A man combined Maghrib and 'Isha' by advancing them, then went to the mosque during the 'Isha' time and prayed it with the intention of voluntary prayer: Is this voluntary prayer considered part of the night prayer?

The questioner : ... Our teacher, regarding a person who combined Maghrib and 'Isha', and when the time for 'Isha' came, he went to the mosque and prayed voluntarily with the congregation that was present. This voluntary prayer—is it counted from the hadith we heard about, where the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exceed eleven or thirteen rak'ahs after 'Isha'? Do the four rak'ahs count from the thirteen rak'ahs?

The Shaykh: No.

The questioner : And then, can I, for example, as we hear that the night prayer is prayed two by two, separate between two rak'ahs and two rak'ahs while I am behind the imam?

The Shaykh : Is this a second question?

The questioner : I mean, everything is connected to each other.

The Shaykh : Do not connect them; because knowledge requires clarification and explanation. Do we consider this a second question?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This person who prayed 'Isha' a second time with the congregation in the mosque, this is considered an absolute voluntary prayer for him; it has no relation to the night prayer. In the sense that if this man has a good habit of praying at night, either in the beginning of the night, in the middle, or in the end, according to his energy and free time, then if he wants to pray, let him pray eleven rak'ahs and not count the four rak'ahs he prayed behind the congregation as the second prayer of 'Isha'. If we are done with the answer to the first question; now I am ready to understand the second question well. What is it? Does he pray four by four or two by two?

The questioner : Of course, we know that the night prayer is two by two.

The Shaykh : Two by two, yes.

The questioner : Yes, of course, the first question was clarified...

The Shaykh : If nothing is connected; ...

The questioner : Yes, you have approximately clarified the first one.

The questioner : ... It is not considered part of the night prayer?

The Shaykh : First, as you know, actions are by intentions; second, he intended to pray voluntarily because he caught up with the second congregation. Like the man, and we mention their story in the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) Farewell Pilgrimage. He (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the Fajr prayer in the Mosque of Mina, the Mosque of al-Khayf. And when he finished the Fajr prayer, he found two men in a place far from the mosque, so he called them and said to them: "Are you not Muslims?" They said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said: "What prevented you from praying with us?" They said: "O Messenger of Allah, we had already prayed in our tents." He said: "If one of you prays in his tent and then comes to the mosque of the congregation, let him pray with them, for it will be a voluntary prayer for him." So this is a voluntary prayer of repeating the obligatory prayer that he already prayed because of his attendance with the congregation. This is considered an absolute voluntary prayer, whereas the night prayer is not like that. Yes, that is correct.