Is the night prayer limited to a specific number, or not? With evidence.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Is the prayer limited to a number that one must not exceed or fall short of, or is the matter broader than that?
Answer: The second. It is true that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exceed eleven rak'ahs in Ramadan or otherwise, and he sometimes prayed thirteen rak'ahs. But he did not tell the community, "Do not exceed this number." The Salaf of this community, who knew the intent of Allah and His Messenger better than anyone in the community, and who knew the rulings and secrets of the Shari'ah better than anyone, used to exceed this number, and none of them would censure the others for it.
Therefore, we say: Whoever says that it is not permissible to fall short of eleven has erred, and whoever says that it is not permissible to exceed eleven has erred. Because the reality of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) restricting himself to eleven or thirteen is merely an action. And a mere action, according to the principles of jurisprudence, does not indicate what? It does not indicate obligation; rather, it indicates recommendation.
And so we say: There is no doubt that the recommended practice is to restrict oneself to eleven or thirteen, and there is no doubt that exceeding that is not considered blameworthy. In fact, the matter is permissible and broad. For this reason, when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, "What do you say about the night prayer?" he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 990. Did the questioner about the manner of the night prayer know its number or not? It appears that he did not know. If it appears from his state that he did not know, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not specify a number for him, then it is known that the matter in that is broad, and praise be to Allah. And it is so; the matter in that is broad.
So if someone says: The restriction of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to eleven is undoubtedly an action, but the ruling of this action was clarified in his saying:Sahih al-Bukhari 6008. He commanded us to pray as we saw him praying. And we did not see him (peace and blessings be upon him) praying at night except how many? Except eleven rak'ahs. So what is the answer to this hadith? Even though it is a command.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Now, who will add? Please.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, now, well done.
Answer: This is based on the manner, and he did not say, "Pray the amount you saw me praying." If he had said, "The amount you saw me praying," we would say, "Do not exceed the amount." But he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6008. So the comparison is based on the manner, meaning: Pray in the manner that you saw me praying.
Then, this hadith addressed Malik ibn al-Huwayrith, and Malik ibn al-Huwayrith did not witness or see anything but the obligatory prayer. Because he came as a delegate to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and stayed for twenty nights. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that they were longing for their families, he ordered them to return to their families to teach them and educate them. And he said to them among what he advised them:Sahih al-Bukhari 6008. So that indicates that the command here is a command to adhere to the manner, not to the amount of the number.
Now, so it is clear—there is no question—so it is clear that the number in the night prayer is not restricted to a specific thing by way of completion? By way of restriction?
The student: Restriction.
The Shaykh : By way of obligation, rather it is by way of recommendation.
So if someone says: What do you say about a man who sees that the Sunnah is to restrict himself to this number, but he prays behind an imam who exceeds this number? Is the Sunnah for him to leave the imam to restrict himself to eleven, or to follow the imam so that he gets the reward of standing the night, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 806Sahih (Darussalam)?
Answer: The second or the first?
The student: The second.
The Shaykh : The second, without doubt. This is the Sunnah, because following the Muslims is a matter of great importance in the Shari'ah. And we are not more eager than the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to follow the Shari'ah, nor are we deeper in jurisprudence than they were. And they used to go against what they saw in order to follow and avoid disagreement.
And I give an example of that which is stronger than disagreeing with the imam in the number in the night prayer.
Answer: The second. It is true that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exceed eleven rak'ahs in Ramadan or otherwise, and he sometimes prayed thirteen rak'ahs. But he did not tell the community, "Do not exceed this number." The Salaf of this community, who knew the intent of Allah and His Messenger better than anyone in the community, and who knew the rulings and secrets of the Shari'ah better than anyone, used to exceed this number, and none of them would censure the others for it.
Therefore, we say: Whoever says that it is not permissible to fall short of eleven has erred, and whoever says that it is not permissible to exceed eleven has erred. Because the reality of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) restricting himself to eleven or thirteen is merely an action. And a mere action, according to the principles of jurisprudence, does not indicate what? It does not indicate obligation; rather, it indicates recommendation.
And so we say: There is no doubt that the recommended practice is to restrict oneself to eleven or thirteen, and there is no doubt that exceeding that is not considered blameworthy. In fact, the matter is permissible and broad. For this reason, when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, "What do you say about the night prayer?" he said:
as two Rak`at followed by two Rak`at and so on and if anyone is afraid of the approaching dawn (Fajr prayer) he should pray one Rak`ah and this will be a Witr for all the Rak`at which he has prayed before.
مثنى مثنى، فإذا خشي أحدكم الصبح صلى واحدة توتر له ما قد صلىSo if someone says: The restriction of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to eleven is undoubtedly an action, but the ruling of this action was clarified in his saying:
offer your prayers in the way you saw me offering my prayers
صلوا كما رأيتموني أصليThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : Now, who will add? Please.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, now, well done.
Answer: This is based on the manner, and he did not say, "Pray the amount you saw me praying." If he had said, "The amount you saw me praying," we would say, "Do not exceed the amount." But he said:
offer your prayers in the way you saw me offering my prayers
صلوا كما رأيتموني أصليThen, this hadith addressed Malik ibn al-Huwayrith, and Malik ibn al-Huwayrith did not witness or see anything but the obligatory prayer. Because he came as a delegate to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and stayed for twenty nights. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that they were longing for their families, he ordered them to return to their families to teach them and educate them. And he said to them among what he advised them:
offer your prayers in the way you saw me offering my prayers
صلوا كما رأيتموني أصليNow, so it is clear—there is no question—so it is clear that the number in the night prayer is not restricted to a specific thing by way of completion? By way of restriction?
The student: Restriction.
The Shaykh : By way of obligation, rather it is by way of recommendation.
So if someone says: What do you say about a man who sees that the Sunnah is to restrict himself to this number, but he prays behind an imam who exceeds this number? Is the Sunnah for him to leave the imam to restrict himself to eleven, or to follow the imam so that he gets the reward of standing the night, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Indeed, whoever stands (praying) with the Imam until he finished, then it is recorded for him that he prayed the whole night.
من قام مع الإمام حتى ينصرف كتب له قيام ليلةAnswer: The second or the first?
The student: The second.
The Shaykh : The second, without doubt. This is the Sunnah, because following the Muslims is a matter of great importance in the Shari'ah. And we are not more eager than the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to follow the Shari'ah, nor are we deeper in jurisprudence than they were. And they used to go against what they saw in order to follow and avoid disagreement.
And I give an example of that which is stronger than disagreeing with the imam in the number in the night prayer.