The Ruling on the Hadith: (Whoever Prays Twelve Rak'ahs of the Duha Prayer...)

Question:
The questioner: I found in the book itself that Is this hadith authentic? And when is the Duha prayer performed?

Answer:
The Shaykh: Yes, a hadith has been reported regarding this, but there is a defect in its chain of narration. What is preserved from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that he prayed eight rak'ahs of the Duha prayer in the Year of the Conquest. If one prays more than that, there is no harm; if he prays twenty or more, there is no harm. However, the minimum is two rak'ahs. It is established that he (peace and blessings be upon him) advised Abu Hurayrah to do three things: among them is the Duha prayer, fasting three days of every month, and the Witr prayer before sleeping.
The point is that the minimum is two rak'ahs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit Quba every Saturday morning and pray two rak'ahs there in the Mosque of Quba. So the recommended practice is to pray two rak'ahs of Duha or more. If he prays four, six, eight, or otherwise, there is no blame on him. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray four rak'ahs of Duha, and would increase as much as Allah willed." It is also established from the hadith of Umm Hani (may Allah be pleased with her), Umm Hani bint Abi Talib, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed eight rak'ahs of Duha in the Year of the Conquest.
The recommended practice is to conclude the prayer from every two rak'ahs, both at night and during the day; this is the best. One should conclude from every two rak'ahs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whenever he prays two rak'ahs, he recites the tashahhud, sends blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then makes the prescribed supplications, and then concludes the prayer. This is more emphasized at night, and likewise it is the best during the day as well. He prays two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, whether it is the Duha prayer or not. Likewise, the recommended practice before the Zuhr prayer is four rak'ahs, with two conclusions. The recommended practice after the Zuhr prayer is a regular voluntary prayer with one conclusion. If he prays four rak'ahs after it, that is better, but with two conclusions; this is the best. Likewise, it is recommended to pray four rak'ahs before the 'Asr prayer, praying them with two conclusions. We ask Allah for success for everyone. Yes.

The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.