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HOW TO PRAY WITR?Taken from-

http://islamqa.com/en/ref/46544/witrhttp://islamqa.com/en/ref/26844/witr

1) - WITR NOT TO RESEMBLE MAGHRIB PRAYER-

According to this hadeeth narrated by al-Haakim (1/304), al-Bayhaqi (3/31) and al-Daaraqutni(p. 172), and which was classed as saheeh by al-Haakim according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Do notpray Witr with three rakahs that resemble Maghrib.

What he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant, as the scholars have explained,was that we should not sit to recite the first Tashahhud in a manner that resemblesMaghrib. Raising the hands for the Takbeer before reciting Duaa al-Qunoot, is not what ismeant by the prohibition of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the

hadeeth .

Raising the hands for Takbeer before reciting Duaa al-Qunoot makes no difference in fact,because there are four places in which the hands should be raised during prayer:

1 When saying Takbeer al-ihraam (takbeer for starting the prayer)2 When bowing in rukoo3 When standing up from rukoo4 When standing up after the first tashahhud

It is not prescribed for the worshipper to raise his hands at any point other than these four.

2 - THE NUMBER OF RAK'AHS

ONE RAKA'H

The minimum number of rakahs for Witr is one rakah, because the Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Witr is one rak'ah at the end of thenight.Narrated by Muslim, 752.

And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The night prayers are two(rakahs) by two, but if one of you fears that dawn is about to break, let him prayone rakah to make what he has prayed odd-numbered. Narrated by al-Bukhaari,911; Muslim, 749.

If a person limits himself to praying one rakah, then he has performed the Sunnah. But Witrmay also be three or five or seven or nine.

THREE RAK'AHS

If a person prays three rakahs of Witr this may be done in two ways, both of which areprescribed in shareeah:

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To pray them one after another, with one tashahhud, because of the hadeeth of Aaishah(may Allaah be pleased with her) who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings ofAllaah be upon him) used not to say the tasleem in the (first) two rakahs of Witr .According to another version: He used to pray Witr with three rak'ahs and he did notsit except in the last of them. Narrated by al-Nasaai, 3/234; al-Bayhaqi, 3/31. al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo (4/7): it was narrated by al-Nasaai with a hasan isnaad, andby al-Bayhaqi with a saheeh isnaad.

Saying the tasleem after two rak'ahs, then praying one rakah on its own, because of thereport narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), that he used toseparate the two rak'ahs from the single rak'ah with a tasleem, and he said that theProphet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do that. Narrated byIbn Hibbaan (2435); Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath (2/482): its isnaad is qawiy (strong).

FIVE OR SEVEN RAK'AHS

If one prays Witr with five or seven rakahs, then they should be continuous, and he

should only recite one tashahhud in the last of them and say the tasleem, because of thereport narrated by Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said: The Messengerof Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray thirteenrakahs at night, praying five rakahs of Witr, in which he would not sit except inthe last rakah. Narrated by Muslim, 737.

And it was narrated that Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: TheProphet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray Witr with five orseven (rakahs) and he did not separate between them with any salaam or words .Narrated by Ahmad, 6/290; al-Nasaai, 1714. al-Nawawi said: Its isnaad is jayyid. Al-Fathal-Rabbaani, 2/297. and it was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaai.

NINE RAK'AHS

If one prays Witr with nine rakahs, then they should be continuous and he should sit torecite the tashahhud in the eighth rak'ah, then stand up and not say the tasleem, then heshould recite the tashahhud in the ninth rakah and then say the tasleem. It was narratedin Muslim (746) from Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray nine rakahs in which he did notsit except in the eighth, when he would remember Allaah, praise Him and call uponHim, then he would get up and not say the tasleem, and he would stand up andpray the ninth (rakah), then he would sit and remember Allaah and praise Him andcall upon Him, then he would say a tasleem that we could hear.

ELEVEN RAK'AHS

If one prayed Witr with eleven rakahs, he would say the tasleem after each two rakahs,then pray one rakah at the end.

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ONE OF THE WAY OF PRAYING WITR AND WHAT IS TO BE RECITED THEREIN;

The less perfect way in Witr is to pray two rak'ahs and say the tasleem, then to pray one

rakah and say the tasleem. It is permissible to say one tasleem, but one should say onetashahhud not two, as stated above. In the first rakah one should recite Sabbih isma rabbika al-ala (Glorify the name of your

Lord, the Most High Soorat al-Ala 87). In the second one should recite Soorat al-Kaafiroon (109), and in the third Soorat al-Ikhlaas (112). Al-Nasaai (1729) narrated thatUbayy ibn Kab said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be uponhim) used to recite in Witr Sabbih isma rabbika al-ala (Glorify the name of your Lord,the Most High Soorat al-Ala 87), Qul yaa ayyuhal-kaafiroon (Say: O disbeliever Soorat al-Kaafiroon 109) and Qul Huwa Allaahu ahad (Say: He is Allaah, the One Soorat al-Ikhlaas 112). Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaai.