and two rak‘ahs before Fajr.”

There is also the hadith of ‘Ā’ishah:

“The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to pray four rak‘ahs before Zuhr.”

This too appears in the authentic collection, while the remainder of her report appears in Sahīh Muslim and is similar to Ibn ‘Umar’s hadith. It is likewise reported in the authentic collection, and in a narration graded authentic by al-Tirmidhī, that he prayed two rak‘ahs before Zuhr.

There is also the hadith of Umm Habībah, who reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“Whoever prays twelve voluntary rak‘ahs in a day and night, apart from the obligatory prayers, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise.”

The Sunan collections explain these as:

“Four before Zuhr, two after it, two after Maghrib, two after ‘Ishā’, and two before Fajr.”

Thus, this authentic hadith shows that he verbally encouraged the performance of twelve rak‘ahs. The other two authentic hadiths indicate that he used to pray either ten or twelve rak‘ahs alongside the obligatory prayers. He would also pray eleven or thirteen rak‘ahs at night. His obligatory and voluntary prayers therefore totalled approximately forty rak‘ahs over a day and night. He made his daytime prayers odd in number with Maghrib, and his night prayers odd in number with Witr.

It is also established in the authentic collection that he said:

“Between every call to prayer and the call to commence it, there is a prayer; between every call to prayer and the call to commence it, there is a prayer; between every call to prayer and the call to commence it, there is a prayer.”

The third time, he added, “For whoever wishes,” lest people adopt it as a Sunnah.