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As for the three Witr units, they are performed just like the sunset prayer with two
exceptions: (a) in the third unit the Fatihah is followed by a portion of the Qur’ an, and
(b) while standing after bowing and before prostration the worshipper says these
words:
Çááåã ÅäÇ äÓÊÚíäß æ äÓÊåÏíß , æ äÓÊÛÝÑß æ äÊæ È Åáíß æ äÄãä Èß æ äÊæ ßá Úáíß
, æ äËäí Úáíß ÇáÎíÑßáå , äÔßÑß æ áÇ äßÝÑß , æ äÎáÚ æ äÊÑß ãä íÝÌÑß , Çááåã ÅíÇß
äÚÈÏ , æ áß äÕáí æ äÓÌÏ , æ Çáíß äÓÚì æ äÍÝÏ . äÑÌæ ÑÍãÊß , æ äÎÔì ÚÐÇÈß Åä
ÚÐÇÈß ÈÇáßÝÇÑ ãáÍÞ æ Õá Çááåã Úáì ãÍãÏ æ Úáì Âáå æ ÕÍÈå æ Óáã
“ Allahumma inna nasta ‘eenuk, wa nastahdeek wa nastaghifiruk, wa natubu ilayk, wa
nu’ minu bik, wa natawakkalu ‘alayk, wa nuthni ‘alayka-l-Khayra kullah. Nashkurk,
wa la nakfruk, wa nakhla’ u wa natruku man yafjuruk. Allahumma iyyaka na’ bud, wa
laka nusalli wa laka nasjud, wa ilayka nas’ a wa nahfid. Narju rahmatak, wa nakhsha
‘adhabak; inna adhabaka bi-l-Kuffari mulhaq wa salli-l-llahumma ‘ala Muhammad
wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim.”
This supplication is called Qunut and may be interpreted as follows:
“ O God! We beseech You for help and guidance, and seek Your protection and
believe in You and rely on You, and extol You and are thankful to You and are not
ingrate to You, and we declare ourselves clear of, and forsake, him who disobeys You
“ O God! To You do we pray and prostrate ourselves, and to You do we betake
ourselves and to obey You we are quick, and Your mercy do we hope for and Your
punishment do we fear, for Your punishment overtakes the unbelievers
“ O God! Exalt Muhammad and his people and its true followers.”
If this Qunut cannot be commanded by memory, it sufficient to say any recitation
similar to it till it is mastered
There are minor differences of interpretation between the various schools of law
regarding the wordings and times of qunut. Some require no qunut; others require it in
the Early Morning prayer with slight variations. However, following any of the
authentic schools is acceptable
All the Sunnah (supererogatory) prayers are to be said individually, that is, not in
congregation except the ‘Eed prayers, and Taraweeh and Witr prayers in the month of
Ramadan
The Sunnah Prayers are not required from a person who has missed some Fard
Prayers. Instead, he must make up for what he has missed and offer the obligatory
services. Also the Sunnah prayers are not required if the due time of the
accompanying Fard Prayers has expired. So if a person misses any prayer and wants
to make up for it, he has to offer the Fard only
If a worshipper does not know how to say his whole prayers in the Arabic version, he
should simply say Subhaan Allah, Al-Hamdu Lillaah and Allaahu Akbar, this means:
Glory to God, Praise be to God, God is greatest of all, until he learns to recite the
prayers in Arabic language
Explanations: Non-Arabic speakers can always read the translations of the Qur’ an in
other languages they understand since believers are requested to concentrate in their
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