{"_id":"668da0990b76658b4c233b85","title":"Do you get the reward of praying all night when you pray in congregation with the imam without praying witr with him?","question":"I wanted to get some clarification regarding salatul-witr. I learned that whoever prays in jama’a (congregation) with the imam until he finishes (till he performs salatul-witr) will get the reward of praying the entire night. But does one still get that reward if they decide to not pray witr with the Imam because they want to get up in the middle of the night to offer Qiyam and witr in solitude?","answer":"There are a couple of hadiths here, one that says that anyone who prays isha in Jama`a (congregation) then qiyam of half the night is written for him, and if he prays fajr in jama`a, then a half night’s qiyam is written for him. So, if someone prays isha and fajr in jama`a, a full night’s qiyam is written for him. For this reason, Shafi jurists say that the minimum qiyam-u-layl is to pray isha and fajr in jama`a. Note that jama`a is a minimum of two people, at home or masjid. The other hadith that I think you’re referring to is where the prophet ṣalla-l-lāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam said that whoever prays with the imam until he (the imam) leaves, a qiyam is written for him. There are different interpretations of this hadith and whether it’s specific to Ramadhan or not and how to reconcile this hadith with other hadiths that say that sunna prayers are better at home and fardh in the masjid. There is a lot of discussion on this by the scholars. Having said all of that, praying sunnahs at home, away from people, and in the middle of the night, after sleeping is better because it’s not only qiyam but it’s also tahajjud, and it’s not in public where someone can do it to show off or to be praised, so there is more ikhlas in it. I would say, wake up later in the night and pray in your home and Allah is the Most Generous.","tags":[{"_id":"668d9fe60b76658b4c232875","tag":"Salah: Congregational","count":92},{"_id":"668d9ff70b76658b4c232a80","tag":"Seerah: Sunnah and Hadith","count":68},{"_id":"668da0200b76658b4c232ed2","tag":"Salah: Witr","count":19}],"createdOn":"2024-07-09T20:42:01.326Z"}