How many rak'ahs of nafilah prayers can be performed by saluting once?

Is the decree of Abu Hanifa "eight rak'ahs can be performed by saluting once" true? What is its evidence from hadiths? Is it not contrary to the following sound hadith? "Day and night prayers are two rak'ahs." Besides, are nafilah prayers not performed as two rak'ahs according to Imam Muhammad and Imam Abu Yusuf?

Dear Brother / Sister,

A person can perform nafilah prayers with as many rak'ahs as he wishes by saluting once but it is makruh. The view of Hanafi madhhab regarding the issue is as follows:

A person who starts to perform a nafilah prayer can perform it as two or four rak'ahs by saluting once. It is makruh to perform more than four rak'ahs by saluting once.

As for nafilah prayers performed at night, Abu Hanifa states the following regarding the issue:

"If a person performs eight rak'ahs by saluting once, it is permissible. It is makruh to perform more rak'ahs by saluting once."

According to Abu Hanifa, it is better to perform nafilah prayers as four rak'ahs whether they are performed at night or during the day. According to Hanafi madhhab, fatwa is based on the view of Imam Muhammad and Imam Abu Yusuf since it is more compatible with the hadith.

According to Abu Yusuf and Imam Imam Muhammad, a person should not perform more than two rak'ahs by saluting once since it is more virtuous to salute after every two rak'ahs. It is better to perform nafilah prayers at night as two rak'ahs and during the day as four rak'ahs. 

The view of Abu Hanifa is the hadiths narrated by Hz. Aisha that the Prophet (pbuh) performed four rak'ahs after the night (isha) prayer and that he kept praying four rak'ahs at duha (mid-morning) time. Besides, this prayer is the one that is performed the most in terms of tahrima (continued without takbir al-iftitah) and hence a prayer with the most difficulty and virtue.

His evidence about performing more than eight prayers being makruh is the fact that the Prophet (pbuh) did not perform more than eight rak'ahs by saluting once. If it had been permissible to perform more than eight rak'ahs by saluting once, he would have done so to teach it to Muslims.

Regarding this issue, Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad adopted the view of performing nafilah prayers in the form of two rak'ahs acting upon tarawih prayer.

According to Hanafis, it is makruh to perform tarawih prayer by saluting only once at the end of the twentieth rak'ah but it is valid.

According to Shafiis, it is fard to salute after every to rak'ahs in tarawih prayer; if a person salutes after the fourth rak'ah deliberately, his prayer is invalidated; if he does it by mistake, his prayer becomes a nafilah prayer.

According to Malikis, it is makruh to salute after every four rak'ahs but the prayer is valid. (see Prof. Dr. Wahba Zuhayli, İslam Fıkhı Ansiklopedisi)

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