A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was on the pulpit: What do you say about the night prayer? He (ﷺ) said: "Two by two

A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was delivering a sermon on the pulpit: O Messenger of Allah, teach me how to perform the night prayer. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Pray and make Taslīm after every two Rak‘ahs. When you fear that dawn is near, then pray one Rak‘ah, which will make what you have prayed Witr. And he (ﷺ) used to advise making Witr the last prayer of the night.

1. The basic rule for night prayer is to make Taslīm after every two Rak‘ahs, except for the Witr prayer.
2. The night prayer is not limited to a specific number of Rak‘ahs, as indicated by the unrestricted wording of the text.
3. An-Nawawi said: The Hadīth "the prayer of the night and day is two by two" refers to what is preferable—that one makes Taslīm after every two Rak‘ahs. This applies to both the voluntary prayers of the night and of the day, as it is recommended to conclude with Taslīm after every two Rak‘ahs.
4. An-Nawawi said: This Hadīth is evidence that the Sunnah is to make Witr the last prayer of the night, and that its time ends with the rising of dawn. This is the famous view in our school of thought, and it is the opinion held by the majority of scholars.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 102) (472). صحيح مسلم (1/ 517) (751). إرشاد الساري لشرح صحيح البخاري، لابن حجر(1/ 456). توضيح الأحكام مِن بلوغ المرام، لعبد الله البسام (2/ 394). فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام شرح بلوغ المرام، لابن عثيمين (2/ 233). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لعبد الله البسام (ص217).