Is it considered an innovation (bid‘ah) for a person to pray two rak‘ahs of Ishraq half an hour after sunrise, then pray 10 rak‘ahs two hours before Dhuhr, making it 12 rak‘ahs of Duha, given that there is no evidence that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) or his Companions performed it in this manner?

It is permissible to perform supererogatory prayers of twelve rak'ahs at the beginning of the day. Scholars have differed regarding the maximum number of rak'ahs for Duha prayer. The Malikis and Hanbalis held that its maximum is eight rak'ahs, while the Shafi'is and Hanafis maintained that its maximum is twelve rak'ahs. What the questioner does aligns with the opinion of those who say that the sunrise prayer (Shuruq) is part of Duha, and there is no objection to distributing the Duha rak'ahs throughout its time. This difference in number pertains to the amount that is intended specifically as Duha prayer, whereas permissibility encompasses all times not prohibited.