article
Is Witr Obligatory? The Majority View and Its Evidence
Sample entry — demonstration data
Position by topic
- OpposingRuling on WitrMeasured against: Witr is obligatory (wajib).
The article concludes that Witr is an emphasised sunnah and not obligatory, citing the hadith of Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah and the statement of 'Ali reported by al-Tirmidhi.
- The article stresses that Witr should not be habitually abandoned.
- SupportingNumber of rak'at in WitrMeasured against: Witr may validly be prayed as a single rak'ah.
The article presents the reports of Ibn 'Umar as establishing that one rak'ah is a valid Witr.
Topic inferred: The final section discusses Ibn 'Umar's reports on the number of rak'at without posing the question explicitly; its conclusion clearly affirms that one rak'ah is valid.
Summary
A short sample article presenting the view of the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools that the Witr prayer is an emphasised sunnah rather than an obligation, and that it may be prayed as a single rak'ah. It relies on the hadith of Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah limiting obligatory prayers to five, the statement of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib reported by al-Tirmidhi, and the reports of Ibn 'Umar describing Witr as one rak'ah.
Content
The question
Jurists agree that Witr is among the most strongly recommended prayers. They differ on whether it is obligatory (wajib) and on whether a single rak'ah suffices. This sample article summarises the majority position.
Evidence that Witr is not obligatory
When a man asked the Prophet ﷺ which prayers were required of him, he named the five daily prayers and, asked whether anything else was due, answered that nothing further was required unless offered voluntarily (al-Bukhari, no. 46). 'Ali ibn Abi Talib is reported by al-Tirmidhi (no. 453) as saying that Witr is not compulsory like the prescribed prayers but was established as a sunnah.
Al-Nawawi reports this as the position of the Shafi'i school and the majority, noting that Abu Hanifa held Witr to be wajib.
Witr as one rak'ah
Ibn 'Umar's reports in both Sahih collections describe the night prayer as pairs of rak'at closed by a single rak'ah, and describe Witr itself as one rak'ah at the end of the night (al-Bukhari, no. 990; Muslim, no. 752).
Arguments and evidence
The Prophet ﷺ limited the obligatory prayers to five; Witr is therefore not obligatory.
'Ali ibn Abi Talib stated that Witr is not compulsory like the prescribed prayers.
- Jami' al-Tirmidhi 453
- Quotation of Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi — Al-Nawawi attributes this view to the majority.
Witr may consist of a single rak'ah.
Scholarly quotations
Witr is a sunnah and not obligatory according to the Shafi'i school and the majority of scholars, whereas Abu Hanifa held it to be wajib.
Hadith references
Allah's Messenger replied, 'You have to offer perfectly the five compulsory prayers in a day and night.' The man asked, 'Is there any more (praying)?' He replied, 'No, but if you want to offer the Nawafil prayers (you can).'
The night prayer is offered as two rak'at followed by two rak'at and so on, and if anyone fears the approach of dawn, he should pray one rak'ah and this will be a Witr for all the rak'at which he has prayed before.
Witr is not compulsory like your prescribed prayers, but the Messenger of Allah ﷺ established it as a sunnah.
Everything this source mentions (8), and how it was recorded
| Mention | Kind | Recorded as |
|---|---|---|
| al-Bukhari, no. 46 | hadith | hadith, citation |
| 'Ali ibn Abi Talib is reported by al-Tirmidhi (no. 453) | hadith | hadith, citation, person |
| Al-Nawawi | scholar | person, quote, citation |
| the Shafi'i school and the majority | consensus claim | quote |
| Abu Hanifa held Witr to be wajib | scholar | person |
| Ibn 'Umar's reports in both Sahih collections | hadith | hadith, hadith, person |
| al-Bukhari, no. 990 | hadith | hadith, citation |
| Muslim, no. 752 | hadith | hadith, citation |
Works cited
- al-Bukhari, Sahih, Kitab al-Iman, no. 46Work: Sahih al-Bukhari. Traditional form: Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH), Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, no. 46. Reference complete; unverified.
- al-Bukhari, Sahih, Kitab al-Witr, no. 990Work: Sahih al-Bukhari. Traditional form: Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH), Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Witr, no. 990. Reference complete; unverified.
- Muslim, Sahih, Kitab Salat al-Musafirin, no. 752Work: Sahih Muslim. Traditional form: Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Naysaburi (d. 261 AH), Sahih Muslim, Kitab Salat al-Musafirin wa Qasriha, no. 752. Reference complete; unverified.
- al-Tirmidhi, Jami', Abwab al-Witr, no. 453Work: Jami' al-Tirmidhi. Traditional form: Muhammad ibn 'Isa al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH), Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Abwab al-Witr, no. 453. Reference complete; unverified.
- al-Nawawi, al-Majmu' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, vol. 4Work: al-Majmu' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab. Traditional form: Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (d. 676 AH), al-Majmu' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, vol. 4. Reference partial; unverified.
- Khan, M. M. (Trans.). (1997). The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih al-Bukhari. Darussalam.Work: The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih al-Bukhari. Traditional form: Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH), The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih al-Bukhari. Reference partial; unverified.