Islamic Fiqh > Prayer > Supererogatory prayers: rawatib, witr and duha
The prayers attached to the 5 daily prayers (rawatib), witr and the duha prayer: how many, when, and what is firmly established per the schools.
Contents
Updated on 06 October 2026 at 10:50 PM
The voluntary prayers surround each obligatory prayer and fill the day and the night. Umm Habiba reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
Whoever prays 12 rak'as in a day and a night, a house will be built for him in Paradise.
Muslim 728
The list specified afterwards: 4 before dhuhr, 2 after it, 2 after maghrib, 2 after isha, 2 before fajr (reported by at-Tirmidhi). Among the Hanafis, the confirmed rawatib are thus 12, and 'Aisha says the Prophet never abandoned 4 rak'as before dhuhr (al-Bukhari 1127). The 2 rak'as of fajr are the most strongly recommended of all.
The majority of jurists (Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis, as well as Abu Yusuf and Muhammad among the Hanafis) hold the witr to be a strongly confirmed sunna, not an obligation, based on the Prophet's words: "Allah is odd and loves the odd; perform the witr, people of the Quran" (reported by at-Tirmidhi). Its basic form is given by the hadith: "the night prayer is performed 2 by 2; then the witr" (reported by Muslim). The Prophet left the choice of the number:
The witr is a right upon every Muslim: whoever wants to perform the witr with 5, let him do so; with 3, let him do so; with one, let him do so.
reported by Abu Dawud
Its time opens after isha and extends through the whole night until dawn appears; it is the last prayer of the night, and whoever misses it makes it up in the morning.
Its time begins when the sun has risen about a spear's length and ends just before the zenith. The best moment is when the heat grows: "the prayer of the devoted ones comes as the hooves of the camels burn with heat" (reported by Muslim).
'Imran ibn Husayn asked the Prophet about a man praying seated: standing is best; seated, half the reward of standing; lying down, half of the seated (reported by al-Bukhari). The voluntary prayer remains valid in all these postures.
Begin with the 2 rak'as of fajr and the witr: they are the most constant in the Prophet's practice. Then add the rawatib, then the duha when your day allows it. Consistency is worth more than volume.