306 – ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Pray Witr, O people of the Qur’an, for Allah is One (witr) and He loves the Witr prayer.” Narrated by the Five, and Ibn Khuzaymah declared it authentic ⦗1⦘.

• Status of the ḥadīth:
  The ḥadīth is ḥasan (sound). It was transmitted by the four Sunan compilers; al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan, and al-Ḥākim and Ibn Khuzaymah judged it ṣaḥīḥ. All of its narrators are trustworthy.

• Vocabulary of the ḥadīth:
  – “for Allah is witr”: the word may be pronounced with either a short or long vowel; it means “single/odd.” Allah, exalted is He, is One in His Essence, One in His attributes—nothing resembles Him—and One in His actions, having neither partner nor helper.

• Points derived from the ḥadīth:
  1 – The recommendation to observe the Witr prayer and not to be lax about it, for it is among the highly emphasized supererogatory prayers.
  2 – All Muslims are encouraged to perform Witr, but the exhortation is stronger for those who bear the Qur’an—its reciters and memorizers—and for people of knowledge than it is for others.
  3 – The Witr prayer is beloved to Allah; it is the best of the voluntary prayers after the obligatory ones.
  4 – The attribute of love is affirmed for Allah in a manner befitting His Majesty, without asking how, and without likening or comparing Him to His creation. Just as we affirm that He possesses an Essence unlike any other essence, so we affirm—