the dawn prayer, making thirteen rak‘ahs in all.” This report is explicit and clear.

As for Ibn ‘Abbās, the reports transmitted from him differ (1). In the two Sahīh collections (2), Abū Jamrah relates from him: “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would pray thirteen rak‘ahs—meaning at night.” However, another report from him explicitly states that this count includes the two rak‘ahs before the dawn prayer. Al-Sha‘bī said: I asked ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās and ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar about the Messenger of Allah’s night prayer, peace and blessings be upon him. They both replied: “Thirteen: eight rak‘ahs, three for witr, and two after dawn (3)” (4).

In the two Sahīh collections (5), Kurayb relates from Ibn ‘Abbās, in the account of his overnight stay with his maternal aunt Maymūnah bint al-Hārith, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed thirteen rak‘ahs, then slept until he snored. When dawn became apparent to him, he prayed two brief rak‘ahs. Another wording (6) reads: “He prayed two rak‘ahs, then two, then two, then two, then two, then two, and then performed witr. He then lay down until the caller to prayer came, whereupon he rose and prayed two brief rak‘ahs. Then he went out and performed the dawn prayer.”