What is the ruling concerning performing Witr at the beginning of the night?
Chapter on the Times When Prayer is Prohibited
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
It is permissible to perform Witr at the beginning of the night if one fears being unable to wake up later. The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed, "Whoever fears that he will not perform Witr at the end of the night, let him perform it at its beginning." Another narration states, "Make the last of your prayers at night Witr," and he also commanded, "Perform Witr before the morning breaks." This ruling is affirmed in the authentic collections (Sahihayn).
Supporting text
There is a narration from Ibn Mas'ud stating that Witr is what is between the two prayers, and a similar statement is attributed to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), based on the hadith of Abu Basrah. However, the correct view is that the time extends to the breaking of dawn, supported by the hadith of Mu'adh and the Prophet's statement, "If one of you fears the dawn, let him pray one rak'ah, and that will make what he has prayed into Witr."