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What is the ruling on performing the Witr prayer with three rak'ahs, with a middle tashahhud, after the Imam has performed eight rak'ahs of Tarawih, and is it Witr only, or shaf' and Witr? And is it permissible for someone who does not wish to pray Witr to greet with salam after the second rak'ah of this prayer, or to add a rak'ah to complete it as four, or should he not enter into it at all?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Witr prayer performed in the aforementioned manner is the view of the Hanafis. It is not permissible for someone who does not wish to pray Witr to leave before the Imam, as that would be a transgression against him. The correct approach is to pray with him, and when the Imam says the salām, he should stand for a fourth rak'ah to complete his prayer as four rak'ahs. This is better than not praying with him, as it entails acquiring the reward of spending the night in prayer for anyone who prays with the Imam until he departs.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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