312 – Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever fears that he may not get up in the latter part of the night should perform his witr at its beginning; and whoever hopes to rise toward its end should perform witr then, for the prayer of the last part of the night is witnessed, and that is superior.” Recorded by Muslim (1).

Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
• ṭamaʿ (hope, expectation): to aspire to something; it is most often used for what is likely to be attained. Plural: aṭmāʿ.
• mashhūdah (witnessed): from shahida – yashhadu (to be present, to observe). It means “attended,” and its evidence is that Allah, exalted is He, descends in the last part of the night, calls out to His servants, and answers their requests.

Points derived from the ḥadīth

1. The report shows that witr may be offered either at the beginning or at the end of the night; its time spans from the ‘Ishāʾ prayer until the advent of the second dawn, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed witr during every portion of the night.
2. Delaying witr until the end of the night is preferable for the one who is strong enough to rise and who hopes to wake before daybreak, for ‘Āʾishah said, “His witr would conclude at the time of saḥar” (Muslim 745). The prayer of the last part of the night is attended by the angels, which is a tremendous distinction, and it is the hour of intimate supplication, when the Lord, glorified and exalted, descends to the lowest heaven, as related in al-Bukhārī (1145) and Muslim (758): the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven every night, when the last third of the night remains, and says, ‘Who will call upon Me…’”