Lengthening the Night Prayer or Increasing the Rak'ahs and the Imam Lightening It

The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: Is it better in the night prayer to lengthen the recitation, so I pray three or five rak'ahs, or to lighten it, so I pray eleven or thirteen rak'ahs?

The Shaykh:
Both are acceptable. If you lighten the prayer, increase the number of rak'ahs. If you lengthen the recitation, bowing, and prostration, reduce the number of rak'ahs. For this reason, the Companions used to pray twenty-three rak'ahs in Ramadan, because they lightened it to ease the burden on the people and remove hardship. So they lightened the manner of the prayer and increased the number to twenty-three. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exceed eleven rak'ahs, because he used to pray alone and lengthen the prayer (peace and blessings be upon him). There is a hadith on this: Yes.

The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success.

The Shaykh:
As for you coming to pray in congregation and saying, "I will pray the prayer of the Messenger," wanting to stand until your feet crack, reciting al-Baqarah, al-Nisa, and al-Imran in one rak'ah, they cannot bear this, my brother. Even if you can bear it, they cannot. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever among you leads the people, let him lighten it, for among them are such and such and such." , or if he prays with people who desire lengthening, there is no harm. Otherwise, you must consider the conditions of the ma'mum (those praying behind the imam).