The issue of whether it is necessary that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exceed eleven rak'ahs in Ramadan or otherwise, and that it is not permissible to increase with

The Shaykh : But here is an issue: Does it follow from that that it is not permissible for us to increase beyond eleven rak'ahs?
The answer: It does not follow. Rather, we say that the issue is one of preference, so it is not obligatory to restrict oneself to eleven rak'ahs.
What is the evidence?
The evidence for this is that when a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the night prayer, he said to him: .
If you say: This is the evidence, where is the indication? Who among you knows it?
This is the evidence, so where is the indication that it is not obligatory to restrict oneself to eleven rak'ahs? Please.
The student: The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): .
That indicates that it is permissible to increase beyond more than eleven rak'ahs.

The Shaykh : That it is permissible to increase beyond eleven rak'ahs. What is the mode of indication?
The student: Two by two.

The Shaykh : Okay, two by two up to eleven.
The student: So if one fears the dawn...

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: It indicates more.

The Shaykh : But the one who disagrees with you will not agree with you on this.
Do you have clear evidence or not? If not, withdraw.
Okay, who? Who knows the mode of indication from the hadith that it is not obligatory to be restricted to eleven rak'ahs.
Please. The answer is standing so that the people can hear you.
Another student: ... if one of you fears the dawn.

The Shaykh : Perhaps I will answer, or we will take a third person.
A third student: The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): if it were eleven.

The Shaykh : We say the mode of indication from the hadith is that this man was ignorant of the night prayer, and for this reason he asked: How is the night prayer? Or what do you see in the night prayer?
So the one who is ignorant of how the night prayer is performed will also be ignorant of its number. Is that not so?
And if the number had been limited to eleven or thirteen, he would have said: The night prayer is two by two, and do not exceed eleven or thirteen.
And based on that, the matter in this is broad.
And the Salaf are more truthful than us in speech, deeper than us in knowledge, stronger than us in faith, and more powerful than us in faith.
Various categories regarding the number have been narrated from them, some of whom restricted themselves to that, and some of whom increased beyond this.
So the understanding of the Salaf is closer to the truth than the understanding of the Khalaf without doubt.
And accordingly, increasing beyond eleven rak'ahs or thirteen is not a problem.
And one should not disapprove of the one who increased beyond that with the disapproval of a forbidden evil.
But it is said: The best is to restrict oneself to eleven rak'ahs, and if a person increases beyond that, there is no sin on him and no blame on him, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , and if it had been in what was revealed to him from his Lord that the number in the night prayer does not exceed eleven, he would have conveyed it to his Ummah with a clear conveyance.