1. Witr salaat is wajib. The status of wajib is very close to that of fard. To leave out a wajib is a major sin. If a wajib is missed out, one should make qada of it as soon as possible.

2. Witr salaat comprises of three rakaats. After offering two rakaats, one should sit down and read at-tahiyyaat. The durood should not be read. Instead, one should immediately stand up after the at-tahiyyaat. One should then read Surah Faatihah and another Surah. Thereafter, one should say Allahu Akbar and raise one’s hands up to one’s ears (and up to the shoulders if one is a woman). The hands should be clasped again, and thereafter, the dua al-qunoot should be recited. Then, he should go into ruku, complete the third rakaat, sit down for at-tahiyyaat, durood, and a dua and then make the salaam.

3. The dua al-qunoot is as follows:

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَعِيْنُكَ ونَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِكَ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ وَنُثْنِيْ عَلَيْكَ الْخَيْرَ  ۚ
وَنَشْكُرُكَ وَلَا نَكْفُرُكَ وَنَخْلَعُ وَنَتْرُكُ مَن يَّفْجُرُكَ  ۚ
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَلَكَ نُصَلِّيْ وَنَسْجُدُ وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعٰى وَنَحْفِدُ وَنَرْجُوْ رَحْمَتَكَ  ۚ
وَنَخْشٰى عَذَابَكَ إِنَّ عَذَابَكَ بِالْكُفَّارِ مُلْحِقٌ  ۚ

4. After Surah Faatihah, another Surah should also be recited in all the three rakaats of witr salaat as has been mentioned above.

5. If a person forgets to recite dua al-qunoot in the third rakaat, and remembers it when he goes into ruku, he should not recite it now. Instead, he should make sajdah al-sahw at the end of his salaat. If a person reads the dua al-qunoot after standing up from ruku, even then his salaat will be valid, but it is preferable not to do so. In either case, it will still be wajib on him to make sajdah al-sahw.

6. If a person forgetfully reads dua al-qunoot in the first or second rakaat, this is not considered. He will still have to recite it in the third rakaat and also make sajdah al-sahw.

7. If a person does not know the dua al-qunoot, he should recite the following dua:

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَّفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَّقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

or the following dua three times:

اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ

or the following dua three times:

يَا رَبِّ يَا رَبِّ يَا رَبِّ

If he recites any of the above duas, his salaat will be valid.