would adhere to this number.

Accordingly, the correct view on this issue is that the sunnah for Tarawih is eleven rak'ahs: one prays ten in pairs, concluding each two rak'ahs with the taslim, and then performs one rak'ah as witr. As Ibn al-Qayyim said, witr is the single rak'ah, not the rak'ahs that precede it. (1) What comes before it is part of the night prayer, while the witr is the one rak'ah. If, after the ten, one performs witr with three rak'ahs, making a total of thirteen rak'ahs, there is no harm in this, since this too is authentically reported in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both: “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed thirteen rak'ahs.” (2)

This, then, is the sunnah. Nevertheless, if someone prays twenty-three rak'ahs, or more than that, he should not be condemned. But if the people of the mosque request that he not exceed the number established in the sunnah, they have more right to be accommodated, because the evidence is on their side. If they remain silent and are content, however, and he leads them in more than that, there is no objection.