The Excellence of Night Prayer and Witr

This narration from the Mother of the Believers, 'A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her), establishes the consistent practice of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in performing the night prayer (Tahajjud) and concluding it with the Witr prayer. This demonstrates the Sunnah of making Witr the final prayer of the night.

Scholarly Commentary on the Practice

The scholars of Islam have derived from this hadith that the Witr prayer holds the position of being the seal and conclusion of one's nightly worship. It is the prayer that "ties" the night's devotion, as indicated by its name "Witr" which means "odd."

Imam An-Nawawi, in his commentary on Sahih Muslim, explains that this practice shows the preference for delaying the Witr prayer until the end of the night, though it is permissible to pray it earlier if one fears they might not wake up later. The Prophet's consistent practice indicates the superior method.

Legal Rulings Derived

This narration establishes that Witr is a confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah Mu'akkadah) and should ideally be the last prayer performed before the Fajr time enters. The majority of scholars consider it highly recommended, with some schools considering it obligatory.

The Hanafi school regards Witr as wajib (obligatory), while other schools consider it Sunnah Mu'akkadah. All agree on its great merit and that neglecting it without valid reason is disapproved.

Practical Implementation

The minimum Witr consists of one rak'ah, while the maximum is eleven. The most common practice is three rak'at, which can be performed either with one salām at the end or with two salāms (two rak'at then one rak'ah).

If one fears missing Witr due to sleep or other reasons, it may be prayed before sleeping. If one awakens later, they may pray Tahajjud but should not repeat Witr, as there is only one Witr per night.