What is Shaf’ & Witr?
Witr is the prayer that marks the final salat one will make in the day, since the Prophet ﷺ commanded us to make Witr the last prayer of the day.
What does it mean?
The word shaf‘ linguistically means ‘even’ while the word witr means odd, since it is only one rak‘a.
Its ruling
If the Prophet ﷺ gave the prayer a name, it is classified as sunna, which is blameworthy to leave off for no reason.If he ﷺ specified a reward for it, then it is called a raghiba. If neither of that, then it is called a nafila. Witr is a sunna, and is the only sunna in the day. The two rak’as before Subh are raghiba. The rest throughout the day are nafl.
Can Witr be prayed without Shaf’?
One can pray one rak‘a of Witr by itself. It would be valid, but is considered imperfect.
How many rak‘as is Shaf‘?
It’s minimum is two and it has no maximum. The Prophet ﷺ used to pray ten rak‘as of Shaf’, two at a time, says Nafrawi. (If one prayed four rak‘as in a row as nafl without salam in between, it would be makruh but valid.)
What is its timing?
It can be prayed any time after ‘Isha until before Subh prayer, even if Fajr time is already in, since it is not sinful to delay Subh.
What should be recited in it?
It is recommended to recite Surat al-A’la in the first rak’a and Al-Kafirun in the second. Then he does tashahhud and salams out. After that, pray one rak‘a, and recite in it Ikhlas, Falaq, and Nas. However, one may recite any suras they wish.
When is the best time to pray it?
The best part of the night for any and all nawafil is the last third of the night, except for one who fears he will not wake up. In that case, he prays it before sleeping.
Is it silent or loud?
It is preferable to pray Witr and all night nawafil out loud, whereas the nawafil of the day are prayed silently. But if one swapped these, there is nothing against him.
What if I forget how many rak’as I did for Shaf‘?
Any forgetfulness in rak‘as is treated the same way as in the obligatory prayers. You add a rak‘a and then pray sahw (two sajda of forgetfulness).
What if I get up for a second rak‘a of witr by accident?
Nafrawi says, you complete the second rak‘a then and offer two sahw after the salam.
If I prayed Witr but woke up in the middle of the night can I pray tahajjud?
Since this happened incidentally, as opposed to intentionally praying nawafil after Witr, then there is no harm and one can pray as many rak’as as they wish.
Can I pray Witr twice?
“There are no two Witrs in one night.”
Is Witr better at home or in the masjid?
There is no preference, although in general nafila is better at home.
Can I pray it sitting down without a reason?
It can be prayed sitting (on the ground) even if not sick or injured, but the reward is only half.
وَأَقَلُّ الشَّفْعِ رَكْعَتَانِ، وَيُسْتَحَبُّ لَهُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الأُولَى بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ، وَ سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى. وَفِي الثَّانِيَةِ بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ، وَقُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ. ثُمَّ يَتَشَهَّدُ وَيُسَلِّمُ. ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي الْوِتْرَ رَكْعَةً، يَقْرَأُ فِيهَا بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ، وَقُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، وَالْمُعَوِّذَتَيْنِ. وَإِنْ زَادَ مِنَ الأَشْفَاعِ جَعَلَ آخِرَ ذٰلِكَ الْوِتْرَ. وَأَفْضَلُ اللَّيْلِ آخِرُهُ فِي الْقِيَامِ؛ فَمَنْ أَخَّرَ تَنَقُّلَهُ وَوِتْرَهُ إِلَى آخِرِهِ فَذٰلِكَ أَفْضَلُ إِلَّا مَنِ الْغَالِبُ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ لَا يَنْتَبِهَ، فَلْيُقَدِّمْ وِتْرَهُ مَعَ مَا يُرِيدُ مِنَ النَّوَافِلِ أَوَّلَ اللَّيْلِ
Sources: Risalat Ibn Abi Zayd and Nafrawi on Risala
Written by: Mohamed El-Sakandary and Shadee Elmasry
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