Hadith 1620
أَخْبَرَنَا
جَعْفَرُ بْنُ عَوْنٍ، حَدَّثَنَا
هِشَامٌ، عَنْ
أَبِيهِ، عَنْ
عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهِ عَنْهَا، أَنّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ"كَانَتْ
صَلَاتُهُ مِنْ اللَّيْلِ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً، يُوتِرُ مِنْهَا بِخَمْسٍ، لَا يَجْلِسُ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنْ الْخَمْسِ حَتَّى يَجْلِسَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ، فَيُسَلِّمَ".
It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the night prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was thirteen rak‘ahs, in which he would perform five rak‘ahs of Witr and would not sit except in the last rak‘ah, where he would recite the tashahhud and then say the salam.
Hadith 1621
Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Pray five rak‘ahs of Witr, if you do not have the strength for that then pray three rak‘ahs, if you do not have the strength for that then pray one rak‘ah, and if you do not have the strength for that then pray with gestures."
Hadith 1622
With this chain also, Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the same narration as previously mentioned.
Hadith 1623
أَخْبَرَنَا
خَالِدُ بْنُ مَخْلَدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا
مَالِكٌ، عَنْ
نَافِعٍ، عَنْ
ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ: سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ صَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ، فَقَالَ:
"مَثْنَى مَثْنَى، فَإِذَا خَشِيَ أَحَدُكُمْ الصُّبْحَ، فَلْيُصَلِّ رَكْعَةً وَاحِدَةً تُوتِرُ، مَا قَدْ صَلَّى" . قِيلَ لِأَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ: تَأْخُذُ بِهِ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ.
Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: A man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about the night prayer, so he (peace be upon him) said: "It is two by two rak‘ahs, then when one fears that morning is near, he should pray one rak‘ah, and that will make what he has prayed odd (witr)." Imam Darimi (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Do you also say this? He said: Yes. (That is, praying one rak‘ah of witr is correct.)
Hadith 1624
Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray eleven rak‘ahs between ‘Isha and Fajr, and he would say salam after every two rak‘ahs and pray one rak‘ah as Witr.
Hadith 1625
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite «سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى», «قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ», and «قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ» in the three rak‘ahs of Witr.