Answered by Sidi Salman Younas
thank you very much for rply of my question id 13027. i think my question was not clear. i want to explain it in detail so that you may rply accordingly.
salat -ul- witar i mean three rakats which we are offering now after issa prayer. these 3 rakats were actually offering after tehjjud in the time of prophet (saw) and four righteous companions. even trawhee prayer begins to start offering with jamat during the time of khalifa hajrat umer (R). I have been told that the witar salat begins to offer in congration durng second century in the month of ramjan. until that it was part of tehjjud.
now i want to know with authentic proof the followings:
1) fron when the witar salat become part of issa prayer instead of tehjjud part.
2) from when the witar salat is offering in congration after trawhee prayer during ramajan.
i hope i explain my questions properly. sorry for inconveniance.
salamu `alaykum
I pray you are well and in the best of health.
1) from when the witar salat become part of issa prayer instead of tehjjud part.
The witr prayer is not a part of the `isha or tahajjud prayer. Rather, it can be prayed after the `isha prayer or delayed till after the performance of tahajjud. It is important to note a few points here to lift any confusion regarding “when” witr should be prayed.
Firstly, the time of witr is the same as that of `isha i.e. from after maghrib till dawn. However, order between the fardh of `isha and witr is operationally obligatory. It is neither permitted nor sound to pray witr before the fardh of `isha. (Shurunbulali, Maraqi al Falah)
Secondly, tahajjud refers to the voluntary night prayer performed after `isha that is preceded by sleep. (Ibn `Abidin, Radd al Muhtar)
Thus, one has a choice of either:
[1] Praying the witr after `isha before tahajjud, or
[2] Delaying it till after the performance of one’s tahajjud prayer. This is preferred and recommended if one is sure he will be able to wake up for tahajjud. However, if one is uncertain of waking up then he should perform witr after the `isha prayer, before sleeping, so as to avoid missing it.
The underlying reason behind delaying witr till after tahajjud – for he who is certain of waking up – is due to the prophetic narrations recommending making the last prayer of the night an odd one (witr), as cited by Bukhari and Muslim from Ibn `Umar (Allah be well-pleased with him).
At the same time, if one prayed witr immediately after `isha and then woke up at night for tahajjud he will not repeat his witr prayer since the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) also stated that one should not pray two witr prayers in one night.
2) from when the witar salat is offering in congration after trawhee prayer during ramajan.
Imam Haskafi states in his Durr al Mukhtar that during Ramadhan the witr prayer can be performed:
[1] In congregation, or
]2] Individually.
Both positions are sound. Qadhi Khan gave preference to the first opinion, as did the authors of the Fath, al Burhan, and the Sharh al Niqaya – who stated, citing Ibn Hibban, that this is established from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the rightly guided caliphs – in specific mentioning Sayyidina `Umar (Allah be well-pleased with him). This was also mentioned by Ibn `Abidin in his Radd al Muhtar and Imam Shurunbulali in his Maraqi al Falah.
Even if it was established as the practice of the rightly guided caliphs alone it is sufficient grounds to consider the practice a sunna. The Prophet, in an authentic said, “Follow my sunna and the sunna of the rightly guided caliphs after me.” (Tirmidhi (hasan sahih), Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Hakim, and others).
And Allah Knows Best
Wasalam
Salman Younas
Approved by Faraz Rabbani