Fatwa ID: 08780 

 

 

Answered by Muftiyah Shireen Mangera-Badat

 

Question:

 

I would like to understand something regarding to the Witr prayer. According to Hanafi scholars the Witr can be only three rakats. And offering the first sitting is Wajib in Hanafi in the Witr. But why has the most authentic books describe offering the Witr without the first sitting?  Hence, if one misses the first sitting even by accident, he has not made the Sajda Sahw at the end of the Witr with three rakats. But according to Hanafi’s he must. Does it mean that Hanafi’s not admit this sahih hadith? And how did Al Ainy explain missing the first Tashahhud analysing books of hadiths? Don’t forget send his comments, please!

 

 

2. If we offer four rakats before the Zuhr two by two it is not counted as Sunnah muakkadah before the Zuhr. But then how to explain hadiths where our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) offered only two rakats before the Zuhr? Does it mean that four rakats of Sunnah muakkadah is not a whole prayer? What did Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf, Muhammad say about the manner of offering of four rakats before the Zuhr? Also, I would like to see opinions of Ibn Humam, Al -Ainy Ali Al Qari, Tahawi.

 

 

 

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

 

 

Answer:

 

Witr Prayer: The First Tashahhud and Sajdat al-Sahw Are Required

 

Hanafi Position: According to the Hanafi school, the Witr prayer is offered in three consecutive rakat,[1] with a qunut supplication in the third rakat and a tashahhud following the second. Tashahhud, the initial sitting, is regarded as Wajib (necessary). It requires sajdat al-sahw (prostration of forgetfulness) if left out, even inadvertently.

 

Hadith-based evidence:

 

“The Witr is three like the Witr of the daytime, the prayer of Maghrib,” according to Abdullah ibn Masud.[2]

 

The inclusion of a tashahhud in Witr following the second rakat is supported by the analogy to Maghrib, which also includes a sitting after two rakat.
[3]

 

Al-ʿAynis’ Justification:

 

Al-ʿAynis addresses the structure of the Witr prayer. He cites narrations that highlight the three rakat format with a sitting following the second rakat, thereby bolstering the Hanafi viewpoint.[4] He resolves conflicting accounts by placing them in the larger framework of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions’ behaviour.

 

 

2. Four Rakat Sunnah Prior to Zuhr: A Hanafi Viewpoint

 

Hanafi Ruling: Four rakat before the Zuhr prayer are regarded by the Hanafi school as Sunnah Mu’akkadah (emphasised Sunnah). Instead of being divided into two sets of two rakat, these should be performed with a single Taslim. The Sunnah Mu’akkadah status is not fulfilled if they are offered as two distinct prayers.

 

Context of Hadith: Although some hadiths state that the Prophet ﷺ offered two rakat prior to Zuhr, Hanafi scholars understand these to be either extra voluntary prayers (nafl) or a part of a larger ritual that involved four rakat. According to other narrations, the focus is on the regular practice of four rakat.

 

Views of Hanafi Scholars: As Sunnah Mu’akkadah, Imam Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf, and Muhammad al-Shaybani support the custom of four rakat prior to Zuhr.

 

 

Then the order of the Sunnahs: Al-Halwani said that the strongest is the rak’ah of Fajr, then the Sunnah of Maghrib, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never omitted them, whether travelling or at home.[5]

 

Then the one after noon prayer, as they are both agreed upon as a Sunnah

 

In order to preserve the Sunnah Mu’akkadah status, Ibn al-Humam talks about how important it is to perform these four rakat with a single Taslim.

 

 

In their respective writings, al-ʿAynis and Ali al-Qari emphasise the importance of this practice in the daily prayer routine.

 

In summary:

 

The Sunnah Mu’akkadah status of four rakat prior to Zuhr and the obligation of the first tashahhud in Witr are established by the Hanafi school through a thorough examination of hadiths and the Prophet’s ﷺ practices. To support these rulings, scholars such as al-ʿAynis and al-Ṭaḥawi offer thorough explanations that reconcile different narrations.

 

 

 

References:

 

[1] لوترُ ثلاثَ ركعات وجب

ص146 – كتاب شرح الوقاية ت أبو الحاج – باب صلاة الوتر والنوافل – المكتبة الشاملة

 

[2] دَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ، كَانَ يَقُولُ صلاة المغرب وتر صلاة النهار ‏.‏ قال مالك من أوتر أول الليل ثم نام ثم قام فبدا له أن يصلي فليصل مثنى فهو أحب ما سمعت إلى

 

[3] Hafiz al- ‘Iraqi sourced it to Ahmad in Takhrij al-Ihya’ and said its chain is sahih (footnotes to Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Dar Qurtubah, 4:466, no. 6773).

‘Allamah Badr al-Din al- ‘Ayni said: “The chain is according to the criterion of the two shaykhs (i.e. Bukhari and Muslim).” (Nukhab al-Afkar, Dar al-Nawadir, 5:100)

 

[4] الوتر؛ لأن الوتر فرض على حدة عنده

ص600 – كتاب البناية شرح الهداية – كيفية قضاء الفوائت – المكتبة الشاملة

 

[5] ثم الترتيب بين السنن قال الحلواني أقواها ركعة الفجر، ثم سنة المغرب لأنه – عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ – لم يدعهما في سفر ولا حضر، ثم التي بعد الظهر فإنهما سنة متفق عليهما

ص507 – كتاب البناية شرح الهداية – عدد ركعات التطوع المرتبطة بالصلوات وكيفيتها – المكتبة الشاملة

 

 

 

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Muftiyah Shireen Mangera-Badat

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham