Bayhaqi 4582 — One who permitted praying without a fixed number

Harun bin Ri'ab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Al-Ahnaf bin Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) entered the mosque of Damascus and saw a man performing many bowings and prostrations. He said: I kept watching to see whether he would finish on an even or an odd number. Al-Ahnaf (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When he completed his prayer, he said to him: O servant of Allah, do you know whether you finished your prayer on an even or an odd number? He said: I do not know, but Allah knows. I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him). Then he wept, and then he said: I heard my beloved friend Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "There is no servant who prostrates once to Allah except that Allah raises him one degree by it and wipes away one sin from him." The narrator said: Al-Ahnaf (may Allah have mercy on him) asked: Who are you, 'Rahimakallah' (may Allah have mercy on you)? He said: Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him).
Al-Ahnaf said: Then I felt myself shrink because of what had occurred in my mind about him.