Azami 2822

Abu Dawud narrated it (1362) from Ahmad bin Salih and Muhammad bin Salama Muradi, who both said, Ibn Wahb narrated to us, from Muawiya bin Salih, from Abdullah bin Abu Qays, and he related it.Abu Dawud said, "Ahmad bin Salih added, 'He would not perform Witr with two rakats before Fajr.' I said, 'What was the Witr?' She said, 'He never used to leave that.'" Ahmad (that is, Ibn Salih) did not mention "six and three." End of quote.I say, its chain is sahih.Imam Ahmad narrated it (25159) from Abdul-Rahman bin Mahdi, from Muawiya, with the same chain, and in it, "He would not leave off two rakats."Bayhaqi said, "This could mean that he intended by it three [rakats] not separated by sitting or tasleem, in which case it would carry the same meaning as the narration of Hisham bin Urwa." Sunan al-Kubra (3/28)He means by that what Muslim narrated through Hisham bin Urwa, from his father, from Ayesha, who said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray thirteen rakats, performing Witr with five of them, and he would not sit in any of them until he sat at the end of them and gave the tasleem." This has been mentioned before.I say, it is also possible that she meant by "three" [rakats performed] together with four, or three together with six, or three together with eight, the three being with two tasleems, the two [that come first] being light, then one rakat, with what came before it being four, or six, or eight, [and] long, based on her saying, "So do not ask about how good and long they were." Eight...And it could be that what is meant by "three" is [three] with sitting and tasleem at the end of them, as it came in some versions of the long hadith of Saad bin Hisham bin Amir mentioned in the chapter on the comprehensive account of the Prophet's ﷺ night prayer, that he ﷺ would not give tasleem in the two rakats of Witr. However, I traced the versions of the hadith of Saad bin Hisham bin Amir and did not find in his hadith that he performed Witr with three.