The Messenger of Allah —may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him— came out to us and said: “Indeed, Allah has aided you with a prayer which is better for you than red camels: al-Witr. Allah has appointed it for you between the ʿIshāʾ prayer until the break of dawn.”
Narrated by Aḥmad (no. 9), Abū Dāwūd (no. 1418), al-Tirmidhī (no. 452), and Ibn Mājah (no. 1168), from the ḥadīth of Khārijah ibn Ḥudhāfah al-ʿAdawī —may Allah be pleased with him.
Authenticated in Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah (3/132) and Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl (no. 423). Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic), except for his words: “It is better for you than red camels.”
Brief Explanation of the Hadith
The Witr prayer is among the greatest blessings that Allah has bestowed upon this Ummah. He swore by it in His Book and made it the seal of the night prayer. Due to its lofty status, the Prophet —may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him— never abandoned it, whether at home or on a journey. Rather, he observed it consistently and urged his Companions to maintain it, encouraging them thereby to draw nearer to Allah and to attain an abundance of reward and merit.
It is narrated from Khārijah ibn Ḥudhāfah al-ʿAdawī —may Allah be pleased with him— who said: The Messenger of Allah —may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him— came out to us at the time of the morning prayer and said: “Indeed, Allah has granted you a prayer that is better for you than red camels…” The meaning is that Allah has honored you with this prayer, making it an addition to your supererogatory acts of worship, thereby increasing your reward and merit. And it is indeed better for you than red camels. And he specifically mentioned red camels because they were the most prized, costly, and beloved of the Arabs’ wealth. Thus, it was used as an expression to indicate the greatness of the Witr prayer, its lofty rank, and to show that its virtue surpasses even the most precious possessions and adornments of this worldly life.
Then the Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – clarified that its time begins after the ʿIshāʾ prayer, whether ʿIshāʾ is performed at its proper time or combined with Maghrib in advance. Its time extends until the rising of the true dawn, which is the beginning of the time for the Fajr prayer.
And it was named the Witr prayer because its units of prayer are odd, not even; thus, it may be prayed as one rakʿah, or three, or five, and so on.
In the ḥadīth: The recommendation of the Witr prayer, and that it is an emphasized Sunnah which the believer should not abandon, and its least is one rakʿah. And in it: clarification of its time, and that it is among the additional acts which Allah – the Exalted – granted to His Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and to his Ummah.