وَعَن زيد بن خَالِد الْجُهَنِيّ
أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَأَرْمُقَنَّ صَلَاةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اللَّيْلَةَ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَفِيفَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ طَوِيلَتَيْنِ طَوِيلَتَيْنِ طَوِيلَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُمَا دُونَ اللَّتَيْنِ قَبْلَهُمَا ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُمَا دُونَ اللَّتَيْنِ قَبْلَهُمَا ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُمَا دُونَ اللَّتَيْنِ قَبْلَهُمَا ثُمَّ أَوْتَرَ فَذَلِكَ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً
Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani decided to watch one night what prayers God’s Messenger said. He prayed two short rakas, then two long, long, long rakas, then he prayed two rakas which were less than the two preceding, then he prayed two rakas which were less then the two preceding, then he prayed two rakas which were less than the two preceding, then he prayed two rakas which were less than the two preceding, then he prayed a single one, making a total of thirteen. Muslim transmitted it.
The words “then he prayed two rakas which were less than the two preceding”, mentioned four times, occur thus in Muslim’s Sahih and among those peculiar or him in Humaidi’s book, also in Malik’s Muwatta, Abu Dawud’s Sunan, and Jami al-Usul.