- Vitar (Witr) Salaah

1) The Salaah of Witr is Wajib and if for some reason it has not been prayed during it's allocated time then it's Qadha is also Wajib [Alamgiri, Hidaya]. Witr Salaah contains three Rakaat to be performed with one Salaam, the same as the Maghrib Salaah. The first Qaidah is Wajib, meaning after two Rakaats you must sit down and only pray Attahiyat and then stand back up and pray Alhamdu and a Surah and then lift both hands upto the ear lobes and whilst saying Allaho Akbar fold them again and pray 'Dua-e-Kunoot'. After praying Dua-e-Kunoot perform Ruku and finish the Salaah as normal.

2) It is Wajib to pray Dua-e-Kunoot and it is not Wajib to pray any specific Dua, however, it is better to pray those Duas that have been mentioned in the Hadiths. The most common one is as follows;
"Allahumma Inna Nasta 'inuka Wa Nastaghfiruka Wa Nu'Minu Bika Wana Tawwakkalu 'Alaika Wanuthni 'Alaikal Khair Wa Nashkuruka Walaa Nakfuruka Wa Nakhlau Wanatruku Mayyaf Jhuruka Allahumma iyyakana'budu Walaka Nusalli Wanasjudu Wa ilaka Nas'aa Wanahfidu Wanarju Rahamataka Wa Nakhsha 'Adhaabaka inna 'Adhaabaka Bil Kuffari Mulhiq".

3) Those who cannot pray Dua-e-Kunoot, should pray this;
"Rabbana Aatina Fiddunya Hasanataw Wafil Aakhirati Hasanataw Wa Qina 'Adhaaban Naar" and those who cannot pray this should pray "Allahummagh Firli" three times [Alamgiri].

4) Dua-e-Kunoot should always be prayed quietly, whether it be the Imaam or a Muqtadee or a Munfarid, whether it be the month of Ramadan or other days, whether it be Ada or Qadha [Radd-ul- Mohtar].

5) Except for Witr, do not pray Dua-e-Kunoot in any other Salaah. However, if there is a serious difficulty or incident then you can pray it in Fajr also. The way to pray it in Fajr is the same as Witr except for it is done in the second Rakat [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Bahar etc.].

6) If you forget to sit in the first Qaidah then you are not allowed to sit back down, but you should continue and perform Sajda-e-Sahoo at the end. If you forget to pray Kunoot and you go into the Ruku then do not pray it in the Ruku nor return to the Qayam position, but continue your Salaah as normal and perform Sajda-e-Sahoo at the end and the Salaah will count.

7) In Witr the Qiraayat is obligatory in all three Rakats and to join a Surah after Alhamdu is Wajib.

8) It is better if you pray 'Sabbihismi Rabbikal Aalaa' or 'Inna Anzalna' in the first Rakat and in the second 'Qul Yaa Ayyuhal Kafiroon' and in the third 'Qul Huwallah Ho Ahad' and sometimes pray other Surahs.

9) The Salaah of Witr cannot be prayed whilst sitting down or on a cavalcade (item used for travelling e.g. horse, car, camel etc.) without a real reason [Durr-e-Mukhtar etc.]. 

10) For a Sahib-e-Tarteeb who is aware that he has not yet prayed the Salaah of Witr and during the Fajr time he prayed the Fajr Salaah and there is enough time for him to pray the Qadha of Witr and then he must pray the Fajr Salaah again, then his first Fajr will not count whether it be during the beginning time, middle or near the end time of Fajr [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Bahar].