Is it okay to pray 1 rakat Witr?

format_quote Originally Posted by Moneeb

I usually pray before I got to sleep and I pray Witr last. I only did 1 rakat but I search online about it, saying do 3 rakat. I saw a hadith that Muhammad(S) did 1 rakat before dawn comes but I do 1 rakat like in 10:15 or somewhere around 10. So is it okay to pray 1 rakat witr even though dawn isnt near?

Asalaamu Alaikum, it really depends on which madhab you follow. If you follow Shafi'i or Hanbali madhab then you pray 2 rakat then one rakat immediately afterwards. If you follow the Hanafi madhab then it is 3 rakat witr. Maliki madhab also splits the 3 rakat witr into 2 parts.

Regarding the one rakat witr then If you follow the Hanafi madhab then praying one rakat is not permissable as the witr is 3 rakat. So in the Hanafi and Maliki madhab one rakat is not desirable however in the Shafi'i and Hanbali madhab one rakat is permissable but some Hanbali scholars also state that it is not desirable to pray just one rakat.

And Allah knows best in all matters

you reminded me of this:

A man came to Allah’s Messenger (saw) asking him about Islam,
Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “You have to offer five compulsory prayers in a day and a night (24 hours).”
The man asked, “Is there any more compulsory prayers for me?”
Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “No, unless you like to offer Nawafil (i.e. optional prayers).”
Allah’s Messenger (saw) then added, “You have to observe fasts during the month of Ramadhan.”
The man said, “Am I to fast any other days?’
Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “No, unless you wish to observe the optional fast voluntarily.”
Then Allah’s Messenger (saw) told him about the compulsory Zakaah.
The man asked, “Do I have to give anything besides?”
Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “No, unless you wish to give in charity voluntarily.”
So, the man departed saying, “By Allah, I will neither do more nor less than that.”
Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “If he has said the truth he will be successful.”
[Al-Bukhaari3.843]

format_quote Originally Posted by Moneeb

Jazak AllahKhair
Well, I am sticking with 1 rakat.

Based on a particular madhab you follow or based on your own desires? We have to be careful not to follow our own desires. I would suggest you ask a local scholar regarding this issue and not just pick which one sounds easy or best based on your desires. Speak to a learned man about this issue.

format_quote Originally Posted by Moneeb

Okay
JazakAllah Khair
But what should I do now because it's night and my person is prolly on his way home which if far. So continue with 1 witr?

Which madhab do you follow to pray your Salaah?

The madhab of the messenger of Allah? the later imams (ra) were learned men who did their best to interpret for us from what they had available to them. i believe we should take what's good from their knowledge and use our intellect based on what we have of the Quran and hadith and the guidance of the learned, and surely in the age of print and visual media, we have international access to more ahadith than all of them combined. i believe we should not identify ourselves based on sects, there is only one Islam.

Talking about the thirteen rak'at in witr, at-Tirmidhi says:
"It has been related from the Prophet that he would perform the witr prayer with thirteen, nine, seven, five, three rak'at or one rak'ah."
http://www.islamiska.org/e/p22.htm

I respect anybody that may have a different opinion, but that's the conclusion i've come to.
sometimes the opinions of these respected scholars directly contradict each other - and both answers can't always be correct at the same time.
and that is the nature of Ijtihad.
the scope for a better interpretation, a new way of molding based on knowledge gained and facts on the ground.
it is what makes Islam the only faith to flourish in such a way in every age, and faster rather than slower with time.

witr i take it comes from the word watr - odd.
so any odd number would do, not sure about one though, but i still think one is better than none.

format_quote Originally Posted by Abz2000

The madhab of the messenger of Allah? the later imams (ra) were learned men who did their best to interpret for us, i believe we should take what's good from their knowledge and use our intellect based on what we have of the Quran and hadith, but we should not identify ourselves based on sects, there is only one Islam.

Talking about the thirteen rak'at in witr, at-Tirmidhi says:
"It has been related from the Prophet that he would perform the witr prayer with thirteen, nine, seven, five, three rak'at or one rak'ah."
http://www.islamiska.org/e/p22.htm

I respect anybody that may have a different opinion, but that's the conclusion i've come to

witr i take it comes from the word watr - odd.
so any odd number would do, not sure about one though, but i still think one is better than none.

The four madhabs were derived from the madhab of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Identifying which madhab one follows has nothing to do with sects or divisions as it is a matter of which methodology one follows and is inclined towards, as many scholars of the past and present identified themselves as specialising in and following specific madhabs. So that is not even an issue.

Ijtihad should be left to the scholars because as laymen we cannot make our own ijtihad as we do not have sufficient knowledge to do so. The differences of the 4 imaams and madhabs are a blessing to mankind as we get to see a different perspective on a certain matter in fiqh. So if there are differences on a certain matter then we get to see the different angles and perspectives for those differences.

It is not correct to say one approach is better or more closer to the Qur'an and Sunnah than the other simply because each approach has its backing from the Qur'an and Sunnah. That is why there are differences of opinion and that is why thre are madhabs in the first place. So there is no such thing as one opinion is better than all. The perfect example is when the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) asked the Sahaba to pray Asr when they got to their destination. Half of them prayed it on the way there as they were fearful they may miss it and half prayed it when they got there. When they came back and asked the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) as to who was correct then he simply stated that both were correct. In the same way the different stances of the madhabs on a certain matter are all correct as they have their own backing from the Qur'an and Sunnah. So differences of opinion are a good thing.

My point to the brother was that one should not just pick or choose a certain stance from the madhabs based upon ones own desires like it is easier etc. That is why it is better to refer to a learned scholar on such matters and not just pick what is easiest or what we want to follow based upon our desires.

So the best course of action for a person with such questions or similar questions would be to refer to a learned scholar on such matters. That concludes this thread.

And Allah knows best in all matters