Short answer
In the Hanafi school, yes: witr is wajib (necessary), one level below fard. You pray three rakats every night after Isha, and if you miss it you must make it up. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools hold that witr is a strongly emphasised sunnah, not an obligation.
Witr is wajib according to Imam Abu Hanifa, and this is the fatwa position. Leaving it without excuse is sinful, a missed witr must be made up (qada), and it is prayed as three rakats with one salam and du'a qunut before the ruku of the third rakat.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Witr is a sunnah mu'akkadah (strongly emphasised sunnah); the minimum is one rakat and three is better.
- Maliki
- Witr is a sunnah mu'akkadah, prayed as one rakat after an even pair.
- Hanbali
- Witr is a sunnah mu'akkadah; it may be one, three or more rakats.
Explanation
Witr (the odd-numbered night prayer) sits in a special place in the Hanafi school. It is not fard like the five daily prayers, so someone who denies it is not called a disbeliever. But it is wajib, which means it is binding, leaving it is sinful, and it is made up if missed. This is the position of Imam Abu Hanifa and the one on which fatwa is given.
The reasoning comes from the strong wording of the hadith. The Prophet ﷺ called witr "a duty on every Muslim" and gave a direct command to pray it before dawn. He never left it, at home or on a journey. Hanafi scholars read these commands as establishing a duty above sunnah, while the other schools read them as strong encouragement.
- Time: after the Isha fard until true dawn. If you trust yourself to wake for tahajjud, it is better to delay it; otherwise pray it after Isha.
- How: three rakats with one salam, sitting after the second rakat, and reciting du'a qunut in the third rakat before ruku.
- If you miss it: make it up during the day, avoiding the forbidden times.
- Sitting: since it is wajib, pray it standing unless you are unable, like a fard prayer.
The step-by-step method, including the qunut, is in our guide to how to pray witr. For praying tahajjud after you have already prayed witr, see is tahajjud sunnah or nafl.
The evidence
Sunan Abi Dawud 1422
Graded sahih... الوتر حق على كل مسلم فمن أحب أن يوتر بخمس فليفعل ...
"Witr is a duty on every Muslim; whoever wishes to pray witr with five, let him do so."
The Prophet ﷺ called witr a duty (haqq) on every Muslim.
Sahih Muslim 754
Sahih... أوتروا قبل أن تصبحوا ...
"Pray witr before you reach the morning."
A direct command to pray witr before dawn, read by Hanafis as a binding duty.
Sahih al-Bukhari 998
Sahih... اجعلوا آخر صلاتكم بالليل وترا ...
"Make witr the last of your prayers at night."
Witr closes the night prayer.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on witr. Witr is wajib according to Abu Hanifa and sunnah according to his two companions; the fatwa follows Abu Hanifa.
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Chapter on witr. Witr is three rakats with one salam, with qunut in the third before ruku, and its qada is wajib.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Chapter on voluntary prayer. The Shafi'i school holds witr to be a confirmed sunnah, not an obligation.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.