How to Pray Witr Prayer: Rak‘ahs, Time and Dua Qunoot

By the IslamicNur team · 9 November 2026 · Salah

Witr is a strongly emphasised Sunnah that the Prophet ﷺ never left, whether at home or travelling. He said: "Make witr the last of your prayer at night" (al-Bukhari 998, Muslim 751).

The time of witr

From after the ‘Isha prayer until the start of Fajr. If you trust that you will wake up, praying it in the last part of the night is better; otherwise pray it before sleeping (Muslim 755). Check today's ‘Isha and Fajr times on our prayer times page.

How many rak‘ahs?

The minimum is one rak‘ah: "The night prayer is two by two, and if one of you fears the dawn, let him pray one rak‘ah as witr" (al-Bukhari 990, Muslim 749). Witr can be 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 rak‘ahs. Most people pray three.

How to pray three rak‘ahs of witr

1. Two rak‘ahs, then salam

   Pray two rak‘ahs and end them with the salam. In the first recite al-Fatihah and Surah al-A‘la, in the second al-Fatihah and Surah al-Kafirun (Abu Dawud 1423, an-Nasa'i 1730).

2. One rak‘ah

   Stand and pray one rak‘ah, reciting al-Fatihah and Surah al-Ikhlas.

3. Dua Qunoot (optional)

   After rising from ruku‘ (or before it; both are reported), raise your hands and say the qunoot the Prophet ﷺ taught al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali: read Dua Qunoot. Then go to sujud and complete the prayer.

You may also pray all three together with a single sitting at the end. Do not pray three rak‘ahs with a middle tashahhud like Maghrib; the Prophet ﷺ said "do not make it resemble Maghrib" (ad-Daraqutni, authenticated by Ibn Hajar).

Is Qunoot in witr required?

No. Qunoot in witr is Sunnah. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin said it is not prescribed to do it every night without leaving it sometimes. Witr without qunoot is complete.

After witr

After the salam say three times: سُبْحَانَ الْمَلِكِ الْقُدُّوسِ (Subhanal-Malikil-Quddus), raising the voice the third time (an-Nasa'i 1699).