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The question

What is the authenticity of the statement that Aisha's narration, in which she spoke of eleven rak'ahs of prayer, was about Tahajjud or Witr prayer and not Tarawih?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Tahajjud, Witr, and Tarawih prayers are all forms of Qiyam al-Layl (night prayer), with Tarawih being specific to Ramadan. The narration of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) concerning the Prophet's (peace be upon him) night prayer encompasses all his prayers performed at night. Aisha reported that the Prophet's (peace be upon him) prayer, both in Ramadan and outside of it, did not exceed eleven rak'ahs, and sometimes it was seven, nine, or thirteen rak'ahs. Scholars have explained the variations in her narrations by stating that she was describing what she witnessed at different times, and her statement "did not exceed eleven rak'ahs" means that this was the maximum he would pray. As for the narration of thirteen rak'ahs, Ibn Hajar suggested that it might include the two Sunnah rak'ahs after Isha prayer or the two short rak'ahs with which the Prophet (peace be upon him) would begin his night prayer. Thus, Aisha's narration refers to the totality of his (peace be upon him) night prayer.

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Original fatwa ID
12399
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