Explanation of Riyad al-Salihin-68a

The reciter: The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted in the context of the hadiths in the chapter on the virtue of standing in night prayer:
"From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The most excellent fast after Ramadan is God's month. al-Muharram, and the most excellent prayer after what is prescribed is prayer during the night.

أفضلُ الصيام بعد رمضان شهر الله المحرم، وأفضل الصلاة بعد الفريضة صلاة الليل

Sahih Muslim 1163a

Narrated by Muslim.
And from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The night prayer consists of pair, but if you apprehend the rise of dawn, make it odd number by observing one rak'ah.

صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى، فإذا خفت الصبح فأوتر بواحدة

Sahih Muslim 749c

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And from him (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:

The Prophet would pray two and two during the night, and he would perform Al-Witr with one Rak'ah

كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي من الليل مثنى مثنى، ويوتر بركعة

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 461Sahih (Darussalam)

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to leave off observing Saum (fasting) during a month until we thought that he would not observe Saum at all during it; and (sometimes) he would observe Saum till we began to think that he would not omit any day of that month. If one wished to see him performing Salat during the night, he could do that; and if one wished to see him sleeping at night, he could do that.

كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يفطر من الشهر حتى نظن أن لا يصوم منه، ويصوم حتى نظن أن لا يفطر منه شيئا، وكان لا تشاء أن تراه من الليل مصلياً إلا رأيته، ولا نائماً إلا رأيته

Riyad as-Salihin 1170

Narrated by al-Bukhari".

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
These hadiths are in explaining the virtue of the night prayer:
The hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
And as for the point of interest in this hadith:
And as for the absolute voluntary prayer, it is better at night than during the day, for this reason he said: .
As for the first and second hadith of Ibn 'Umar: In it is evidence that the night prayer is to be two by two, one cannot pray four, rather it is necessary to pray two and say taslim, two and say taslim, two and say taslim, Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "If he stands for the third out of forgetfulness, it is as if he stood for the third in Fajr": meaning it is obligatory for him to return, if he does not do so, his prayer is invalid: meaning if you were praying at night in sets of two, and you stood for the third out of forgetfulness, it is obligatory for you to return, even if you had started reciting al-Fatihah, you must return, if you do not do so, your prayer is invalid, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: meaning in sets of two, except that witr is excluded from this if one performs witr with three or five or seven or nine, if one performs witr with three, then if he wishes he says taslim from the first two and comes with the third alone, and if he wishes he combines all three with one taslim.
And if one performs witr with five, he recites them all with one taslim, and one tashahhud, and if one performs witr with seven, likewise he recites them all with one taslim.
And if one performs witr with nine, likewise he recites them with one taslim, except that in the eighth he sits and recites the tashahhud and does not say taslim, then he comes with the ninth and says taslim, and if one performs witr with eleven, he says taslim from every two rak'ahs as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did.
And in the first and second hadith of Ibn 'Umar: There is evidence that witr does not occur after the dawn has risen, when the dawn rises, the time for witr ends, if sleep overtook him and he did not perform witr before the dawn rose, he prays from the day, but he prays an even number, if it is his habit to perform witr with three, he prays four, and if it is his habit to perform witr with five, he prays six.
And so on.
So these hadiths are about the virtue of the night prayer and how to pray the night prayer and that it is two by two. As for the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), in it is evidence that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) sometimes would persist in righteous work until you would not see him except in that work, you would not see him standing but you would see him, and you would not see him sleeping but you would see him, and likewise in fasting, you would not see him fasting but you would see him, and you would not see him breaking his fast but you would see him: meaning that he (peace and blessings be upon him) follows what is better and more beneficial, sometimes he persists in fasting, sometimes he persists in standing in prayer, sometimes he persists in breaking his fast, sometimes he persists in sleeping, because he (peace and blessings be upon him) follows what is better and more pleasing to Allah and what is more restful for his body, because a person has a right over himself, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As: , and success is from Allah.