Witr Prayer: Following a Shafi`i Imam?
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Question
In the local mosque after the tarawih pray they pray witr, but they pray it the shafii way, i.e. they pray two rakahs then one single rakah with salam in between. On the single rakah they do dua qunoot before going to sajdah, and they raise their hands when doing this. As a hanafi am I allowed to follow the shafii way? I was taught not to raise my hands when doing the qunoot, and dua-e-qunoot can only be done after fajr in special circumstances. At the moment, I follow the imam when he prays the witr the shafii way, but when I go home I repeat witr again, praying the hanafi way. What should I do??Answer
Walaikum assalam,
The Hanafi scholars say that unless the Shafi`i imam prays 3 rakats without salams, it is NOT valid to pray witr behind them.
You could, theoretically, pray the first 2 rakats as a nafl, but could not pray the 1 rakat behind him, because there is no such thing as a 1 rakat prayer.
Wassalam,
Faraz.
This answer was published by SunniPath and is preserved as written. Rulings can depend on circumstances; for your own situation, consult a qualified scholar.
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