Title: Salah

Question: In our place we do not find Hanafi imam in any of our masjid. During Ramadan in witr prayer they pray 2 + 1 rakah with two salams or 3 rakahs without sitting for second rakah. In third rakah after ruku they ask dua. During these times how a Hanafi follower should pray? One of the students of Darul Uloom Deoband said it is not good to miss the Jamah as it is not the way of giving respect to their Jamah so you pray with them but for dua you do not need to raise your hands rather put your hands down and say Amen to their dua silently. I asked some other imams before one said you pray separately since it is only witr other one said as the matter of giving respect to their Jamah you can pray as they pray which is the right way for a Hanafi follower and one more thing they even ask dua in some of the fardh prayer in the last rakah after ruku for the countries like Syria, Palestine and all over the world. Can we join them or we should put our hand down.

Answer ID: 42299Posted on: Sep 1, 2020

Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

(Fatwa: 1235/1236/N=1433) (1) It is not right for a Hanafi follower to offer witr salah behind the Imam who leads witr prayer with two salams. The iqtida shall not be right. قال فى الدر (مع الرد كتاب الصلاة باب الوتر والنوافل 2:444 ط مكتبة زكريا ديوبند): وصح الاقتداء فيه ..... بشافعي مثلا لم يفصله بسلام لا إن فصله على الأصح فيهما اهـ So if your Imam leads witr salah with two salams in the month of Ramadan then you should not offer witr salah behind him. In the same way if in case of leading with one salam he does not do qadah knowingly on a regular basis then too you should not offer witr salah behind him. As the first qadah is wajib according to Hanafi Fiqh and salah is makrooh tahrimi when wajib is missed knowingly and it is necessary to repeat the salah. (2) If Qunoot Nazilah is offered in Fajr salah then you too should say Amen like other muqtadis folding your hands. And if Qunoot Nazilah is offered in any other salah except Fajr then you should stay silent leaving your hands. So it is mentioned in al-Dur and al-Radd, Vol. 2, p. 446, 448, 749.