Closing Off Qiamullial With The Witir Prayer

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ مَا تَرَى فِي صَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ قَالَ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى فَإِذَا خَشِيَ الصُّبْحَ صَلَّى وَاحِدَةً فَأَوْتَرَتْ لَهُ مَا صَلَّى وَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ اجْعَلُوا آخِرَ صَلَاتِكُمْ وِتْرًا فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَ بِهِ

Abdullah bin Umar RA said, "While the Prophet (ﷺ) was on the pulpit, a man asked him how to offer the night prayers. He replied, 'Pray two rakat at a time and then two and then two and so on, and if you are afraid of the dawn (the approach of the time of the Fajr prayer) pray one raka and that will be the witr for all the rakat which you have offered.'" Ibn Umar said, "The last rak`at of the night prayer should be odd, for the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered it to be so."

Narrated in Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Book 8, Hadith 472

Grade: Sahih (authentic)

Translation adapted from sunnah.com

Lessons:

1. Rasulullah (ﷺ) taught the way to perform nighttime prayers (qiamullail): two raka’at at a time. Each pair of raka’at should be ended with tasleem (the salaam given to end prayer) before standing to pray again.

2. If the time for Fajar (subuh) prayers is approaching, it is advisable to perform one raka’at of the witir prayer. 

3. The witir prayer is made as a closing prayer for all sunnah (supererogatory) prayers performed at night, done with at least one raka’at. 

Let’s try to perform qiamullail every night for at least one raka’at.