Muwatta 318

A report that Malik transmits from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr (may God be pleased with him) from his father, that Abdullah ibn Qays ibn Makhrama told him, from Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani (may God be pleased with him), in the chapter on the Prophet ﷺ's witr prayer: Zayd resolved to watch the Prophet's prayer one night, and lay on his threshold or tent. The Prophet stood and prayed two long rak'as, then two shorter than those, five times, each pair shorter than the one before, then the witr, making thirteen rak'as. The editor notes that Yahya said "long, long" and dropped the two light rak'as with which the Prophet opened, while all other Muwatta transmitters said he prayed two light rak'as, then two long ones, three times over. Ibn Abd al-Barr called Yahya's omission a clear error. The editor cites Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, al-Tirmidhi in the Shama'il, al-Nasa'i and Ibn Hibban. ^{1 2}

Belongs to the Muwatta, Book of Prayer. Source: the Muwatta. Mentions Muhammad, Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani, Abdallah ibn Qays ibn Makhrama, Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Hazm and Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi. Built on in the chapters on prayer.