Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي عَنْ ابْنِ إِسْحَاقَ حَدَّثَنِي نَافِعٌ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ إِذَا سُئِلَ عَنْ الْوَتْرِ قَالَ أَمَّا أَنَا فَلَوْ أَوْتَرْتُ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَنَامَ ثُمَّ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ بِاللَّيْلِ شَفَعْتُ بِوَاحِدَةٍ مَا مَضَى مِنْ وِتْرِي ثُمَّ صَلَّيْتُ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُ صَلَاتِي أَوْتَرْتُ بِوَاحِدَةٍ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَ أَنْ يُجْعَلَ آخِرَ صَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ الْوَتْرُ.
English Translation
Ya'qub told us: My father told us, from Ibn Ishaq: Nafi' told me, from Ibn Umar, that when he was asked about the witr prayer, he said: 'As for me, if I prayed witr before sleeping, then wished afterward to pray during the night, I would pair it with one more rak'ah, undoing what had passed of my witr, then I would pray two by two, and when I finished my prayer I would pray witr with one rak'ah. Indeed the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded that the last prayer of the night be made the witr.'