Witr ("odd") is the prayer that closes the night. It is prayed any time after Isha until the start of Fajr,151617 always with an odd number of rak'ahs, and it is meant to be the last prayer you pray before dawn:

"Make witr as your last prayer at night."

— Sahih al-Bukhari 9981

It can be as short as one rak'ah — "Witr is a rak'ah at the end of the prayer"2 — and the Prophet ﷺ allowed several lengths: "if anyone wishes to observe it with five rak'ahs, he may do so; if anyone wishes to observe it with three, he may do so, and if anyone wishes to observe it with one, he may do so."3 Three is the most common, so that is the form walked through below. (For the night prayer that Witr closes, see The Night Prayer.)

Either way, it is not something to leave. Abu Hurayrah counted praying Witr before sleeping among the three things the Prophet ﷺ told him never to give up.6

When to pray it

  • Before you sleep — if you are not sure you will wake in the night.5
  • At the end of the night — if you are eager to get up then; this is preferable, "for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels)."5
  • After your night prayer — if you pray tahajjud or Tarawih, Witr comes last: pray your pairs of two, and close with Witr.7

Only one Witr a night: "There are no two witrs during one night."14 If you prayed Witr before sleeping and then wake to pray, pray in twos and don't repeat it.

Three rak'ahs, step by step

  1. 1

    Intend and begin

    Intend in your heart to pray Witr, raise your hands, and say Allahu Akbar.

  2. 2

    First rak'ah

    Recite Al-Fatihah and a short surah — the Prophet ﷺ often recited Al-A'la (87) here — then bow, rise, and make the two prostrations as usual.9

  3. 3

    Second rak'ah

    Recite Al-Fatihah and Al-Kafirun (109),9 bow, rise, and prostrate twice. Then:

  4. 4

    Third rak'ah

    Recite Al-Fatihah and Al-Ikhlas (112).9

  5. 5

    The qunut supplication

    In the last rak'ah of Witr comes the qunut — a supplication said standing, with hands raised. The Prophet ﷺ "would say the Qunut before bowing,"910 and the schools place it differently:

    The supplication is given in full below.

  6. 6

    Finish the prayer

    Complete the rak'ah — bowing, rising, the two prostrations — then sit for the final tashahhud and the salawat, and end with the tasleem. Afterwards, the Prophet ﷺ would say Subhanal-Malikil-Quddus three times, drawing out the last.9

The qunut of Witr

Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali, the Prophet's ﷺ grandson, said he was taught these words "to say during the witr":12

Witr · the qunut

The qunut supplication 12

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ، وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، وَلاَ يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

Allāhumma-hdinī fīman hadayt, wa ʿāfinī fīman ʿāfayt, wa tawallanī fīman tawallayt, wa bārik lī fīmā aʿṭayt, wa qinī sharra mā qaḍayt, innaka taqḍī wa lā yuqḍā ʿalayk, wa innahu lā yadhillu man wālayt, wa lā yaʿizzu man ʿādayt, tabārakta Rabbanā wa taʿālayt

O Allah, guide me among those You have guided, grant me well-being among those You have granted well-being, take me into Your care among those You have taken into Your care, bless me in what You have given, and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed. For You decree, and none decrees over You. The one You befriend is never humbled, and the one You oppose is never honoured. Blessed are You, our Lord, and Exalted.

If you don't know it yet, any sincere supplication in your own words is fine while you learn it. Other qunut supplications are also in use in different communities.

'Ali reported that the Prophet ﷺ also used to say this "at the end of his witr":13

Witr · closing

Seeking refuge in God's pleasure 13

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ، وَبِمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ، لاَ أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ، أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ

Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bi-riḍāka min sakhaṭik, wa bi-muʿāfātika min ʿuqūbatik, wa aʿūdhu bika mink, lā uḥṣī thanāʾan ʿalayk, anta kamā athnayta ʿalā nafsik

O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, and in Your pardon from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot count Your praises; You are as You have praised Yourself.

After Witr

Glory be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy 9

سُبْحَانَ الْمَلِكِ الْقُدُّوسِ

Subḥāna-l-Maliki-l-Quddūs

Glory be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy.

Three times after the salam, drawing out the last.

Other lengths

  • One rak'ah. Pray a single rak'ah — Al-Fatihah and a short surah — with its tashahhud and salam. This is the minimum, and the form used when dawn is close.27
  • Five, seven, or more. Longer Witrs are allowed;3 the Prophet's ﷺ whole night prayer, Witr included, was usually eleven rak'ahs.8

In short

Pray Witr after Isha and before Fajr — ideally as your last prayer of the night. The three-rak'ah form is two rak'ahs plus one, with the qunut in the last; the schools differ on whether to break after the second and on where the qunut goes, and both are shown above. If you can only manage one rak'ah, that is Witr too.