Witr is a strongly recommended sunnah. Its minimum is one rakah, the lowest complete form is three, and the most is eleven. Its time is from after Isha until Fajr, and it is best made the last prayer of your night.
How to pray witr
One rakah
- Intend witr and say the opening takbir.
- Recite al-Fatiha and a surah, bow and prostrate as usual.
- Sit for the tashahhud and give salam.
Three rakahs (the most common)
Separated: pray two rakahs and give salam (the shaf), then stand and pray one rakah with salam (the witr).
Joined: pray three rakahs in a row with one tashahhud at the end, without sitting after the second, so it does not resemble Maghrib.
Five or seven
Pray them joined, sitting only in the last, as in the hadith of Aisha in Muslim (737). Or pray two by two and end with a single rakah, which is easier and more common.
What to recite
In three rakahs: al-Ala in the first, al-Kafirun in the second and al-Ikhlas in the third, reported by Tirmidhi (462) and others. Other surahs are allowed.
How many rakahs
| Number | Form |
|---|---|
| One | The minimum, valid on its own |
| Three | The lowest complete form, separated or joined |
| Five or seven | Joined with one tashahhud, or two by two |
| Nine | Sit after the eighth without salam, then the ninth |
| Eleven | What the Prophet most regularly prayed |
The Prophet said: "Night prayer is two by two. If one of you fears dawn, let him pray one rakah, making odd what he has prayed." Bukhari (990), Muslim (749).
Time of witr
It starts after Isha, even if Isha was joined early with Maghrib, and ends at true dawn. Check Isha and Fajr for your city on prayer times.
Whoever is confident of waking late at night should delay it; whoever fears not waking should pray it before sleeping, from the hadith of Jabir in Muslim (755). For the exact last third of the night see Qiyam, Tahajjud and the last third.
The qunut in witr
Qunut in witr is legislated, after rising from bowing in the last rakah or before bowing; both are reported. The best known is what the Prophet taught al-Hasan ibn Ali:
The supplication
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ، وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
"O Allah, guide me among those You have guided, grant me wellbeing among those You have granted it, befriend me among those You have befriended, bless me in what You have given, and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed. You decree and none decrees over You. None whom You befriend is humiliated. Blessed and exalted are You, our Lord." Abu Dawud (1425), Tirmidhi (464), Nasai (1745). Qunut is not a condition; witr without it is valid.
After the salam say "Subhanal-malikil-quddus" three times, raising the voice on the third. Abu Dawud (1430).
Shaf and witr
Shaf is the two rakahs before the final one; witr is the single rakah that closes the night prayer. "I prayed shaf and witr" usually means three rakahs: two then one.
Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:17-18
Verified recitation
كَانُوا۟ قَلِيلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ وَبِٱلْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ They used to sleep but little of the night, and in the hours before dawn they would seek forgiveness
This is how Allah describes the doers of good, and witr gives the whole night a share of that description, even with one rakah.
If you slept through or forgot it
When the Prophet missed his night prayer through sleep or illness, he prayed twelve rakahs during the day. Muslim (746). So make it up in the forenoon as an even number: four if you usually pray three, two if you usually pray one.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct |
|---|---|
| Sitting after the second in joined three | Sit only in the last |
| Thinking one rakah is not valid | One rakah is a valid witr |
| Praying witr twice in one night | "No two witrs in one night", Tirmidhi (470) |
| Skipping witr for not knowing qunut | Qunut is recommended, witr is valid without it |
| Praying it before Isha | Its time starts after Isha |
Frequently asked questions
I prayed witr early and woke later, can I pray
Yes, pray what you wish two by two, and do not repeat witr.
Is witr obligatory
It is a strongly recommended sunnah for the majority, and obligatory for Hanafis.
Can witr be prayed while travelling
Yes, the Prophet prayed witr while travelling on his mount.
Related articles
Data sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari, night prayer is two by two, and if dawn is feared pray one
- Sahih al-Bukhari, make witr the last of your night prayer
- Sahih Muslim, whoever fears not waking late should pray witr early
- Sahih Muslim, witr of five sitting only in the last
- Sahih Muslim, making up night prayer by day as twelve rakahs
- Sunan Abi Dawud, the qunut: O Allah guide me among those You have guided
- Jami at-Tirmidhi, reciting al-Ala, al-Kafirun and al-Ikhlas in witr
- Sunan Abi Dawud, Subhanal-malikil-quddus after witr
- Jami at-Tirmidhi, no two witrs in one night
Last updated: 4 October 2026