The Odd-Numbered Final Night Prayer
Al-witr, the final night prayer, is a worship consisting of an odd number of rak’ah, at least one and up to eleven total.
Perform witr either after the sunnah prayers that follow Isha prayer if you are finished praying until the morning, or after Tahajjud prayer if you plan to rise in the last third of the night for remembrance and prayer. Witr, like all extra prayers, is prayed in pairs with salams after each pair. Finish with a single rak’ah and give salams again.
If you are able, you may recite surah A‘la (the 87th surah) in the first rak’ah, surah Kafirun (109) in the second, and suras Ikhlas, Falaq and Nas in the third.
During Ramadan it is recommended that one offer witr in a group after praying Tarawih, unless one intends to pray the Tahajjud, night vigil prayer, in which case one should postpone witr until after the night vigil prayer.
Al-Qunut
In the final rak’ah of Witr before or after the bow, it is sunna to recite al-Qunut, a du‘a of which numerous versions exist. Sidi recommends and practices the following:
Allahumma inna nasta’inuk
wa nastaghfiruka wa nu’minu bik
wa natawakkalu ‘alayk
wa nuthni ‘alayka-l-khayr
wa nashkuruka wa la nakfuruk
allahumma iyyaka na’bud
wa laka nusalli wa nasjud
wa ilaka nas’a wa nahfid
wa narju rahmatak
wa naksha ‘adhabak
inna ‘adhabaka bi-l-kuffari mulhiq
Oh Allah, we seek Your help
and we seek Your forgiveness and in You we believe
on You we rely completely
and You we praise with every good
and we are grateful to You and not ungrateful
Oh Allah! You alone do we worship
and to You we pray and prostrate,
and to You we strive and hasten to obey,
hoping for Your mercy
and fearing Your chastisement
Your chastisement shall overtake those who are ungrateful.