Witr (Arabic: وتر) is an Islamic prayer (salat) that is performed at night after Isha (night-time prayer) or before fajr (dawn prayer). Witr has an odd number of raka'at prayed in pairs, with the final raka'ah prayed separately. Therefore, as little as one raka'ah can be prayed, and eleven at most.
According to Abdullah ibn Umar, Muhammad said, "The night prayer is offered as two raka'at followed by two raka'at and so on and if anyone is afraid of the approaching dawn (fajr prayer), he should pray one raka'ah and this will be a witr for all the raka'at which he has prayed before."
In a hadith transmitted by Abu Darda, he states that Muhammad enjoined to him three things: to fast three days every month, to offer the witr salat before sleep, and to offer two raka'at sunnah for fajr.
But there are many aḥādīth that show the best time for the witr salat to be at night. If someone fears that he would not be able to awake, or may die in their sleep, then the prayer should be performed before sleeping.
Therefore, he or she who performs tahajjud (night prayer) regularly should perform witr after tahajjud.
It is recorded that Ali bin Abu Talib said, "The witr prayer is not required like your obligatory prayers but the Prophet would perform the witr prayer and say, 'O you people of the Quran, perform the witr prayer, for Allah is One and He loves the witr.'"
The literal meaning of witr is "chord of a circle". Considering the whole day as a circle along which all the prayers are located, the maghrib salat is offered at the sunset (beginning of the night). It has an un-paired (odd) number of raka'at. By offering the odd raka'at of witr as the last prayer of the night, a chord is created by pairing these two un-paired raka'ats of each of the maghrib's and witr's.
Narrated by Al-Hasan ibn Ali (who is the grandson of Muhammad, he said he was taught by Muhammad to say the qunūt du‘ā’ (Dua e Qanoot) in Arabic as follows:
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَّالَيْتَ وَلاَ يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
“O Allah guide me among those You have guided, pardon me among those You have pardoned, befriend me among those You have befriended, bless me in what You have granted, and save me from the evil that You decreed. Indeed You decree, and none can pass decree, and none can pass decree upon You, indeed he is not humiliated whom You have befriended, blessed are You our Lord and Exalted.”
Hanafi commonly recite second version of supplication of Witr prayer (Arabic:دعاء صلاة الوتر du‘ā’ ṣalātu ’l-Witr) as follows, which is said in the last raka‘at of witr (since one raka'at follows the Sunnah, in this case performing in odd numbers - 3,5,7,9 or 11 raka'ats), first by saying takbir with hands up, then saying the following verses before ruku‘:
How to Witr Prayer:
Way of prayer witr is that after pray two rakat then sit down. Read at tahyat until abduhu wa rosulohu then stand up and Praise in the third rak'ah and exterior finishes and left hands to their ears saying Allah Akbar. The rule should recite the prayer Qonoot hands bound. Stay in prayer and then the rest should be.
Nama Witr Parhne ka Tareeqa:
Nama witr parhne ka tareeqa yeh hai keh do rekatein parh kar baith jaye aur abduhu wa rasuluhu tak at-tahyat parh kar khara ho jaye phir teesre rikat mein Al-hamd aur sura se farigh hokar Allahu Akbar kehta hua kanon tak hath uthaye aur phir qaidah ke mutabiq hath bandh kar duaye qunut parhe.
Dua-e-Qonoot:
Tahajjud, also known as the "night prayer", is a voluntary prayer performed by followers of Islam. It is not one of the five obligatory prayers required of all Muslims, although the Islamic prophet, Muhammad was recorded as performing the tahajjud prayer regularly himself and encouraging his companions too.