How to Muslim
Witr is an odd-numbered prayer prayed at night, any time after Isha and before Fajr. It is the prayer that closes your night.
Indeed Allah is Witr (One), and He loves Al-Witr, so perform Al-Witr, O people of the Qur’an.
The word Witr means "odd-numbered" in Arabic. Witr is an emphasized Sunnah prayer performed at night. It is called Witr because it is always prayed in an odd number of Rak'ahs (such as 1, 3, 5, or 7).
Once you are comfortable with 1 and 3: Witr can also be prayed as 5, 7, 9 or 11 rak’ahs. Eleven is the form most commonly narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him). This page teaches 1 and 3 because they are the simplest place to start, not because the others are lesser.
Witr can be prayed any time after you have prayed Isha, right up until dawn (the Fajr adhan). If you expect to wake during the night for Tahajjud, leave Witr until the end so it closes your night. If you don’t think you’ll wake, pray it before you sleep.
When praying 3 Rak'ahs of Witr, it is Sunnah to recite the following chapters after Al-Fatiha:
The simplest way to pray Witr is to offer 1 single Rak'ah:
Pray 2 Rak'ahs like a regular Sunnah prayer, end with Taslim, then stand up and pray 1 standalone Rak'ah to complete 3 Rak'ahs total.
Pray 3 continuous Rak'ahs with only one final Tashahhud at the end of the 3rd Rak'ah (so that it does not resemble the 3-Rak'ah Maghrib prayer structure).
Still getting comfortable with the bowing and prostration? Start with the daily prayer guide.
Learn How to Pray Step-by-Step →Dua Qunoot is a supplication recited in the final Rak'ah of Witr, after you stand up from bowing (Ruku'). If you are praying a single Rak'ah, that one is your final Rak'ah.
In the final Rak'ah of Witr:
If you have not memorized Dua Qunoot yet, you can recite any short Dua you know (such as "Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan...") or hold a paper/phone in front of you while learning. Your Witr prayer remains fully valid if you omit Qunoot while learning.
No. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There are no two Witr in one night." (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 470) If you prayed Witr after Isha and then wake later for Tahajjud, pray it in pairs of 2 Rak'ahs and leave Witr as it is.
Pray it when you wake. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever sleeps past Al-Witr or forgets it, then let him pray it when he remembers it or when he awakens." (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 465)
Witr is Sunnah Mu'akkadah, an emphasised Sunnah. It is not obligatory, so missing it is not a sin. But the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed it every night, and it is worth building into yours.
New to all of this? Start from the beginning.
Where to take this further.
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islamic-library.org · FreeResearch-driven answers to the doubts and questions Muslims actually have.
yaqeeninstitute.org · Free