On the authority of 'Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her – who said;

The Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - used to pray 13 Rak'as at night, he would pray Witr with five of them, he would sit in any of them except the last one.

In some narrations it was mentioned:

In Ramadan or other than Ramadan.

He would pray thirteen Rak'as, and would pray the Witr with five of them.

There are many ways that he - ﷺ - prayed Witr, Ibn Hazm mentioned about thirteen different ways. Whoever would like to read about them can refer to al-Muhalaa and read on this topic, so that he may know these different methods of praying Witr which he supported with evidence, and He was granted success in that.

Even though we sometimes warn some youth from reading al-Muhalaa, but that is in a subject and this is in another subject. In the subject of serving the Sunnah and speaking about Fiqh, then every student of knowledge knows that Ibn Hazm is a scholar without a shred of doubt in this subject. But in terms of 'Aqeedah one should be careful as we have explained more than once, but one can benefit from him in a topic such as this.

Al-'Allamah; Shaykh Muhammad Amaan al-Jaamee in his explanation to 'Umdat al-Ahkam – 5th tape.
 

How the Messenger - ﷺ - used to pray Witr as was explained in al-Muhalaa by ibn Hazm

[Transcribed into Arabic by Abu 'Ubaydah Munjid ibn Fadl al-Haddaad

The author narrates the Ahadeeth with his own chain of narrators to the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ , they have been removed from the English translation to avoid elongation with the exception of the final narrator, they can be found in the Arabic text of the article.]

The best time to pray Witr is during the last part of the night, and one Rak'ah suffices (for Witr  Witr and the night prayer can be prayed in thirteen ways, whichever one you pray will suffice.

This is what has been authentically verified according to us, and if anything else that the Messenger - ﷺ - did was authentically verified we would have mentions it, and to Allah belongs all praise.

 

1. The best and most beloved one to us: That we pray twelve Rak'as, after each pair of Rak'ahs you give the Tasleem, then you pray one Rak'ah and you give the Tasleem.

   On the authority of 'Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her – who said; 

   That the Messenger of Allah- ﷺ - used to pray thirteen Rak'aat at night, he would then pray two light Rak'aat if he heard the Adhaan for Fajr.

2. The Second: That you pray eight Rak'aat, after each pair of Rak'aat you give the Tasleem. You then pray five Rak'aat continuously without sitting (for Tashahud) except for the last Rak'ah.

   On the authority of 'Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her – who said; 

   The Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - used to pray thirteen Rak'aat at night, he would pray Witr with five Rak'aat, he wouldn’t sit (for Tashahhud) in these five except the last one, he would then sit (for Tashahhud) and give the Tasleem.

3. The Third: That you pray ten Rak'aat, you give the Tasleem at the end of every pair of Rak'aat, then pray Witr with one Rak'ah.

   On the authority of 'Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her – who said; 

   The Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - would pray eleven Rak'aat between 'Ishaa – which people call al-'Atamah – and Fajr, he would give the Tasleem at the end of every pair of Rak'aat and then pray Witr with one.

4. The Fourth: That you pray eight Rak'aat, give the Tasleem at the end of every pair, then pray Witr with one.

   On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar narrating from his father;

   That a man asked the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - about the night prayer. He replied: You pray pair by pair, and if you fear that the Fajr (is about to come in) then pray Witr one Rak'ah.

5. The Fifth: That you pray eight Rak'aat without sitting for Tashahhud in any one of them except the last one. When you sit for Tashahhud in the last one, get up without giving the Tasleem, pray one Rak'ah, then sit for Tashahhud again and then give the Tasleem.

   On the authority of Zuraa’ah ibn Awfa; that Sa'd ibn Hishaam ibn 'Aamir asked ibn 'Abbass about how the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - prayed Witr. Ibn 'Abbass said: 

   Should I not guide you to the most knowledgeable person on the face of the Earth about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ ?

   He asked: Who?

   He responded: 'Aisha.

   Sa'd then mentioned that he asked the mother of the believers 'Aisha about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - and she said to him:

   He used to pray nine Rak'aat, he wouldn’t sit for the Tashahhud except in the eighth one, he would then get up without giving the Tasleem and pray the ninth, he would then sit and practice Dhikr of Allah, and praise and supplicate to Him, then give the Tasleem loud enough for us to hear it. He would then pray two Rak'ahs after giving the Tasleem while sitting. When the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - got older and weaker, he would pray Witr with seven Rak'aat, he would pray the pair of Rak'aat in the same way that he prayed the nine.

   On the authority of 'Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her;

   That the Prophet - ﷺ - used to pray Witr with nine Rak'aat, he would sit (for Tashahhud) in the eighth one, then get up and pray one Rak'ah.

6. The Sixth: That you pray six Rak’aat, giving the Tasleem at the end of every pair, and pray Witr with the seventh.

   The evidence is his saying - ﷺ :

   The night prayer is prayed pair by pair (of Rak'aat) and if you fear that dawn is about to emerge, then pray Witr with one.

7. The Seventh: That you pray seven Rak'aat without sitting for Tashahhud except in the last (sixth) one, you then stand without giving the Tasleem for the seventh Rak'ah, and then sit for Tashahhud and give the Tasleem.

   On the authority of the mother of the believers; 'Aisha – may Allah be pleased with her:

   When the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - got older and weaker, he would pray Witr with seven Rak'aat, he would not sit for Tashahhud except for the sixth, he would then stand without giving the Tasleem and pray the seventh Rak’ah, he would then [sit for Tashahhud and] give the Tasleem.

8. The Eighth: That you pray seven Rak'ahs, you do not sit for Tashahhud except in the last Rak'ah, you recite the Tashahhud and give the Tasleem.

   On the authority of 'Aisha – the mother of the believers who said:

   When the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - got older and weaker, he would pray Witr with seven Rak'aat and would not sit for Tashahhud except for the last one, he would then pray two Rak'ahs after he gives the Tasleem.

9. The Ninth: That you pray four Rak'ahs, you sit for Tashahhud for every pair, you then pray Witr with one.

   The evidence is his statement: 

   The night prayer is prayed pair by pair (of Rak'aat) and if you fear that dawn is about to emerge, then pray Witr with one.

10. The Tenth: That you pray five Rak'aat without sitting for Tashahhud except for the last one.

    On the authority of 'Aisha: 

    The Prophet - ﷺ - used to pray Witr with five Rak'aat, he would not sit for Tashahhud except for the last one.

    'Ali stated: "Some of the Salaf stated the same.

    And it has been narrated to us by way of 'Abdur Razzaaq on the authority of ibn Jurayj who said: 'Atta informed me that he saw 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr pray Witr with five or seven [Rak'aat] without sitting for each pair.

    And also by way of Hammad ibn Salamah on the authority of Hisham ibn 'Urwah who said: 'Likewise Ahlul Bayt prayed five Rak’aat without sitting for Tashahhud except for the last one.

    And on the authority of 'Abdur Razzaaq…on the authority of Ibn 'Abbass that he said: 'Witr is like the Maghrib prayer, with the exception that you do not sit except for the last Rak'ah.

    'Ali stated: Ibn 'Abbaas did not narrate this statement from the Prophet - ﷺ - so we do not adopt it since there is no evidence except in the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ ; in his statements, his actions and his endorsements.

11. The Eleventh: That you pray three Rak'aat, you sit at the second for Tashahhud and give Tasleem. You then pray one Rak'ah and sit for Tashahhud and give Tasleem.

    Due to his saying - ﷺ :

    The night prayer is prayed pair by pair (of Rak'aat) and if you fear that dawn is about to emerge, then pray Witr with one.

    This is the opinion of Malik, and some people have narrated an Athar about it by way of al-'Awzaaiee on the authority of al-Muttalib ibn 'Abdullah; that he asked 'Umar about the Wirt, so he told him to separate each pair of Rak'ahs with Tasleem and the [last] Rak'ah with a Tasleem. A man said: 

    'I fear that this is butayraa.[1]'

    Ibn 'Umar responded: 'Do you want the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ ? This is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ .

12. The Twelfth: That you pray three Rak'aat and sit [for Tashahhud] in the second, you then get up without giving Tasleem and pray the third, you then sit [for Tashahhud] and give the Tasleem, just like the Maghrib prayer.

    This is the opinion of Abu Haneefah, supported by a Hadeeth narrated by 'Abdullah ibn Rabee'…on the authority of 'Aisha – the mother of the believers who said:

    The Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - would not give the Tasleem for the two Rak'ahs of Witr.

13. The Thirteenth: That you pray only one Rak'ah. This is the opinion of ash-Shafi'ee, Abu Sulaymaan and others. It is supported by a Hadeeth narrated to us on the authority of Hammam ibn Ahmad…on the authority of Abi Mijlaz who said: I asked ibn 'Abbas and ibn 'Umar about Witr, they both said: I heard the Messenger of Allah - ﷺ - saying:

    One Rak'ah at the end of the night.

    And it has been narrated to us on the authority Sa'd ibn Abi Waqaas, Ibn 'Abbaas, Mu'awiyah and others that Witr is only one Rak'ah and nothing is added to it. This has also been narrated by 'Uthman, the leader of the believers, Hudhayfah and ibn Mas'ood and ibn 'Umar. 

'Ali [ibn Hazm] said:

This is what has been authentically verified according to us, and if there was anything else that the Messenger did - ﷺ - that was authentically verified, we would have mentioned it, and to Allah belongs all praise.