Under item 5 he writes: “The preferable practice is to keep to eleven or thirteen rakʿahs, and the worshipper may either link them together or break them up. ʿĀʾishah —may Allah be pleased with her—said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never exceeded eleven rakʿahs in Ramadan or at any other time. He would pray four; do not ask about their beauty and their length…’ This was related by al-Bukhari and Muslim. They likewise transmitted, through al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad, that he said: I heard ʿĀʾishah —may Allah be pleased with her—say: ‘The night prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was ten rakʿahs, after which he concluded with a single prostration.”

I say: The remainder of al-Qāsim’s report from her in their collections is: “He would then pray the two rakʿahs of Fajr, making a total of thirteen rakʿahs.” From this several remarks arise against the author:

1. He allowed a free choice between linking and separating the rakʿahs, which implies that neither mode is superior; yet earlier he preferred separation over linking in daytime voluntary prayers on the strength of the ḥadīth, “The prayer of the night and day is in pairs.” Consistency demands the same preference here—ponder this. Moreover, the mention of “day” in that ḥadīth is irregular, were it not for the corroborating routes and supporting narrations already set out.

2. He failed to cite the proof for the figure of thirteen rakʿahs, even though it too rests on a report from ʿĀʾishah. She said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray thirteen rakʿahs at night; then, when he heard the call for the dawn prayer, he would pray two brief rakʿahs.” Al-Bukhari recorded it (3/35, with Fatḥ al-Bārī) through Mālik, from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from her.

Aḥmad likewise transmitted it (6/178), and in another wording (6/230): “He would perform witir with five, not sitting during any of them except the last.” Its chain meets the conditions of the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim).