Fatwa ID: 08315

 

 

Written by Alimah Aisha Qureshi

 

 

Question:

 

Hafiz was leading Witr Salah. He forgot to make takbir for Qunoot. He received luqma and came back from ruku, performed Qunoot then proceeded with the rest of Salah. He also forgot to make Sajdah sahw.

 

Does the witr have to be repeated? Like should an announcement be made that whoever read witr yesterday should repeat their Salah?

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Answer:

 

The Witr prayer is a highly emphasized prayer, especially during Ramadhan, and its performance with Qunoot is considered wājib (necessary).

 

Qunoot during Witr prayer is considered a wājib (obligatory action), and it should be recited after the ruku of the second rak’ah. If Qunoot is forgotten, it must be performed later, but this should be done before the ruku of the third rak’ah.

 

If the Imam forgets to say Qunoot in its proper place and proceeds into ruku, then remembers, the correct action would be to perform Sajdah Sahw at the end of the prayer to compensate for missing Qunoot.

 

However, in this case, the Imam returned from ruku to perform Qunoot, which is not the method in the Hanafi madhab. According to Imam Abu Hanifa, once the person has entered ruku, they cannot go back to perform Qunoot, as the position of Qunoot is before ruku.

 

The failure to perform Sajdah Sahw after the mistake is the issue. Sajdah Sahw is for minor mistakes or forgetfulness during the prayer, and neglecting it invalidates the prayer.

 

According to Hanafi Fiqh, the Witr Salah does not need to be repeated in this scenario. The Hafiz’s act of performing Qunoot after Ruku (due to forgetting the Takbir) is permissible, and though he missed Sajdah Sahw, it does not invalidate the Salah.

 

 

 

 

References:

 إن الله تعالى زادكم صلاة ألا وهي الوتر فصلوها ما بين العشاء إلى طلوع الفجر ” أمر وهو للوجوب ولهذا وجب القضاء بالإجماع 

Hidaya fi Sharh Bidaya almubtadi Vol 1 Pg 66

 

 أن سجدة السهو واجبة هو الصحيح لأنها تجب لجبر نقص تمكن في العبادة

Hidaya fi Sharh Bidaya almubtadi Vol 1 Pg 74

 

 

 

 

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Alimah Aisha Qureshi

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham