They disagreed about supererogatory prayers (nawafil), whether they are to be observed as two rak'as, four, or three. Malik and al-Shafi‘i said that voluntary prayers during the night or the day are to be offered as two at a time, with a salutation after every two rak'as. Abu Hanifa said that if the worshipper likes he may offer them as two at a time, or three, or four, or six, or eight, without offering a salutation in between. A group of jurists distinguished between prayers during the night and those during the day, saying that prayers during the night are two at a time while prayers during the day are four at a time.

They disagreed about supererogatory prayers, whether they are to be observed as two rak'as, four, or three. Malik and al-Shafi‘1 said that voluntary prayers during the night or the day are to be offered as two at a time with a salutation after every two rak^as. Abu Hanifa said that if the worshipper likes he may offer them as two at a time, or three, or four, or six, or eight, without offering a salutation in between. A group of jurists distinguished between prayers during the night and those during the day, saying that prayers during the night are two at a time while prayers during the day are four at a time.

他们在此问题上产生分歧的原因，在于关于这一主题的圣训相互冲突。据伊本·欧麦尔传述，有人问先知（愿主的赞颂与祝福降临于他）关于夜间拜功的事，他说：“夜间拜功是两拜两拜地做，如果你担心天将亮，就再做一拜作为威特尔拜。”又有确证的记载说，先知（愿主的赞颂与祝福降临于他）“在日间拜（晌礼）前做两拜、后做两拜，在昏礼后做两拜，在主麻拜后做两拜，在晡礼前做两拜”。主张依据这两段圣训的人认为，无论夜间还是白天的拜功，都是两拜两拜地做。 另有经由阿伊莎的传述确立下来的记载，她描述安拉的使者（愿主的赞颂与祝福降临于他）的拜功时说：“他拜了四拜，你无法想象那四拜是多么美好、多么悠长！接着他又拜了四拜，你无法想象那四拜是多么美好、多么悠长！然后他拜了三拜。”我说：“安拉的使者啊，您在做威特尔拜之前睡觉吗？”他说：“阿伊莎啊，我的眼睛睡着了，但我的心没有睡。”又经由艾布·胡莱赖传述确立的圣训，先知（愿主的赞颂与祝福降临于他）说：“谁在朱迈达（即晌礼之后）之后拜，就应当拜四拜。”奥斯沃德从阿伊莎处传述，“安拉的使者（愿主的赞颂与祝福降临于他）夜间曾拜九拜”，“但当他年迈时，便拜七拜”。 那些依照这些圣训表面含义的人，允许将自愿拜功一次做四拜或三拜，中间不间断、不以问候结束。而多数学者则主张，自愿拜功不能只做一拜。我认为，在这一点上存在某些偏离正道的分歧。

The reason for their disagreement in this arises from the conflict of the traditions on the subject. A tradition from Ibn TJmar is related that a man asked the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) about prayers during the night, and he said, “The prayer during the night is two at a time, and if you find that the morning is going to overtake you, then, offer one rak^a as witr”. It is also established from the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be .upon him) “that he used to pray two rak^as before zuhr and two after it, two rakfas after maghrib, two rakfas after the Friday prayer, and two rak'as before casr”. Those who adopted these two traditions said that prayers during the night as well as the day are two rakcas at a time. It is established through a tradition of ‘Arisha in which she describes the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) by saying “He prayed four rak^as and you cannot imagine how beautiful they were or how long! He then then prayed four and you cannot imagine how beautiful they were or how long! He then prayed three, and I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, do you sleep before observing the wilrP He said, CO c Arisha, my eyes go to sleep, but my heart does not”*. It is also established, through a narration of Abu Hurayra, that the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) said, “He who prays after the jumida should pray four”. Al-Aswad has related from <A>isha “that the Messenger of Allah (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer nine ra&as during the night”—“but when he grew older, he prayed seven”. Those who adopted the apparent meaning in these traditions permitted supererogatory prayers as four or three at a time without a break between them with the salutation. The majority maintained that super­ erogatory prayers are not offered through a single rak*a, and I think there is some deviant disagreement in this.