Question
Reference number: 477443 | Prayers | March 11, 2020
I pray the Isha’ prayer, only the Fard; then after a while, maybe after midnight or before, I pray the Sunna and the Witr. Is my prayer in this case valid and acceptable?
Answer
Praise Be to Allah and Peace Be Upon His Messenger.
Referring to your question, your prayer as you describe (praying the Fard at its proper time, then the Sunnah and Witr later) is acceptable. The least number of the Witr is one Rak’a. the least perfect deed is praying three Rak’as. If you want to pray three Rak’as of Witr, you can pray them as follows: two Rak’as alone and then the third one. Otherwise, you can pray the three Rak’as together but without saying the Tashahhud after the second Rak’a. it is undesired to pray the three Rak’as of Witr like the Maghrib Prayer. In other words, praying them together and saying the Tashahhud after the second Rak’a.
I recommend that you keep performing the optional prayers (Sunna) as whoever keeps performing them, a house will be built for them in Paradise. Um Habibah, Ramlah the daughter of Abu Sufyan, RAA said that she heard the Messenger of Allah saying: “A house will be built in Jannah (the Paradise) for every Muslim who offers twelve Rak’as of optional prayers other than the obligatory ones in a day or a night.” Related by Muslim
Ibn Omar RAA reported: “I prayed with the Messenger of Allah two Rak’as of optional prayer before the Dhuhr Prayer and two Rak’as after it, and two after the Friday Prayer, and two after the Maghrib Prayer, and two after the Isha’ Prayer.” Agreed Upon