Muhammad bin Abdur Rahman narrates that Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform the ‘Isha prayer in the Prophet’s Mosque and after that would perform only one rak‘ah of Witr, not offering any additional voluntary prayers. Someone said to him: O Abu Ishaq! Do you perform only one rak‘ah and nothing more? He replied: Yes, and I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever sleeps after performing Witr is cautious.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man said: O Messenger of Allah! How do you command us to pray at night? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A person should keep praying two rak‘ahs at a time; when he fears that dawn is about to break, he should pray one rak‘ah. This one rak‘ah will make the number of rak‘ahs he has prayed during the night odd.

(Second chain of narration) In this, the detail is: The prayer of the night and day is in sets of two rak‘ahs, so after every two rak‘ahs, keep saying salam. But when you fear the approach of dawn, then pray one rak‘ah; it will make all your previous prayers odd (witr) for you.

Abu Majliz says: I asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) about Witr, so he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: There is one rak'ah in the last part of the night. Then I asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), so he said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There is one rak'ah in the last part of the night.

Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then offer five rak‘ahs of Witr, if you do not have the strength for that, then offer three, if you are not able to do even that, then offer one, and if you do not have the ability for even that, then perform it by making gestures.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: Tonight I will definitely watch the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. So I made his doorstep or the tent my pillow and began to watch. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performed two light rak‘ahs, then performed two long rak‘ahs, then performed two rak‘ahs, but they were less than the previous ones, then performed two rak‘ahs, but they were less than the previous two, then performed two rak‘ahs, these were also less than the two before them, then performed witr. In this way, these became a total of thirteen rak‘ahs.