What Is the Legal Status of the Two Sittings in the Witr Prayer?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

Please could you confirm if my following understanding is correct:

The Tashahhud is wajib in both sittings of the Witr prayer.

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

The first sitting of the Witr prayer is necessary (wajib). The last sitting of the Witr prayer is obligatory (fard). [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

This means that missing the first sitting of the Witr prayer is sinful (prohibitively disliked), but the Witr prayer will remain valid despite this sinful omission.  [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

As for not performing the last sitting of the Witr prayer, it will invalidate the Witr prayer. [Ibid.]

Proofs

The reason for the first sitting to be wajib is that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) would perform it regularly and would perform prostrations of forgetfulness in case it was forgotten. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

The reason for the last sitting to be fard is because of the consensus of the scholars of Islam on this issue. [Ibid.]

Allah, Most High, says: “And whoever defies the Messenger after guidance has become clear to them and follows a path other than that of the believers, We will let them pursue what they have chosen, then burn them in Hell—what an evil end!” [Quran, 4:115]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then, he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.