7- It is performed with elevenRak'ahs. We would prefer not to exceed
this number for the sake of following theSunnah)tradition( of the
Prophet,, who did notexceed it till he died. 'Aa'ishahwas asked about
the )night( prayer of the Messenger of Allaah,, during the month
ofRamadan. She said,"The Messenger of Allaahdid not observe either in
Ramadan or in other months more than eleven Rak'ahs )in the night
prayer(. He )in the first instance( observed four Rak'ahs. Ask not
about their excellence and their length )i.e. these were matchless in
perfection and length(. After that he observed four more Rak'ahs. Ask
not about their excellence and their length. He would then observe
three Rak'ahs )ofthe Witr Prayer(."]Al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others[
8- One may pray less thanthis number even if he prays
oneRak'ahofWitronly, as this was done and enjoined by the Prophet,.
9- 'Aa'ishahwas askedhow manyRak'ahswas the Prophet,, used to offering
asWitr. She said,"He used to pray four and three, or six andthree, or
ten and three. He never used to pray less than seven, or more than
thirteen."]Abu Daawood, Ahmad and others[
The Prophet,, said:"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."
Reciting Quran inQiyaam:
9- The Prophet,, did not specify a certain limitregarding the
recitation of the Quran in theQiyaamofRamadanor any other time, which
was to be observed without increase or decrease. Rather, his
recitation used to range between short and lengthy. Sometimes, he
would read in everyRak'ahan amount similarto that of}O you who wraps
himself ]in clothing[{which is twenty verses, another time he would
read fifty verses. He used to say:"Whoever prays at night with a
hundred verses would not be written among the heedless"andanother
narration:"… with two hundred verses would be written among the
devoutly obedient and sincere."
One night, when the Prophet,, was ill, he recited the seven long
Chapters )Surahs(:Al-Baqarah, Aal 'Imraan, An-Nisaa', Al-Maa'idah,
Al-An'aam, Al-A'raafandAt-Tawbah.
In the narration of Huthayfah ibn Al-Yamaanwhen he prayed behind the
Prophet,, he recited in oneRak'ah Al-Baqarah, An-Nisaa'andAal 'Imraan.
He recited them slowly and calmly.
It was proved with the soundest chain of narrators that when Umar ibn
Al-Khattaab ordered Ubayy ibn Ka'bboth, to lead the people in an
eleven-Rak'ah)unit( prayer, Ubayywould read hundreds of verses, until
those behind him had to support themselves with canes due to the
length of time they had to stand. They would only finish praying just
beforeFajr.
It was also proved that 'Umarcalled readers to recite the Quran
inRamadan. He told the fastest of them to read thirty verses, the
moderate twenty-five verses and the slow twenty verses.
Therefore, if someone is praying alone, he may prolong his prayer for
as long as he wishes, as wellas if he is accompanied by people who
share the same wish. The more he prolongs his prayer, the better; yet,
he should notgo to extremes followingthe example of the Prophet,, who
said:"The best guidance is theguidance of Muhammad."However, if he is
praying as anImaam)leader(, he should prolong prayers to the extent
that does not exhaust those behindhim, for the Messenger ofAllaah,,
said:"If anyone of you leads the people in prayer, he should shorten
it for amongst them are the young and the old, the weak, the sick and
those who have pressing needs; and if anyone among you prays alone
then he may prolong )theprayer( as much as he wishes."
Time ofQiyaam:
10- The time of night prayer starts from after the'Ishaa'prayer till
dawn. The Prophet,said:"Allaah has given you an extra prayer. This is
the Witr which Allaah has appointed for you between the 'Ishaa' prayer
and the Fajr prayer."
11- Praying at the end of the night is better for who can, for the
Prophet,, said:"Whoever fears not ]being able[ to wake up at the end
of the night should perform Witr at the beginning of the night.
Whoever hopes to wake up at the end of the night should perform Witr
therein for prayers at the end of the night are witnessed and that is
better."
12- If one is to choose between praying in congregation at the
beginning of the night and praying alone at the end thereof, then,
congregational prayer is better as its reward is like that ofQiyaamof
a whole night.
This is what the Companions did in the caliphate of 'Umar.
'Abdul-Rahmaan ibn 'Abdul-Qaarisaid,
"I went out in the company of 'Umar ibn Al-Khattaab one night in
Ramadan to the mosque and found the people praying in different
groups; a man praying alone or a man praying with a little group
behind him. So, 'Umar said, 'In my opinion it would be better if I
collect these )people( under the leadership of one reciter )i.e. let
them pray in congregation!('. So, he made up his mind to gather them
behind Ubayy ibn Ka'b. Then on another night I went again in his
company and the people were praying behind their reciter. On that,
'Umar remarked, 'What an excellent Bid'ah)innovation( this is!
However, the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at its time,
is better than the one they are offering.' Hemeant the prayer in the
last part of the night. In those days people used to pray in the early
part of the night."
Zayd ibn Wahbsaid,"'Abdullaah used to lead us in prayer in Ramadan and
leave late at night."
13- Since the Prophet,, prohibited performingWitrin threeRak'ahsand
gave the reason for that as he said:"Do not make it resemble the
Maghrib Prayer."That is why whoever prays threeRak'ahsforWitrshould
avoid this issue by one ofthe following:
First: MakingTasleembetween theShaf')even number ofRak'ahs(
andWitr)odd number(, and this option is the strongest and the best.
Second: Not sitting forTashahhudbetween theShaf'andWitr-- Allaah knows best.
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