What is recited in the rak'ahs exceeding three rak'ahs in the Witr prayer, and should the three surahs (Al-A'la, Al-Kafirun, Al-Ikhlas) be recited again, or can one choose whatever surahs they wish? And are the surahs that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite in the Shafa' prayer Al-A'la and Al-Kafirun, or are these two surahs specific to Witr? And is it permissible to pray Shafa' two rak'ahs, then Witr seven rak'ahs, without consistency in the number?

Witr is applied to a single rak'ah, or three, five, or seven continuous rak'ahs, while Shaf' is applied to what is prayed before Witr. It is recommended that the night prayer be two rak'ahs by two rak'ahs, then one concludes with a single rak'ah of Witr. If the worshipper limits it to three rak'ahs, it is recommended to recite Surat Al-A'la in the first, Al-Kafirun in the second, and Al-Ikhlas, or Al-Ikhlas and the two Mu'awwidhatain, in the last. If one prays more than that for Witr, it is recommended to recite these surahs in the last three rak'ahs if they are separated from what precedes them. It is also said that it is sunnah to recite them even if they are connected to what precedes them. However, the first opinion is not to recite them if they are connected, so as to avoid the preceding rak'ahs being devoid of a surah, or prolonging them, or reciting in an order other than that of the Mushaf. If one recites something else, it is valid.