How Do I Pray Witr?
Question
I have learned the five obligatory prayers. How do I pray Witr?
Short answer
Witr is an emphasized night prayer performed after ‘Isha and before Fajr. A simple authentic form is to make the night prayer in pairs and finish with one rak‘ah to make it odd.
Instructional Media
How to Pray Witr
Visual guide to the Witr prayer after ‘Isha and before Fajr.
Understand the issue
- Witr is not one of the five obligatory daily prayers, so a beginner should protect the five fard prayers first.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 990 teaches that night prayer is two by two and that one rak‘ah can make the prayer odd before dawn.
Islamic guidance
- Learn the simple form first, then later learn the other authentic forms and the fiqh of Qunut without making Witr harder than it needs to be.
What to do now
- Watch the Witr demonstration.
- If you are still struggling with the five obligatory prayers, stabilize them before adding a large optional night routine.
What may depend on your situation
- There are multiple authentic forms of Witr and scholarly detail around Qunut.
Do not assume
- Do not confuse Witr with one of the five obligatory daily prayers.
- Do not assume one local Witr form is the only form transmitted in the Sunnah.