praying.”

Yet some people misunderstood the hadith, supposing that it encompasses both the number of units and the mode of performance. On that basis they ruled that it is impermissible to exceed, in the night prayer, the number of rakʿahs the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform, maintaining that the tarāwīḥ in Ramadan must not go beyond eleven—or, at most, thirteen—units.

A careful reading of the hadith, however, shows that it addresses only the manner (how the prayer is performed), not the quantity, except where number forms an integral part of that manner, such as the units of a single obligatory prayer.

This is supported by what is authentically recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and elsewhere from the hadith of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both). A man once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) while he was on the pulpit, “What do you advise concerning the night prayer?” He replied, “Two by two; then when dawn is near let him pray one, and that will make what he has prayed an odd number.” In another wording the man asks, “How is the night prayer performed?” Had the number of units for the night prayer been fixed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have specified it for that questioner.

Consequently, the stronger view is that limiting the night prayer to eleven or thirteen units is commendable, but if a person exceeds that there is no harm.

There are many such examples, well documented in the books of jurisprudence that present the points of disagreement and weigh the various opinions. Allah’s help is sought.