Abdullah bin Badr narrates from Qays bin Talq that Talq bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came to us one day in Ramadan. He broke his fast with us, stood in night prayer and prayed witr with us. Then he returned to his mosque and led his companions in prayer, and he put one of them forward for the witr, (saying): Lead your companions in the witr, for I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "There are no two witrs in one night."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 4844
Amr bin Murrah asked Sa'id bin al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) about the witr, and he said: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to pray witr in the first part of the night; when he woke at night, he would break his witr, then pray, and then his witr prayer would come in the last part of the night. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray witr in the last part of the night. And better than me and than both of them was Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him); he used to pray witr in the early part of the night and pray even (rak'ahs) in the last part. By this he meant that he would pray the night prayer two rak'ahs at a time and would not break his witr.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 4845
Abu Hamzah says: I asked Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) about "naqd al-witr" (breaking the witr), and he said: When you have prayed witr in the early part of the night, do not pray witr in the last part; and when you have prayed witr at the end of the night, do not pray witr at the beginning. I asked A'idh bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), who was one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), about breaking the witr, and he said: When you have prayed witr at the beginning of the night, do not pray it in the last part of the night; and when you have prayed witr in the last part of the night, do not pray it in the early part.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 4846
Abu Murrah, the freed slave of Aqil bin Abi Talib, asked Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) about the witr of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (may Allah be pleased with him) remained silent. Then he asked again, and he remained silent again; then he asked again, and he remained silent again; then he asked again, and he (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If you wish, I will tell you how I myself do it. Abu Murrah says: I said: Tell me. Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When I have prayed Isha, I pray five rak'ahs after it, then I sleep; if I wake up at night, I pray two rak'ahs at a time, and if morning comes, I reach the morning having (already) prayed witr.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 4847
Abu Atiyyah narrates from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "That is the one who plays with his witr," meaning the one who prays witr, then sleeps, and when he gets up, makes it even with one rak'ah, then prays, that is, then repeats his witr.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 4848
Al-Rabi' bin Sulayman (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) informed him: Whoever prays witr in the first part of the night should pray two rak'ahs at a time until morning.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 4849
Hittan bin Abdullah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I heard Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) say: The witr is of three kinds: whoever wishes may pray witr in the first part of the night; then, if he wishes to pray (more), he keeps praying two rak'ahs at a time until morning. If he wishes, he may make his witr even by praying one rak'ah, then pray two rak'ahs at a time until morning, then pray witr. And whoever wishes may not pray the witr (early) and offer it in the last part of the night.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 4850