Importance & Method of Witr

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "Livestock are destroyed and the roads are cut off." So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) invoked Allah for rain and it rained from that Friday till the next Friday. The same person came again and said, "Houses have collapsed, roads are cut off, and the livestock are destroyed. Please pray to Allah to withhold the rain." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (stood up and) said, "O Allah! (Let it rain) on the plateaus, on the hills, in the valleys and over the places where trees grow." So the clouds cleared away from Medina as clothes are taken off .

A man came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Livestock are destroyed and the roads are cut off. So please invoke Allah." So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) prayed and it rained from that Friday to the next Friday. Then he came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) I and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Houses have collapsed, roads are cut off and the livestock are destroyed." So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) prayed, "O Allah! (Let it rain) on the tops of mountains, on the plateaus, in the valleys and over the places where trees grow." So the clouds cleared away from Medina as clothes are taken off.

from his uncle who said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) went out to invoke Allah for rain. He faced the Qibla invoking Allah. He turned over his cloak (inside out) and then offered two rak`at and recited the Qur'an aloud in them."

Asma (daughter of Shakal) asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about washing after menstruation. He said: Everyone amongst you should use water (mixed with the leaves of) the lote-tree and cleanse herself well, and then pour water on her head and rub it vigorously till it reaches the roots of the hair. Then she should pour water on it. Afterwards she should take a piece of cotton smeared with musk and cleanse herself with it. Asma' said: How should she cleanse herself with the help of that? Upon this he (the Messenger of Allah) observed: Praise be to Allah, she should cleanse herself. 'A'isha said in a subdued tone that she should apply it to the trace of blood. She (Asma) then further asked about bathing after sexual intercourse. He (the Holy Prophet) said: She should take water and cleanse herself well or complete the ablution and then (pour water) on her head and rub it till it reaches the roots of the hair (of her) head and then pour water on her. 'A'isha said: How good are the women of Ansar (helpers) that their shyness does not prevent them from learning religion.

Asma' b. Shakal came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah, how one amongst us should take a bath after the menstruation, and the rest of the hadith is the same and there is no mention of bathing because of sexual intercourse.

Umm Habiba b. Jahsh thus asked for a verdict from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): I am a woman whose blood keeps flowing (after the menstrual period). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That is only a vein, so take a bath and offer prayer; and she took a bath at the time of every prayer. Laith b. Sa'd said: Ibn Shihab made no mention that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had ordered her to take a bath at the time of every prayer, but she did it of her own accord. And in the tradition transmitted by Ibn Rumh there is no mention of Umm Habiba (and there is mention of the daughter of Jahsh only.)

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed witr at the beginning (of the night) and at the end, and in the middle. And toward the end of his life, he settled on performing witr at the end of the night."

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite: "Glorify the Name of Your Lord, the Most High;" in witr, in the second rak'ah he would recite: "Say: O you disbelievers!"; and in the third "Say: He is Allah, (the) One". And he only said the taslim at the end, and he would say- meaning after the taslim: Subhanal-Malikil-Quddus (Glory be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy)' three times."

The Prophet (ﷺ) got up at night and cleaned his teeth, then he prayed two rak'ahs, then he slept. Then he got up and cleaned his teeth, then he performed wudu and prayed two rak'ahs, until he had prayed six. Then he prayed witr with three rak'ahs, and prayed two rak'ahs.

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray witr with seven or five (rak'ahs), not separating between them with the taslim."

When we came to Medina accompanying the caravan, I used to preach after the dawn prayer, and prostrate on account of the recitation of the Qur'an. Ibn Umar prohibited me three times, but I did not cease doing that. He then repeated (his prohibition) saying: I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman, they would not prostrate (on account of the recitation of the Qur'an) till the sun had risen.

A man who lived in the desert asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the prayer at night. He made a sign with his two fingers-in this way in pairs. The witr consists of one rak'ah towards the end in night.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe witr with (reciting) "Glorify the name of your Lord, the most High" (Surah 87), "Say O disbelievers" (Surah 109), and "Say, He is Allah, the One, Allah, the eternally besought of all" (112).

Al-Hasan reported: Umar ibn al-Khattab gathered the people (in tarawih prayer) behind Ubayy ibn Ka'b (who led them). He used to lead them for twenty days (during Ramadan, and would not recite the supplication except in the second half of it (i.e. Ramadan). When the last ten days remained, he kept away from them, and prayed in his house. They used to say: Ubayy ran away.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition shows that whatever has been reported about the recitation of the supplication is not tenable. Moreover, these two traditions from Ubayy b. Ka'b indicate that another tradition which tells that the Prophet (ﷺ) recited the supplication in the witr is weak.

"Allah's Messenger came out to us and he said: 'Indeed Allah has assisted you with a Salat that is better for you than red camels: Al-Witr which Allah made for you between the Isha prayer till Al-Fajr has begun."

"Al-Witr is not incumbent like your obligatory prayers, but it is a Sunnah of Allah's Messenger who said: "Indeed Allah is Witr (One), and He loves Al-Witr, so perform Al-Witr O people of the Qur'an."

"Allah's Messenger would perform Al-Witr with three, reciting nine Surah from the Mufassal in them, reciting three Surah in each Rak'ah with Say: "Allah is One." At the end of them."Muhammad bin Sirin said: "They would perform Al-Witr with five, with three, and with one Rak'ah, and they considered all of that to be good."

"The Prophet (ﷺ) came out to us and said: "Allah has increased a prayer for you which is better for you than red camels. (It is) Witr, which Allah has enjoined on you between the "Isha' prayer and the onset of dawn.'"

"Witr is not definite (obligatory) nor is it like your prescribed prayers. But the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed Witr, then he said: "O people of the Qur'an! Perform Witr, for Allah is Witr* and He loves the odd (numbered).'"

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray (voluntary prayers) at night two by two, and he would pray one Rak'ah of Witr."

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah, the Exalted, will say: 'Where are those who have mutual love for the sake of My Glory? Today I shall shelter them in My Shade when there will be no shade except Mine".

[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, has said: 'For those who love one another for the sake of My Glory, there will be seats of light (on the Day of Resurrection), and they will be envied by the Prophets and martyrs".

[At- Tirmidhi].

Messenger of Allah, (ﷺ) appointed a man in charge of an army unit who led them in Salat (prayer); he always concluded his recitation with Surat Al-Ikhlas: "Say (O Muhammad (ﷺ)): 'He is Allah, (the) One. Allah-us-Samad (Allah - the Self-Sufficient). He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none equal or comparable to Him."' (112:1-4) Upon their return to Al-Madinah, they mentioned this to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said, "Ask him why he does so?" He was asked and he said, "This Surah contains the Attributes of Allah, the Gracious, and I love to recite it. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then told them, "Tell him that Allah loves him".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].