Rulings on the Night Prayer and Tarawih, and the Criterion for Lengthening and Shortening

Question:
What are the rulings on the night prayer and tarawih during this blessed month, and what is the criterion for lengthening and shortening the prayer?

Answer:
The night prayer in Ramadan, whether in the first part of the night or the last, is all called Qiyam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This includes tarawih and includes all of tahajjud; it is all Qiyam.
However, in the first twenty nights, they restrict themselves to tarawih, and whoever wishes to pray in the last part of the night for himself prays whatever is easy for him.
As for the last ten nights, they pray tarawih in the first part of the night, and they add to it tahajjud in the last part of the night, following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), for he used to enliven the nights of the ten when the ten entered:
They combine in the last ten nights the prayer of the first part of the night, which is tarawih, and the prayer of the last part of the night, which is tahajjud, following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Regarding lengthening: if he is an imam, he takes a middle path between excessive shortening and excessive lengthening. The imam takes a middle path; he does not lengthen to the point of burdening, nor does he shorten to the point of neglecting the essentials. He is gentle with the congregation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So the imam considers the conditions of the ma'mum (those praying behind him); he does not lengthen for them, nor does he shorten for them in a way that neglects the essentials.
As for the one who prays for himself, who prays for himself, he lengthens as much as he wishes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he stood in prayer at night, would lengthen the standing because he was praying alone, with no one praying with him. He (peace and blessings be upon him) would lengthen the standing until his feet cracked from the length of the standing. He recited five parts of the Qur'an and more in two rak'ahs. He recited al-Baqarah, al-Imran, and al-Nisa in two rak'ahs. Who is capable of this in two rak'ahs? Five parts and more. But the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had a special status. But we follow according to our ability. We do not reach the ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and no one can catch up to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). But we follow him according to our capacity.