Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
malik:7-19Mālik > Nāfiʿ

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."  

مالك:٧-١٩وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ

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