Last updated on March 19th, 2026 at 10:04 am

Witr (وتر) is a voluntary but highly emphasized prayer in Islam. Prayer (Salah) is one of the five pillars of Islam, which refers to five regular daily prayers, such as Fajr, Dhur, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha. These are obligatory prayers, which need to be performed at specific times. Any other prayer, out of these five obligatory prayers, is voluntary or optional.

Almost all prayers, including the regular (Obligatory) prayers, have either two or four Raka’ahs, except for Maghrib prayer, which has three Raka’ahs (Units). Contrary to that, Witr prayer is offered in odd numbers, i.e., 1, 3, 5, and so on. Apart from the number of Raka’ahs, the timings of Witr prayer are also different. Moreover, the way of performing Witr is also slightly different from other prayers. That makes Witr prayer unique but highly recommended and virtuous in Islam.

This guide explains the rules and timings of Witr prayer, and how to perform it correctly.

What Witr Prayer Means In Islam

Witr is an Arabic word that translates to “odd” or “single”. The prayer referred to as Witr in Islam is named so because it contains an odd number of Raka’ahs, contrary to normal regular prayers, which generally contain an “even” number, such as two or four (except for Maghrib prayer, which comprises three Raka’ahs). Witr prayer is offered in an odd number of Raka’ahs or units, mostly 1 or 3. However, Witr prayer can also contain more than three Raka’ahs, as per the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ.

Witr prayer is a type of night prayer (Qiyam al-layl), which refers to different prayers offered voluntarily during nighttime, such as Tahajjud, Taraweeh, and other Nafl prayers. However, Witr prayer holds a special status among the night prayers in the sense that the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ said to conclude the night prayer with Witr. Hadith 998 of Sahih Al-Bukhari mentions it as follows:

Translation

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Make witr as your last prayer at night.”

It means that Witr prayer needs to be offered at the end of all other night prayers, including Tahajjud, Taraweeh, or any other voluntary prayer. Similarly, the night prayer (including Witr) is also emphasized in the Quran. The 79th verse of Surah Al-Isra narrates the importance of Night Prayer as follows:

Translation

Say a supererogatory prayer at the hour of the first watch: Your Lord may raise you to a most exalted station

According to most of the scholars, Witr prayer is considered “Sunnah Mu’akkadah” (highly emphasized Sunnah), as the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ used to perform Witr prayer regularly, almost every night. However, some of the Hanafi scholars consider Witr prayer as “Wajib”. In the Islamic terminologies, wajib is almost equal to Fard (obligatory) but slightly less than that.

Witr Prayer In Islam – Timings

Witr prayer, being the last of the night prayer, can be performed at any time during the night, after the Isha prayer but before the Fajr prayer. Generally, there is no specific timeslot for praying Witr, except that it has to be any time between Isha and Fajr prayer. But the consensus of scholars is that the preferred time for praying Witr is the last part of the night, before break of dawn, i.e., before the start of the timings of Fajr prayer. This opinion is supported by the fact that Witr concludes the night prayer, and since the most preferred time of Tahajjud prayer is the third last part of the night, the best preferred time of Witr prayer should also be the last third part of the night, before the break of dawn.

Accordingly, Witr prayer can be offered at any of the following times:

  • Witr Prayer Immediately After Isha Prayer: If an individual is not sure that he/she can wake up in the later part of the night, it is better for them to pray Witr before sleeping, after Isha Prayer. Further, Witr can be prayed immediately after completing the Fard and Sunnah Raka’ahs of Isha prayer. This is permissible in Islamic jurisprudence but considered less virtuous than praying Witr after Tahajjud.
  • Witr Prayer After Isha Prayer Before Sleeping: Witr prayer can also be offered a bit later, after completing Isha prayer, but before sleeping. This is particularly an alternate concession for those who are unable to wake up in the later part of the night, for praying Tahajjud. It means, if an individual intends to pray Tahajjud later in the night but fears that he/she may not be able to wake up for that, they can pray Witr any time before going to sleep. Again, praying Witr at this time may be less virtuous than praying it after Tahajjud.
  • Witr Prayer After Taraweeh in Ramadan: Taraweeh is another very popular night prayer, specifically offered in congregations, across the Muslim World, in the holy month of Ramadan. Taraweeh prayer is offered after the completion of the Fard and Sunnah Raka’ahs of Isha prayer. So, Witr prayer, in this scenario, can be offered after the completion of Taraweeh prayer.
  • Witr Prayer After Tahajjud Prayer: Praying Witr after Tahajjud prayer is the best option, as it conforms to the Sunnah of the Prophet, to make Witr the last prayer of the night (Ref: Hadith 998 of Sahih Al-Bukhari). It is almost a consensus across all Islamic Jurisprudences that praying Witr after finishing Tahajjud prayer is the most preferred and best for those who have the capability of waking up in the last third of the night for Tahajjud prayer.

The permissible and the best time to pray Witr is explicitly mentioned in Hadith 755b of Sahih Muslim.

Translation

He who amongst you is afraid that he may not be able to get up at the end of the night should observe Witr (in the first part) and then sleep, and he who is confident of getting up and praying at night (i. e. Tahajjud prayer) should observe it at the end of it, for the recitation at the end of the night is witnessed*, and that is better.*: meaning, “by angels” (Sharh an-Nawawi).

Witr Prayer In Islam – General Rules

Some general rules of witr prayers are as follows:

· Number of Raka’ahs of Witr Prayer

Witr prayer can be offered in an odd number of Raka’ahs, such as 1,3,5,7, or 9. Hadith 1422 of Sunan Abu Dawood narrates it to either of 1, 3, or 5, as follows:

Translation

The witr is a duty for every Muslim, so if anyone wishes to observe it with five rak’ahs, he may do so; if anyone wishes to observe it with three, he may do so, and if anyone wishes to observe it with one, he may do so.

Hadith 752b of Sahih Muslim explains that Witr comprises one Raka’ah.

Translation

Witr is a rak’ah at the end of the night prayer.

Hadith 990 of Sahih Al-Bukhari more explicitly explains the number of Raka’ahs of Witr prayer as follows:

Translation

Once, a person asked Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) about the night prayer. Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) replied, “The night prayer is offered as two Rak`at followed bytwo Rak`at and so on, and if anyone is afraid of the approaching dawn (Fajr prayer) he should pray one Rak`ah and this will be a Witr for all the Rak`at which he has prayed before.”

Based on the above, scholars are of the view that starting from 1 Raka’ah, Witr prayer can be offered in any odd number, such as 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11.

· How to Pray Witr in Different Numbers of Raka’ahs

  1. If Praying One Raka’ah – Pray just like the first Raka’ah of any other regular prayer with tashahhud to end the prayer.
  2. If Praying Three Raka’ahs – Pray all three Raka’ahs, one after the other, without sitting for tashahhud after the second Raka’ah (so that it may not resemble the three Fard Raka’ahs of Maghrib Prayer). Sit for tashahhud after completing the third Raka’ah. Some scholars also allow praying two Raka’ah separately, followed by one single Raka’ah, to make a total of three.
  3. If Praying Five or Seven Raka’ahs – In this case, pray all five or seven (as the case may be), continuously without sitting for tashahhud. Sit for tashahhud only in the last Raka’ah to end the prayer.
  4. If Praying Nine Raka’ahs – Pray continuously and sit for tashahhud after the 8th Raka’ah and stand up again without ending the prayer to complete the 9th Raka’ah. Sit again for tashahhud after the 9th Raka’ah and then end the prayer.
  5. If Praying Eleven Raka’ahs – In this case, sit for tashahhud after every two Raka’ahs and end the prayer. It means to pray 10 Raka’ahs separately five times (two Raka’ah each). Then pray one single Raka’ah (the 11th Raka’ah) to make the total to 11.

· Recite Dua-e-Qunoot in Witr Prayer

Dua-e-Qunoot needs to be recited in the last Raka’ah of Witr Prayer, before going into Ruku:

Text of Dua-e-Qunoot – Hanafi

اَللَّهُمَّ اِنَّا نَسۡتَعِيۡنُكَ وَنَسۡتَغْفِرُكَ وَنُؤۡمِنُ بِكَ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيۡكَ وَنُثۡنِىۡ عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡخَيۡرَ وَنَشۡكُرُكَ وَلَا نَكۡفُرُكَ وَنَخۡلَعُ وَنَتۡرُكُ مَنۡ يَّفۡجُرُكَ. اَللَّهُمَّ اِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَلَكَ نُصَلِّئ وَنَسۡجُدُ وَاِلَيۡكَ نَسۡعٰى ونَحۡفِدُ ونَرۡجُوۡا رَحۡمَتَكَ وَنَخۡشٰى عَذَابَكَ اِنَّ عَذَابَكَ بِالۡكُفَّارِ مُلۡحِقٌٌ

Text of Dua-e-Qunoot – Shafi’i

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ، وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، وَلَا يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

Important

Although a common practice is to pray Witr immediately after Isha prayer, it must be clearly understood that Witr is not a part of Isha prayer. Witr is a separate prayer, which is recited to conclude the night prayer, such as Tahajjud or Taraweeh.

FAQs

  1. Is Witr prayer obligatory?

No, it is not obligatory. According to many scholars, it is considered “Sunnah Mu’akkadah” (highly emphasized Sunnah). According to Hanafi Fiqh, Witr prayer is Wajib (necessary, near to obligatory but slightly less than obligatory).

  1. When should I pray Witr?

The best time to pray Witr is after Tahajjud, in the last third of the night, before Fajr prayer. However, it can also be recited any time after Isha prayer but before Fajr prayer.

  1. How many Raka’ahs are there in Witr prayer?

Witr prayer can be offered in any odd number of Raka’ah, such as 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9.

  1. Can Witr be prayed in congregation?

Yes, it is allowed and often prayed in congregation in the month of Ramadan, after the completion of Taraweeh.

  1. Can I pray Witr immediately after Isha prayer?

Yes, you can pray Witr immediately after Isha prayer, if you fear that you may not wake up for Tahajjud prayer, later in the third part of the night. However, it must not be considered a part of the Isha prayer and should be treated as a separate prayer.

Conclusion

Prayer (Salah) is one of the main acts of worship in Islam. While some of them are obligatory, such as five daily regular prayers, others are voluntary or optional, which are called Nafl or Sunnah prayers in Islamic terminology. Witr is one such prayer, which, although it is not an obligatory prayer, is ranked very high in status, due to its virtues. Many scholars refer to Witr prayer as “Sunnah Mu’akadah” or “Highly Emphasized Sunnah”. On the other hand, Hanafi scholars rank it as “Wajib”, which is considered slightly below the status of Fard or obligatory.

Witr can be prayed any time during the night, after Isha and before Fajr prayer. As per various authentic Hadiths, it is the concluding prayer after the night prayer, such as Tahajjud or Taraweeh. Accordingly, the best and highly recommended time to pray Witr is after finishing Tahajjud prayer, in the last third of the night. Witr can be prayed in odd numbers of Raka’ahs, such as 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9, or even eleven, but in any case, it has to be in odd numbers. One of the important parts of Witr prayer is Dua-e-Qunoot, which is recited in the last Raka’ah before bowing down in Ruku.

It holds great significance and virtues in Islam; hence, it is highly recommended and the most emphasized prayer in Islam.

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