Umm Salama said the Prophet used to pray two rak'as after the witr. Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ibn Majah added that they were short ones which he prayed while sitting.

‘A’isha said that God’s Messenger used to observe a witr with one rak'a, then he performed two rak'as reciting the Qur’an in the course of them seated. When he wished to bow, he stood up and bowed. Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Thauban reported the Prophet as saying,“This wakefulness is a toil and a burden, so when one of you observes a witr he should pray two rak'as. If he gets up during the night, well and good; otherwise they will serve for him." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Umama said the Prophet used to pray the two of them after the witr seated, and recited in the course of them,“When the earth is shaken”, 1 and "Say, O infidels."2 Al-Qur’an; 99 Al-Qur’an; 109 Ahmad transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said that when God’s Messenger wished to invoke a curse or a blessing on someone he stood in supplication after bowing, and when he said,“God listens to him who praises Him,”he often said,“Praise be to Thee, our Lord! O God, rescue al-Walid b. al-Walid, Salama b. Hisham and ‘Ayyash b. Abu Rabi'a.1 O God, trample severely on Mudar and cause them a famine like that of Joseph,”2 saying that in a loud voice. And he would sometimes say in the course of his prayer,“O God, curse so and so and so and so of the tribes of the Arabs,”till God revealed,“You have nothing to do with the matter. . .”3 1. These were men who were persecuted for their faith and held prisoners. 2. The famine in the time of Joseph lasted seven years. 3. Al-Qur’an; 3:128. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Asim al-Ahwal said:I asked Anas b. Malik whether the humble supplication1 during the prayer was before or after bowing and he replied,“Before it; God’s Messenger observed it after bowing only for a month. He had sent out some people called Qur’an readers, to the number of seventy, on an expedition and they were smitten,2 so for a month God’s Messenger stood in humble supplication after bowing, invoking a curse on their murderers.”1. The Arabic is qunut, which means 'being obedient’, or 'the act of standing’. It is used of certain supplications in the witr or at other times, but there is some disagreement about when these supplications may be made. The traditions in this chapter deal with the appropriate times. 2. The reference is to an incident at Bi’r Ma'una in 4 A.H. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Abbas said that God’s Messenger stood in humble supplication daily for a month at the noon, afternoon; sunset, evening and morning prayer when he said,“God listens to him who praises Him”in the last rak'a, invoking a curse on some clans of the B. Sulaim, Ri‘l, Dhakwan and ‘Usayya, and those standing behind him said Amen. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Anas said that the Prophet stood in humble supplication for a month and then gave it up. Abu Dawud and Nasa'i transmitted it.

Abu Malik al-Ashja‘i said:I said to my father,“Father, you have prayed behind God’s Messenger, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman, and behind Ali here in al-Kufa for about five years. Did they stand in humble supplication?”He replied,“Sonny, it is an innovation.”Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Al-Hasan said that ‘Umar b. al-Khattab congregated the people with Ubayy b. Ka‘b as imam and he led them in prayer for twenty nights, but led them in humble supplication only in the second half. When the last ten days came he withdrew and prayed in his house, and the people were saying,“Ubayy has run away.”Abu Dawud transmitted it.