rätt). Den som önskar, må be Witr med fem rakat; den som önskar, med tre; den som önskar, med en.'
The story
The Prophet ﷺ would pray eleven rakʿahs at night, with witr (one rakʿah) at the end (Bukhārī 1147, Muslim 738, ʿĀʼishah's narration). On other occasions, he would pray seven, nine, or thirteen rakʿahs total. The flexibility was deliberate: the witr could be one rakʿah at minimum, or a longer count of odd-number rakʿahs, depending on capacity. The minimum (one rakʿah) is the floor; the maximum (eleven) is the documented prophetic ceiling.
Why it's here
Witr is the Prophet's ﷺ closing prayer of the night, prayed in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11), every night. The Prophet ﷺ never abandoned witr, neither in residence nor in travel. He instructed Abū Hurayrah specifically: 'Do not abandon three things: fasting three days a month, the two rakʿahs of Ḍuḥā, and praying witr before sleep' (Bukhārī 1981, Muslim 721, cited Day 8). Witr is therefore not just recommended; it is one of the three the Prophet ﷺ explicitly singled out for permanent retention.
Try it today
1. Pray witr every night before sleep (if you do not pray tahajjud) or as the closing of tahajjud (if you do). 2. The minimum is one rakʿah; the recommended is three (with the duʿāʾ al-qunūt in the third). 3. If you fear missing it, pray it earlier in the night; the Prophet ﷺ said: 'Make witr the last of your night prayers' (Bukhārī 998).
In your day
Most modern Muslims know the obligatory prayers but skip witr. The Prophet's ﷺ instruction to Abū Hurayrah ('do not abandon witr before sleep') is unambiguous. The minimum is one rakʿah, takes about a minute. Build the habit.
A reflection to carry
Witr is the closing prayer of the night: an odd number of rakʿahs (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) prayed after ʿIshāʾ before Fajr. The Prophet ﷺ: 'Make Witr the last of your prayers in the night.' (Bukhārī 998.)
Read the longer reflection
The Prophet ﷺ was emphatic about Witr; he never abandoned it even in travel. ʿĀʾishah ra. reported he prayed 11 rakʿahs at night, finishing with Witr. Cure: pray Witr before sleep if you cannot wake for tahajjud; if you can wake, pray Witr after tahajjud. Even one rakʿah qualifies as Witr. Recite the qunūt-duʿāʾ in the final standing of Witr. The classical scholars: Witr is the structural punctuation of the believer's night; it closes the day with the Lord's-name.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawud. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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