Ibn 'Umar reported that a person asked the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) about the night prayer. The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: Prayer during the night should consist of pairs of rak'ahs, but if one of you fears morning is near, he should pray one rak'ah which will make his prayer an odd number for him.

'Abdullah bin 'Umar reported: A man stood up and said. Messenger of Allah, how is the night prayer? The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: The night prayer consists of pairs, but if you apprehend the rise of dawn, make it odd number by observing one rak'ah.

'Abdullah bin 'Umar reported: A person asked the Apostle of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) as I stood between him (the Holy Prophet) and the inquirer and he said: Messenger of Allah, how is the night prayer? He (the Holy Prophet) said: It consists of pairs of rak'ahs, but if you apprehend morning, you should pray one rak'ah and make the end of your prayer as Witr. Then a person asked him (the Holy Prophet) at the end of the year and I was at that place near the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) ; but I do not know whether he was the same person or another person, but he (the Holy Prophet) gave him the same reply.

Ibn 'Umar reported: A person called (the attention) of the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) as he was in the mosque, and said: Messenger of Allah, how should I make the rak'ahs of the night prayer an odd number? Upon this the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) (way peace he upon him) said: He who prays (night prayer) he should observe it in pairs, but if he apprehends the rise of morning, he should observe one rak'ah; that would make the number odd (for the rak'ahs) observed by him. This was narrated by Abd Kuraib 'Ubaidullah bin 'Abdullah and Ibn 'Umar did not make mention of it.

Anas bin Sirin reported: I asked Ibn 'Umar to tell me about the practice of the Holy Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) in regard to two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer: Should I make lengthy recitation in them? He said: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) used to observe, the night prayer in pairs and then made the number odd by observing one rak'ah. I said: I am not asking you about it. He said: You are a bulky man, will you not show me the patience to narrate to you the hadith completely? The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) used to observe the night prayer in pairs and then made the number odd by observing one rak'ah, and then he observed two rak'ahs before dawn quite close to the call for prayer (Khalaf said:" Did you see [yourself the Holy Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) observing] the two rak'ahs before the dawn?" and he made no mention of prayer.)

Anas bin Sirin reported: I asked Ibn 'Umar like this (as recorded in the previous hadith) and he made this addition:" And he (the Holy Prophet) made the end of the night prayer as odd number by one rak'ah." And there is also (this addition):" Stop, stop, you are bulky."

Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) as saying: The night prayer consists of pairs and when you see the approach of dawn, make this number odd by one rak'ah. It was said to Ibn 'Umar (RA): What does the (word) pair imply? He said: (It means) that salutation is uttered after every two rak'ahs.