Starting The Night Prayer With Two Rak'ahs

Narrated Abu Hurairah:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: When one of you gets up at night, he should begin the prayer with two short rak'ahs.

حَدَّثَنَا الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ نَافِعٍ أَبُو تَوْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَيَّانَ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ حَسَّانَ، عَنِ ابْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ : " إِذَا قَامَ أَحَدُكُمْ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَلْيُصَلِّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَفِيفَتَيْنِ " .

This tradition has also been transmitted by Abu Hurairah through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. This version adds:

He should then prolong it afterwards as much as he likes.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Hammad b. Salamah, Zuhair b. Mu'awiyah and a group of narrators from Hisham. They transmitted it as a statement of Abu Hurairah himself (mauquf).

This tradition has also been transmitted by Ibn 'Awn from Muhammad (b. Sirin). This version has the wordings: These two rak'ahs were short.

حَدَّثَنَا مَخْلَدُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ خَالِدٍ - عَنْ رَبَاحِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، عَنِ ابْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ : " إِذَا " . بِمَعْنَاهُ زَادَ : " ثُمَّ لْيُطَوِّلْ بَعْدُ مَا شَاءَ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ : رَوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَجَمَاعَةٌ عَنْ هِشَامٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ أَوْقَفُوهُ عَلَى أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، وَكَذَلِكَ رَوَاهُ أَيُّوبُ وَابْنُ عَوْنٍ أَوْقَفُوهُ عَلَى أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، وَرَوَاهُ ابْنُ عَوْنٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ : فِيهِمَا تَجَوَّزْ .