Is it better in Tarawih prayer to pray Witr with the Imam, or to complete the Rak'ah and pray Witr later in the night, and what is the description of the prayer if one wishes to perform it later in the night after having prayed Witr with the Imam?
It is better for whoever prays Tarawih with the Imam to also pray Witr with him, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Indeed, whoever prays Qiyam with the Imam until he departs, it will be recorded for him as if he prayed the entire night." And whoever wishes to pray Qiyam at the end of the night should pray an even number of rak'ahs without Witr, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade two Witr prayers in one night. It is permissible for someone who prayed with the Imam and wishes to pray Witr at the end of the night to stand up after the Imam says the taslim and pray another rak'ah to make his prayer an even number.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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