Assalaamu alaykum. What is the ruling on saying, “Salaah Al-Witr, may Allah reward you,” to caution the worshippers? I said this in the heat of the moment because someone told me to, and I asked myself whether or not it is a Bid‘ah (religious innovation) after I said it (but my heart leaned more towards that it is Bid‘ah because I heard one of the scholars declaring saying, “Salaah At-Taraaweeh, may Allah reward you ” to be a bid‘ah). If an imam does this only once in the heat of the moment, is he sinful then? May Allah reward you.

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Regarding what you heard, that saying, “Salaah At-Taraaweeh, may Allah reward you,” is a Bid‘ah, then this was the fatwa of the Permanent Committee for Iftaa, and their fatwa reads, “Saying, ‘Salaah Al-Qiyaam, may Allah reward you,’ is an innovated Bid‘ah. It was authentically reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, ‘Whoever introduces into this matter of ours what does not belong to it, it is rejected.’”

The same applies to saying, “Salaah al-Witr, may Allah reward you.” However, whoever says it once spontaneously, there is no harm on him – Allah willing.

Allah knows best.