How to Pray Witr — Step-by-Step with Dua Qunut

Witr is the prayer that seals the worship of the night. Its very name means “odd-numbered,” and it is prayed as an odd number of rak’ahs after Isha, closing the day’s prayers just as Maghrib closes the day. The Prophet ﷺ commanded the people of the Quran to guard it. The Companion Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah is Single (Witr) and loves what is single, so observe the Witr, you who follow the Qur’an.” (Sunan Abu Dawud 1416 — Sahih)

Allah commands prayer into the hours of the night:

“Establish Salāh at both ends of the day, and in the early hours of the night. Surely, good deeds erase bad deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful.” (Quran 11:114)

This guide gathers what the authentic narrations describe of the Prophet’s ﷺ own Witr: its time, the three rak’ahs and the surahs he recited in them, the full step-by-step method. It also covers Dua Qunut with its meaning, what to read while you have not learned the Qunut yet, the words of glorification after Witr, and what he ﷺ instructed for a missed Witr.

1. The Prophet’s ﷺ Emphasis on Witr

The narrations show the weight the Prophet ﷺ himself gave this prayer. He made Witr the closing act of his own night and instructed others to do the same. Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Make Witr as your last prayer at night.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 998 — Sahih)

The same instruction is recorded in Sahih Muslim: “Make Witr the end of your night prayer.” (Sahih Muslim 751 — Sahih)

2. The Time of Witr: After Isha Until Dawn

The time of Witr begins after the Isha prayer and lasts until the break of dawn (Fajr). A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ observed the Witr prayer every night, and he completed Witr at the time of dawn.” (Sahih Muslim 745 — Sahih)

And the Prophet ﷺ said: “Hasten to pray Witr before morning.” (Sahih Muslim 750 — Sahih)

Should you pray it early or late? The Prophet ﷺ gave practical guidance. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If anyone is afraid that he may not get up in the latter part of the night, he should observe Witr in the first part of it; and if anyone is eager to get up in the last part of it, he should observe Witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels) and that is preferable.” (Sahih Muslim 755 — Sahih)

So: if you fear you will sleep through the night, pray Witr after Isha before sleeping. If you are confident you will wake for Tahajjud, delay Witr until after Tahajjud, so it remains your last prayer. That night prayer, Tahajjud, is the one Allah praised when He said:

“And during the night, wake up for Salāh of tahajjud , an additional prayer for you. It is very likely that your Lord will place you at Praised Station.” (Quran 17:79)

Check the exact Isha and Fajr times for your city on our Prayer Times page.

3. How Many Rak’ahs? The Three Rak’ahs of the Prophet’s ﷺ Witr

The narrations describe the Prophet’s ﷺ Witr as three rak’ahs, with the Qunut (the standing supplication) in the third rak’ah before bowing. Ubayy ibn Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray Witr with three rak’ahs. In the first he would recite ‘Glorify the Name of Your Lord, the Most High’ [Surah Al-A’la], in the second ‘Say: O you disbelievers!’ [Surah Al-Kafirun], and in the third ‘Say: He is Allah, (the) One’ [Surah Al-Ikhlas]. And he would say the Qunut before bowing…” (Sunan an-Nasa’i 1699 — Sahih)

4. Step by Step: Praying the Three Rak’ahs

Begin, as with every prayer, in a state of wudu (ablution) (if anything has broken it, renew it — see what breaks wudu).

1. Make the intention in your heart to pray three rak’ahs of Witr for Allah.
2. First rak’ah: Raise your hands, say Allahu Akbar, fold your hands, and recite the opening dua (thana), then Surah Al-Fatiha, then a surah — Surah Al-A’la is the Sunnah choice here. Complete the rak’ah with ruku’ (bowing) and two prostrations as normal.
3. Second rak’ah: Stand up, recite Al-Fatiha and a surah — Surah Al-Kafirun is the Sunnah choice. Complete ruku’ and the two prostrations, then sit and recite the tashahhud (At-tahiyyatu…), and stand up for the third rak’ah without giving salam.
4. Stand up for the third rak’ah. Recite Al-Fatiha and a surah — Surah Al-Ikhlas is the Sunnah choice.
5. Recite Dua Qunut before going into ruku’ (given in full in the next section), standing quietly after the surah — exactly where Ubayy ibn Ka’b described the Prophet ﷺ saying it.
6. After the Qunut, say Allahu Akbar and go into ruku’, then complete the rak’ah with the two prostrations as normal.
7. Sit for the final tashahhud: recite tashahhud, durood (blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ) and the closing dua, then end the prayer with salam on both sides.

5. Dua Qunut: Recited Before Ruku’ in the Third Rak’ah

That the Qunut belongs before ruku’ in Witr is the practice of the Prophet ﷺ. Ubayy ibn Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray Witr, and he would recite Qunut before ruku’.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 1182 — Sahih)

The transmitted wording of Dua Qunut:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَعِينُكَ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِكَ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ وَنُثْنِي عَلَيْكَ الْخَيْرَ وَنَشْكُرُكَ وَلَا نَكْفُرُكَ وَنَخْلَعُ وَنَتْرُكُ مَنْ يَفْجُرُكَ، اللَّهُمَّ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَلَكَ نُصَلِّي وَنَسْجُدُ وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعَى وَنَحْفِدُ وَنَرْجُو رَحْمَتَكَ وَنَخْشَى عَذَابَكَ إِنَّ عَذَابَكَ بِالْكُفَّارِ مُلْحِقٌ

Transliteration: Allahumma inna nasta’inuka wa nastaghfiruka, wa nu’minu bika wa natawakkalu ‘alaik, wa nuthni ‘alaikal-khair, wa nashkuruka wa la nakfuruk, wa nakhla’u wa natruku man yafjuruk. Allahumma iyyaka na’budu wa laka nusalli wa nasjud, wa ilaika nas’a wa nahfid, wa narju rahmataka wa nakhsha ‘adhabak, inna ‘adhabaka bil-kuffari mulhiq.

Meaning: “O Allah, we seek Your help and ask Your forgiveness; we believe in You and place our trust in You. We praise You with the finest praise, we thank You and are not ungrateful to You, and we cast off and abandon whoever disobeys You. O Allah, You alone we worship; for You we pray and prostrate; toward You we strive and hasten. We hope for Your mercy and fear Your punishment — surely, Your punishment will overtake the disbelievers.”

This wording is the Qunut transmitted from the Companions Umar ibn al-Khattab and Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with them).

The Qunut the Prophet ﷺ himself taught: The Prophet ﷺ taught his grandson Al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) these beautiful words to say in the Qunut of Witr:

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

Transliteration: Allahumma ihdini fiman hadayt, wa ‘afini fiman ‘afayt, wa tawallani fiman tawallayt, wa barik li fima a’tayt, wa qini sharra ma qadayt, fa innaka taqdi wa la yuqda ‘alayk, wa innahu la yadhillu man walayt, tabarakta Rabbana wa ta’alayt.

Meaning: “O Allah, guide me among those Thou hast guided, grant me security among those Thou hast granted security, take me into Thy charge among those Thou hast taken into Thy charge, bless me in what Thou hast given, guard me from the evil of what Thou hast decreed, for Thou dost decree, and nothing is decreed for Thee. He whom Thou befriendest is not humbled. Blessed and Exalted art Thou, our Lord.” (Sunan Abu Dawud 1425 · Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 464 — Sahih)

6. If You Have Not Learned Dua Qunut Yet

Do not abandon Witr while you are learning. Begin with the shorter Qunut that the Prophet ﷺ himself taught Al-Hasan (the second wording in section 5 above) — it is complete, authentically transmitted, and only a few lines long. Then memorise the transmitted Qunut gradually — a line or two a day — and keep praying Witr every night in the meantime. And keep the Quran’s own comprehensive dua on your tongue in your daily supplications:

رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ “Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of Fire.” (Quran 2:201)

7. After Witr: Subhan al-Malik al-Quddus

When the Prophet ﷺ finished Witr, he would glorify Allah with these words. Ubayy ibn Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ offered salutation in the witr prayer, he said: ‘Glorify be to the king most holy.'” (Sunan Abu Dawud 1430 — Sahih)

سُبْحَانَ الْمَلِكِ الْقُدُّوسِ

Transliteration: Subhan al-Malik il-Quddus. Meaning: “Glorify be to the king most holy.”

Recite it three times after Witr, drawing out the words the third time, as described in the narration of Ubayy ibn Ka’b: (Sunan an-Nasa’i 1699 — Sahih)

8. Missed Witr? Pray It When You Remember

If Witr is slept through or forgotten, the Prophet ﷺ did not leave it there. He said: “Whoever sleeps past Al-Witr or forgets it, then let him pray it when he remembers it or when he awakens.” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 465 · Sunan Abu Dawud 1431 — Sahih)

So when you wake and remember it, pray it then — in the same form as at night: three rak’ahs with the Qunut.

Common Questions

Did the Prophet ﷺ pray Witr every night? Yes — A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ observed the Witr prayer every night, and he completed Witr at the time of dawn.” (Sahih Muslim 745) And he ﷺ instructed that it be made the last prayer of the night (Sahih al-Bukhari 998).

Can I pray Witr right after Isha, before sleeping? Yes. Its time begins as soon as you have prayed Isha. If you fear you will not wake up in the night, praying it early is exactly what the Prophet ﷺ advised (Sahih Muslim 755).

How is Witr different from Maghrib? Both are prayers of three rak’ahs with a sitting after the second rak’ah. Witr is distinguished by the Qunut: in its third rak’ah, after Al-Fatiha and the surah, the Qunut is recited before bowing — the practice Ubayy ibn Ka’b described of the Prophet ﷺ (Sunan an-Nasa’i 1699).

How many rak’ahs did the Prophet ﷺ pray for Witr? Ubayy ibn Ka’b describes his Witr as three rak’ahs — Surah Al-A’la in the first, Surah Al-Kafirun in the second and Surah Al-Ikhlas in the third, with the Qunut before bowing (Sunan an-Nasa’i 1699). This guide follows that described practice.

I woke up after Fajr time had begun and had not prayed Witr. What do I do? Follow the Prophet’s ﷺ own instruction: “Whoever sleeps past Al-Witr or forgets it, then let him pray it when he remembers it or when he awakens.” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 465) Pray it in the same three-rak’ah form with the Qunut — and the next night, if there is any doubt about waking, pray Witr after Isha, as he ﷺ advised (Sahih Muslim 755).

Conclusion

Witr is the last conversation of the believer with his Lord before sleep: three rak’ahs after Isha, a Qunut recited before ruku’ in the third rak’ah, and the prayer sealed with Subhan al-Malik al-Quddus. It takes only a few minutes, and A’ishah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ observed it every night, completing it at the time of dawn. Learn the Qunut line by line, fix Witr right after Isha until waking at night becomes easy, and let no night pass without it.