Short answer
Yes. In the Hanafi school witr is prayed in congregation in Ramadan, after taraweeh, and most Hanafi fatwa bodies prefer this to praying it alone. Outside Ramadan, making a regular congregation for witr is makruh. You may join the imam for witr even if you did not pray all of taraweeh with him.
Witr in congregation is permitted in Ramadan only, following the practice since Umar, and the view preferred by Qadi Khan and most later fatwa is that it is better than alone. Outside Ramadan, holding it in congregation regularly with a call to gather is makruh. Witr stays wajib, three rakat with one salam and qunut before ruku.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Qunut in witr is said only in the second half of Ramadan, after rising from ruku, and witr is usually prayed as two rakat and then one.
- Hanbali
- Qunut is said in witr all year, after ruku, and witr may be prayed as two plus one.
Explanation
In most of the year witr is prayed alone at home. Ramadan is the exception. When Umar gathered the people for the night prayer behind one imam, witr was prayed in congregation after it, and the Muslims have kept this ever since. So in the Hanafi school witr in congregation in Ramadan is allowed, and most Hanafi fatwa bodies say it is better than praying it alone.
Who can join the witr congregation?
- Someone who prayed taraweeh with the imam.
- Someone who arrived late and has not finished taraweeh: join witr, then complete the remaining taraweeh rakat afterwards.
- Someone who wants to pray tahajjud later: you may still join the witr with the imam, then pray tahajjud without a second witr. Or you may skip the congregation and pray witr at the end of the night, if you are sure you will wake.
How the Hanafi imam prays it. Three rakat with one salam, sitting after the second. In the third rakat he says takbir, raising the hands, and recites qunut before ruku. A Hanafi following a Shafi'i imam who prays two rakat, then salam, then one, should ask a scholar, as many Hanafi scholars say this does not count as witr for the follower. See praying behind an imam of another madhhab.
Outside Ramadan. Praying witr together occasionally, without calling people to it, is fine. Making it a regular congregation outside Ramadan is makruh in the Hanafi school. For more, see is witr wajib and how to pray witr.
The evidence
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 806
Grading to be checked... إنه من قام مع الإمام حتى ينصرف كتب له قيام ليلة ...
"Whoever stands with the imam until he finishes, the reward of a whole night of prayer is written for him."
Completing the night prayer with the imam, including witr, carries a great reward.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2010
Sahih... نعم البدعة هذه والتي ينامون عنها أفضل ...
"What a fine new arrangement this is, and the part of the night they sleep through is better."
Umar's gathering of the people behind one imam in Ramadan, from which the congregational night prayer and witr come.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on witr and nawafil. Witr is prayed in congregation in Ramadan only, and it is better than alone.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on witr and nawafil. Regular congregation for witr outside Ramadan is makruh; one who did not pray taraweeh with the imam may still join witr.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on voluntary prayer. The Shafi'i position on qunut in witr in the second half of Ramadan.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. 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.