Chapter on Witr — Tuḥfat al-Mulūk

Ruling274

3 notes

It is obligatory: three connected rakʿas …; he performs qunūt in the third quietly before bowing all year; there is no qunūt in Fajr; if his imām qunūts in it, he remains silent standing in the sound view.

From the editors

1.

Qunūt here is supplication after the recitation in the third rakʿa, before bowing, done quietly (sirr)—whether one prays alone or follows an imām—and it applies the whole year, not only in Ramaḍān.

2.

Qunūt is not part of the Fajr prayer in the relied-upon Ḥanafī practice. If the imām nevertheless performs qunūt in Fajr, the soundest view is that the follower remains standing in silence and does not join in with "āmīn" or the qunūt wording, whilst still following for the rest of the prayer. See: al-Durr al-Mukhtār and Radd al-Muḥtār on witr and qunūt.

3.

In the Ḥanafī school witr is wājib (not farḍ). It is three rakʿas completed with a single salām at the end: one sits for tashahhud after the second rakʿa but does not give salām until after the third, so the units remain one prayer.

Ruling275

2 notes

If witr is missed it is made up; not valid seated or mounted without excuse.

Ruling276

2 notes

From Muḥammad: there is no specified supplication in it—thus in al-Muḥīṭ.

Ruling277

2 notes

وفي ((جامع الأصول)): عن عليٍّ إنَّ النبيَّ كان يقول في وتره: (اللهم إنّي أعوذ برضاك من سخطك، وأعوذ بمعافاتك من عقوبتك، وأَعوذ بك منك لا أحصي ثناء عليك، أنت كما أَثنيت على نفسك).

In Jāmiʿ al-Uṣūl: from ʿAlī that the Prophet used to say in his witr: “O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, in Your pardon from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You; I cannot count praise of You; You are as You have praised Yourself.”

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