Witr Prayer - Rakahs, Qunut and School Differences

1. 1Decide 1, 3 or 5 rakahs; three as 2+1 is simplest for beginners.
2. 2In the final rakah recite qunut in your school’s position (before/after ruku).
3. 3Close with salam; if you wake later, pray tahajjud in twos without repeating Witr (“no two Witrs in a night”).
4. 4Missed Witr is made up by day in even numbers.

How many rakahs and how

The Prophet ﷺ prayed Witr as one, three, five, seven and nine rakahs on different nights (Muslim) - one rakah alone is valid, three is the most common. Three can be prayed as 2+1 with separate salams, or three continuous with one tashahhud at the end (not two tashahhuds like Maghrib, to differ from it).

Time runs from Isha until Fajr; delaying to the last third is best for night-prayers, while sleeping early means praying Witr before bed - “whoever fears missing it, pray before sleeping” (Muslim). Missing it is made up in daytime with even rakahs (2, 4...) per the hadith of Aisha.

Qunut: wording and placement

The qunut taught to Hasan - Allahummahdini fiman hadayt - is on our dua pages with audio reference. Hanafis recite qunut (with raised hands, then face-wipe) before ruku in the third rakah year-round; Shafi’is place it after ruku, emphasized in Ramadan’s second half; Malikis recite it softly before ruku; Hanbalis after ruku. Follow your school and imam.

Qunut in Fajr, wiping the face after dua, and the “Dua-e-Qunoot” confusion: the famous long Pakistani/Indian qunut text is a compilation of authentic phrases - reciting the short Hasan wording suffices and is the established sunnah.