Aishah said: "When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ grew old and put on weight, he prayed seven rak'ahs and only sat in the last of them, and he prayed two rak'ahs while sitting after saying the taslim, and that was nine, O my son! And when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ offered any prayer he liked to persist in doing so."  

لَمَّا أَسَنَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَخَذَ اللَّحْمَ صَلَّى سَبْعَ رَكَعَاتٍ لاَ يَقْعُدُ إِلاَّ فِي آخِرِهِنَّ وَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ قَاعِدٌ بَعْدَ مَا يُسَلِّمُ فَتِلْكَ تِسْعٌ يَا بُنَىَّ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلاَةً أَحَبَّ أَنْ يُدَاوِمَ عَلَيْهَا مُخْتَصَرٌ خَالَفَهُ هِشَامٌ الدَّسْتَوَائِيُّ  

"My father narrated to me, from Qatadah, from Zurarah bin Awfa, from Sa'd bin Hisham, that Aishah said: 'When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed witr with nine rak'ahs, he did not sit until the eighth rak'ah. Then he would praise Allah (SWT) and remember Him and supplicate, then he would get up and he wouldn't say the taslim, then he prayed the ninth, then he sat and remembered Allah (SWT) and supplicated. Then he said a taslim that we could hear. Then he prayed two rak'ahs sitting down. When he grew older and weaker, he prayed witr with seven rak'ahs and did not sit until the sixth. Then he got up and did not say the taslim, and prayed the seventh, then he said the taslim, then he prayed two rak'ahs sitting down.'"  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا أَوْتَرَ بِتِسْعِ رَكَعَاتٍ لَمْ يَقْعُدْ إِلاَّ فِي الثَّامِنَةِ فَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيَذْكُرُهُ وَيَدْعُو ثُمَّ يَنْهَضُ وَلاَ يُسَلِّمُ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي التَّاسِعَةَ فَيَجْلِسُ فَيَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ ﷻ وَيَدْعُو ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمُ تَسْلِيمَةً يُسْمِعُنَا ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فَلَمَّا كَبِرَ وَضَعُفَ أَوْتَرَ بِسَبْعِ رَكَعَاتٍ لاَ يَقْعُدُ إِلاَّ فِي السَّادِسَةِ ثُمَّ يَنْهَضُ وَلاَ يُسَلِّمُ فَيُصَلِّي السَّابِعَةَ ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمُ تَسْلِيمَةً ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ