244 - Issue; he said: "The Witr is one rak'ah."
Ahmad, may God have mercy upon him, explicitly stated this, saying: "We hold the view regarding Witr as one rak'ah." Among those from whom this has been narrated are: Uthman ibn Affan, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Zayd ibn Thabit, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, Ibn al-Zubayr, Abu Musa, Mu'awiyah, and Aisha, may God be pleased with them. Mu'adh al-Qari performed this (1), along with men from the companions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him), and none of them disapproved of it. Ibn Umar said: "The Witr is one rak'ah; this was the Witr of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him), and of Abu Bakr and Umar." This is the opinion of Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, Ata', Malik, al-Awza'i, al-Shafi'i, Ishaq, and Abu Thawr. These individuals said: "He should pray two rak'ahs, then perform the taslim, then perform Witr with one rak'ah." It has been narrated from Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas that the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: "Witr is one rak'ah at the end of the night" (2). Aisha said: "The prayer of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) at night was ten rak'ahs; he would perform Witr with one prostration." In another wording: "He used to pray eleven rak'ahs at night, performing Witr with one of them." The Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: "The prayer of the night is two by two, so if you fear the morning, perform Witr with one." Muslim recorded these (3).
Section: His statement, "The Witr is one rak'ah," may mean that he intended: the entirety of the Witr is one rak'ah, and what is prayed before it
(1) Abu al-Harith Mu'adh ibn al-Harith al-Ansari al-Madani, known as al-Qari, died at al-Harrah in the year 63 [AH] at the age of sixty-nine. Ghayat al-Nihaya 2/301, 302. (2) Recorded by Muslim, in: The Chapter on the Prayer of the Night being Two by Two, from the Book of the Traveler's Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/518. And Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on How Much is Witr, from the Book of Witr. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/328. And al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on How Much is Witr, from the Book of Night Prayer. Al-Mujtaba 3/191. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/33, 43, 45, 49, 51, 54, 81, 83, 100, 154. (3) The first was recorded by Muslim, in: The Chapter on the Prayer of the Night... etc., from the Book of the Traveler's Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/510. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on the Prayer of the Night, from the Book of Voluntary Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/307. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 6/165. The second was recorded by Muslim, in: The Chapter on the Prayer of the Night... etc., from the Book of the Traveler's Prayer. Sahih Muslim 2/508. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in the previous location. The third passed on page 443.
