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Jami' at-TirmidhiThe Book on Al-Witr

Witr is not incumbent like the status of the obligatory prayers, but it is a Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) started practicing

Chapter: What Has Been Related About Al-Witr Is Not Incumbent

Weak graded by Zubair Ali Zai Jami' at-Tirmidhi 454

Narrator:Ali

وَرَوَى سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ، وَغَيْرُهُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ ضَمْرَةَ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ

الْوِتْرُ لَيْسَ بِحَتْمٍ كَهَيْئَةِ الصَّلاَةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ وَلَكِنْ سُنَّةٌ سَنَّهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏

‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Witr is not incumbent like the status of the obligatory prayers, but it is a Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) started practicing."

Reported by At-Tirmidhi (No. 454), An-Nasa’i (No. 1676) and Ahmad (No. 617, 722, 747, 883, 1157, 1169).

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Explanation

The Hadīth means that performing the Witr prayer is not obligatory like the obligatory five daily prayers, but it is a Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) established. This last part of the Hadīth stresses the fact that the Witr prayer is desirable and recommended only, and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed it without making it obligatory upon us.

Explanation in Arabic

معنى الحديث: صلاة الوتر ليس بواجبة، كالصلوات الخَمس، ولكن سُنَّة سَنَّها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، أي: أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم سَنَّ لنا الوِتر ولم يُوجبه علينا، وهذا تأكيد لقوله: "ليس بِحَتم"، فالوتر صلاة مستحبة ومندوبة فقط.

  • أن الصلوات الخَمس من الفرائض.
  • أن صلاة الوِتر سُنة.

Scholars’ grades

ScholarGradeApplies toWork
Zubair Ali Zaid. 1435 AH WeakDaif The hadith No. 454

Other versions

See all 8 versions
Not graded Bulugh al-Maram 371

The Witr prayer is not obligatory as the prescribed prayer is [i.e. the five daily prayers], but it is a Sunnah which was established by the practice of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). [at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i reported it, who graded it Hasan (good). al-Hakim graded it Sahih (authentic)].

وَعَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- قَالَ : { لَيْسَ اَلْوِتْرُ بِحَتْمٍ كَهَيْئَةِ اَلْمَكْتُوبَةِ , وَلَكِنْ سُنَّةٌ سَنَّهَا رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏-} رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيُّ…

Narrated by Ali

Also reported by… (7)
  • البحر الزخار بمسند البزار (638)الْوِتْرُ لَيْسَ بِحَتْمٍ وَلَكِنَّهُ سُنَّةٌ
  • السنن الكبرى للبيهقي (2028)الْوِتْرُ لَيْسَ بِحَتْمٍ ، وَلَكِنَّهُ سُنَّةٌ سَنَّهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ
  • السنن الكبرى للنسائي (440)لَيْسَ الْوِتْرُ بِحَتْمٍ مِثْلَ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ ، وَلَكِنَّهُ سُنَّةٌ سَنَّهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ
  • المعجم الأوسط للطبراني (1796)الْوِتْرُ لَيْسَ بِحَتْمٍ ، وَلَكِنَّهُ سُنَّةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ
  • مختصر الأحكام المستخرج على جامع الترمذي (375)الْوِتْرُ لَيْسَ بِحَتْمٍ كَهَيْئَةِ الصَّلاةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ ، وَلَكِنْ سُنَّةٌ سَنَّهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ
  • مسند أبي يعلى الموصلي (612)الْوِتْرُ لَيْسَ بِحَتْمٍ مِثْلِ الصَّلاةِ ، وَلَكِنَّهُ سُنَّةٌ سَنَّهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ
  • مصنف عبد الرزاق (4419)الْوِتْرُ لَيْسَ بِحَتْمٍ كَهَيْئَةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ ، وَلَكِنَّهَا سُنَّةٌ سَنَّهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ

On the same subject

Not graded Bulugh al-Maram 375

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "The Witr is a duty, so he who does not offer it, is not one of us." [Reported by Abu Dawud with a Laiyin (weak) chain of narrators and Al-Hakim graded it Sahih (authentic)].

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ بْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ , عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏-{ اَلْوِتْرُ حَقٌّ, فَمَنْ لَمْ يُوتِرْ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا } أَخْرَجَهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ بِسَنَد لَيِّنٍ…

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