Person missed Isha with congregation; can he read Witr with congregation?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.
There are two ways to look at this particular ruling:
- Can Witr be read in congregation without reading the Isha Salah at all?
- Can Witr be read in congregation without reading the Isha Salah with jamaat but was read by oneself separately?
With regards to the first question, the Witr salah becomes wajib after the praying of the Isha Salah. There are two situations where the Witr salah can be read before the Isha prayer:
- If a person forgetfully reads the Witr before the Isha
- If the person read the Isha Salah and Witr Salah in order but later it was realised that the Isha Salah was prayed without wudhu and Witr prayer with wudhu, then one will only be required to do qadha of the Isha Salah and not the Witr.
Therefore the conclusion we can come to is that without praying the Isha Salah one would not be allowed to participate in the witr Salah with congregation. (Masaail Namaz p.206)
With regards to the second situation, it will be permissible to participate in the Witr Salah with congregation as long as the Isha Salah had been read, whether in congregation or individually. (Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband p.155 v.4)
Only Allah Knows Best
Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham