"I said: 'O Mother of the believers! Tell me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' She said: 'We used to prepare his siwak and water for purification, then Allah (SWT) would wake him when He willed to wake him at night. He would use the siwak and perform wudu, then pray eith rak'ahs; not sitting until the eighth rak'ah, when he would sit and remember Allah (SWT) and call upon Him. Then he would say the taslim loud enough for us to hear.'"
The Book of Forgetfulness (In Prayer)
Sunan an-Nasa'i - Hadith Reference: Sunan an-Nasa'i 1315
Hadith Text
"I said: 'O Mother of the believers! Tell me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' She said: 'We used to prepare his siwak and water for purification, then Allah (SWT) would wake him when He willed to wake him at night. He would use the siwak and perform wudu, then pray eight rak'ahs; not sitting until the eighth rak'ah, when he would sit and remember Allah (SWT) and call upon Him. Then he would say the taslim loud enough for us to hear.'"
Scholarly Commentary
This narration from Aisha (RA) elucidates the Prophet's Witr prayer practice. The preparation of siwak and water demonstrates the importance of oral hygiene and ritual purity before night prayer. Allah awakening the Prophet shows this was divinely inspired worship, not mere habit.
The eight rak'ahs performed without sitting indicate these were the Tahajjud prayers, while the sitting in the eighth rak'ah confirms this was the Witr prayer - making nine rak'ahs total. The prolonged sitting for remembrance and supplication teaches us the importance of spiritual connection in the latter part of the night.
The audible taslim served to educate his household about proper prayer completion and demonstrates the Prophet's role as teacher even through his personal worship. This hadith collectively establishes the recommended practice of combining Tahajjud with Witr in the latter portion of the night.