Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi and Abdullah ibn Umar that a man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about night prayers. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Night prayers are two by two, and when you are afraid that dawn is approaching, pray one raka to make what you have prayed odd."  

أَنَّ رَجُلاً سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ صَلاَةِ اللَّيْلِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى فَإِذَا خَشِيَ أَحَدُكُمُ الصُّبْحَ صَلَّى رَكْعَةً وَاحِدَةً تُوتِرُ لَهُ مَا قَدْ صَلَّى  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban from Ibn Muhayriz that a man from the Kinana tribe called al-Mukhdaji heard a man in Syria known as Abu Muhammad saying, "The witr is obligatory (fard)." Al-Mukhdaji said, "I went to Ubada ibn as-Samit and presented myself to him as he was going to the mosque, and told him what Abu Muhammad had said. Ubada said that Abu Muhammad had lied and that he had heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Allah the Majestic and Mighty has written five prayers for mankind, and whoever does them and does not waste anything of them by making light of what is due to them, there is a pact for him with Allah that He will admit him into the Garden.Whoever does not do them, there is no pact for him with Allah. If He wishes, He punishes him, and if He wishes, He admits him into the Garden.' "  

أَنَّ رَجُلاً مِنْ بَنِي كِنَانَةَ يُدْعَى الْمُخْدَجِيَّ سَمِعَ رَجُلاً بِالشَّامِ يُكَنَّى أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الْوِتْرَ وَاجِبٌ فَقَالَ الْمُخْدَجِيُّ فَرُحْتُ إِلَى عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ فَاعْتَرَضْتُ لَهُ وَهُوَ رَائِحٌ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِالَّذِي قَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ فَقَالَ عُبَادَةُ كَذَبَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ خَمْسُ صَلَوَاتٍ كَتَبَهُنَّ اللَّهُ ﷻ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ فَمَنْ جَاءَ بِهِنَّ لَمْ يُضَيِّعْ مِنْهُنَّ شَيْئًا اسْتِخْفَافًا بِحَقِّهِنَّ كَانَ لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَهْدٌ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَأْتِ بِهِنَّ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَهْدٌ إِنْ شَاءَ عَذَّبَهُ وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَدْخَلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Bakr ibn Umar that Said ibn Yasar said, ''I was travelling with Abdullah ibn Umar on the road to Makka, and fearing that it was nearly dawn. I dismounted and prayed witr. Abdullah said, 'Is there not a model for you in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?' I said, 'Of course, by Allah!' He said, 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray witr on his camel.' "  

قَالَ كُنْتُ أَسِيرُ مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بِطَرِيقِ مَكَّةَ قَالَ سَعِيدٌ فَلَمَّا خَشِيتُ الصُّبْحَ نَزَلْتُ فَأَوْتَرْتُ ثُمَّ أَدْرَكْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ أَيْنَ كُنْتَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ خَشِيتُ الصُّبْحَ فَنَزَلْتُ فَأَوْتَرْتُ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ أَلَيْسَ لَكَ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ فَقُلْتُ بَلَى وَاللَّهِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يُوتِرُ عَلَى الْبَعِيرِ  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Said ibn al-Musayyab said, "Abu Bakr as-Siddiq used to pray witr when he wished to go to bed, and Umar ibn al-Khattab used to pray witr at the end of the night. As for me, I pray witr when I go to bed."  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ كَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ فِرَاشَهُ أَوْتَرَ وَكَانَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ يُوتِرُ آخِرَ اللَّيْلِ قَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ فَأَمَّا أَنَا فَإِذَا جِئْتُ فِرَاشِي أَوْتَرْتُ  

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that a man asked Abdullah ibn Umar whether the witr was obligatory and Abdullah ibn Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed witr, and the muslims prayed witr." The man began repeating his question, and Abdullah ibn Umar kept saying, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed witr, and the muslims prayed witr."  

فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ قَدْ أَوْتَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَوْتَرَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ فَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يُرَدِّدُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ أَوْتَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَوْتَرَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ  

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ used to say, "If someone fears that he will sleep through till the morning, let him pray the witr before he sleeps, and if some one hopes to wake for the last part of the night, let him delay his witr."  

أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ كَانَتْ تَقُولُ مَنْ خَشِيَ أَنْ يَنَامَ حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ فَلْيُوتِرْ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَنَامَ وَمَنْ رَجَا أَنْ يَسْتَيْقِظَ آخِرَ اللَّيْلِ فَلْيُؤَخِّرْ وِتْرَهُ  

Yahya related to me from Malik that Nafi said, "I was with Abdullah ibn Umar in Makka. The sky was clouded over and Abdullah feared that dawn was approaching so he prayed one raka for witr. Then the clouds cleared and he saw that it was still night, so he made his prayers even with one raka. Then he continued to pray two rakas at a time, until when he feared the approach of dawn, he prayed one raka for witr."  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بِمَكَّةَ وَالسَّمَاءُ مُغِيمَةٌ فَخَشِيَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ الصُّبْحَ فَأَوْتَرَ بِوَاحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ انْكَشَفَ الْغَيْمُ فَرَأَى أَنَّ عَلَيْهِ لَيْلاً فَشَفَعَ بِوَاحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ صَلَّى بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ فَلَمَّا خَشِيَ الصُّبْحَ أَوْتَرَ بِوَاحِدَةٍ  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say the taslim between the two rakas and the one raka of witr so that he could order something he needed.  

أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ كَانَ يُسَلِّمُ بَيْنَ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ وَالرَّكْعَةِ فِي الْوِتْرِ حَتَّى يَأْمُرَ بِبَعْضِ حَاجَتِهِ  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Sad ibn Abi Waqqas used to pray witr after isha with one raka. Malik said, "This is not the situation with us. Rather three is the minimum for witr."  

أَنَّ سَعْدَ بْنَ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ كَانَ يُوتِرُ بَعْدَ الْعَتَمَةِ بِوَاحِدَةٍ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَلَيْسَ عَلَى هَذَا الْعَمَلُ عِنْدَنَا وَلَكِنْ أَدْنَى الْوِتْرِ ثَلاَثٌ  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Dinar that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "The maghrib prayer is the witr of the daytime prayers."

Malik said, "If someone prays witr at the beginning of the night, and goes to sleep, and then wakes up and it seems good to him to pray, let him pray, two rakas at a time. That is what I like most of what I have heard."  

أنَّ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ كانَ يَقُولُ: صَلاَةُ المَغْرِبِ وِتْرُ صَلاَةِ النَّهارِ.

قالَ يَحْيى، قالَ مالِكٌ: مَن أوْتَرَ أوَّلَ اللَّيْلِ، ثُمَّ نامَ، ثُمَّ قامَ، فَبَدا لَهُ أنْ يُصَلِّيَ فَلْيُصَلِّ، مَثْنى مَثْنى. فَهُوَ أحَبُّ ما سَمِعْتُ إلَيَّ.