The correct view is that it is authentic, as al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it to be so (1). Accordingly, both the night prayer and the daytime prayer are performed two units at a time, ending each pair with the closing salutation. Every hadith that mentions four units without explicitly stating that the closing salutation was omitted is to be understood in light of this principle. Thus, if you encounter a hadith mentioning four units without explicitly negating the closing salutation, it must be understood to mean that one concludes every two units with the closing salutation, for this is the established principle, and individual cases are interpreted accordingly.

When Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked about the Prophet’s prayer in Ramadan, she said: “He would not pray more than eleven units in Ramadan or at any other time. He would pray four; do not ask about their beauty and length.” (2) Its apparent meaning is that the four were performed with a single closing salutation. However, this apparent meaning is to be understood in accordance with the general principle: namely, that the night prayer is performed two units at a time, as is established from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). It may be said that she mentioned four by themselves, then another four by themselves, because he prayed four and then rested, as indicated by thumma (then), which denotes sequence with an interval. This issue has already been discussed (3).

Question: If both the night prayer and the daytime prayer are performed two units at a time, what is the ruling if a person rises for a third unit?

Answer: His prayer is invalidated if he does so deliberately, because by deliberately adding to two units, he has contravened the command of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), which indicates that the night prayer is performed two units at a time. Whoever contravenes the command of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) falls under the Prophet’s statement: “Whoever performs an act that is not in accordance with this matter of ours, it is rejected.” (4) For this reason, Imam