Is the Witr prayer obligatory (Wajib)?
Chapter on the Times When Prayer is Prohibited
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
The Witr prayer is not obligatory. This position is held by Malik and Al-Shafi'i. The primary evidence for non-obligation is the report from Ubadah ibn Al-Samit stating that Allah has prescribed five prayers for His servants, and whoever fulfills them without disrespecting their rights has a covenant with Allah for entry into Paradise, implying Witr is not among the strictly obligatory ones. Furthermore, the permissibility of performing Witr while traveling on a mount without necessity, as evidenced by Ibn Umar reporting the Prophet used to pray Witr on his camel, suggests it is not obligatory, similar to Sunnah prayers. The opposing arguments concerning the obligatory nature of Witr are interpreted as emphasizing its great virtue and confirming it as a highly emphasized Sunnah (Sunnah Mu'akkadah), with the severe warnings against its abandonment serving as hyperbole to reinforce its confirmation.
Supporting text
The Witr prayer is obligatory according to Abu Bakr and Abu Hanifa. This view is supported by numerous hadiths where the command to perform Witr, such as, "If you fear the dawn, then perform Witr with one rak'ah," implies obligation. Evidence also includes the Prophet's statement, "Al-Witr is a right (Haqq), so whoever wishes to perform Witr with five, let him do so, and whoever wishes to perform Witr with three, let him do so, and whoever wishes to perform Witr with one, let him do so," and the severe warning, "Witr is a right, whoever does not perform Witr is not one of us." Another report states that Witr is a prayer Allah added for the community between Isha and Fajr.