Can witr prayer be performed separately, independent of the night prayer (isha)?
Dear Brother / Sister,
According to the different ijtihads and views of mujtahid imams, the time for the night (isha) and witr prayers starts with the red twilight or with the whiteness that starts after the red twilight and it ends with the true dawn (fajr as-sadiq). This time period is determined for both the night and witr prayer. However, witr prayer is performed after the night prayer. It is wajib to perform them in this order.
However, according to Imam A'zam Abu Hanifa, if a person forgets and performs witr prayer before the night prayer or if he performs witr first and the night prayer later, it is necessary to perform the night prayer again; thus, both prayers are valid in the first case and it is necessary to perform the night prayer again in the second case. For, witr prayer is regarded valid in that case. Praying them in order, which is wajib, is not taken into consideration with excuses like that.
It is not necessary to perform witr prayer immediately after the night prayer. It is more virtuous for a person to sleep and to wake up in order to perform witr prayer at night if he is sure that he can wake up.
(Celal Yıldırım, Kaynaklarıyla İslam Fıkhı, Uysal Kitabevi: I/180-181.)
Questions on Islam
- When does the time period for tahajjud prayer start? Can it be performed immediately after the night prayer (isha)? Is it appropriate to delay the night prayer and perform tahhajud prayer immediately after the night prayer?
- The Times of Prayers
- How many rakats are there in Witr prayer? (a necessary prayer performed between night prayer and dawn prayer) When should we perform the witr prayer?
- When does the time period for the evening prayer end?
- Is it necessary to perform the Qada (missed) prayer of Witr of which we do not offer in its prescribed time?
- I would like to get some information about Tahajjud.
- What are the mustahab times for performing five daily prayers? For instance, the morning prayer (fajr) can be performed up to the time of sunrise. What about the other prayers?
- Up to what time can the night (isha) prayer be performed?
- Is it makruh to perform the night prayer after midnight?
- What is the time period for the evening prayer? The people living in the Central Asian countries act differently about the time period of the evening prayer.
