Did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, pray the Witr prayer as only one rak'ah?
A single-rak'ah prayer after Isha', not preceded by a supererogatory prayer, has been reported from some Companions, but it has not been reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed it. However, his saying indicating its permissibility has been reported, such as the hadith: "Witr is a duty upon every Muslim. Whoever wishes to pray Witr with five rak'ahs, let him do so. Whoever wishes to pray Witr with three rak'ahs, let him do so. And whoever wishes to pray Witr with one rak'ah, let him do so." Some Companions, like Umar and Muawiyah, prayed Witr with one rak'ah. As for whether one should pray Witr with a single rak'ah separated from the rest of the supererogatory prayers with a taslim, it has been established that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray at night two by two, and then pray Witr with one rak'ah.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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