313 – Ibn ʿUmar reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When the dawn rises, the time for every night-time prayer and for witr has ended, so pray witr before the break of dawn.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī (1).

Grading of the ḥadīth:
This ḥadīth is sound; Ibn Khuzaymah and al-Ḥākim authenticated it and al-Dhahabī concurred.

As for its opening clause, it does not conflict with the earlier ḥadīth of Abū Saʿīd (311); the present wording refers to someone who is awake and mindful, whereas the previous narration concerns one who is asleep or forgetful.

Regarding its closing words—“so pray witr before the break of dawn”—a similar wording appears in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (754) in the narration of Jābir, where the Prophet said, “Pray witr before you enter the morning.” Al-Nawawī deemed it sound in his Khulāṣah.

Points derived from the ḥadīth:

1. The substance of this report has already appeared in several narrations: the time for witr begins after the ʿIshāʾ Prayer and extends until the second dawn. Whoever deliberately leaves off witr until dawn breaks has missed it, for it belongs to the night prayers. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed that witr be performed before dawn so that its appointed time is not lost.
2. It was previously explained that missing witr applies to the one who purposely neglects it until dawn. As for the person who oversleeps or forgets, he may offer it whenever he wakes or remembers. Accordingly, this ḥadīth is restricted by the earlier narration: “Whoever sleeps through witr or forgets it should pray it when he awakes or when he remembers.”