Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 287
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، عَنْ خَالِدٍ الْحَذَّاءِ، عَنْ أَبِي قِلاَبَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ اللَّيْثِيِّ، أَنَّهُ رَأَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي فَكَانَ إِذَا كَانَ فِي وِتْرٍ مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ لَمْ يَنْهَضْ حَتَّى يَسْتَوِيَ جَالِسًا . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَالْعَمَلُ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَ بَعْضِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ . وَبِهِ يَقُولُ إِسْحَاقُ وَبَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا . وَمَالِكٌ يُكْنَى أَبَا سُلَيْمَانَ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Malik ibn al-Huwayrith al-Laythi saw the Prophet praying. When he was in an odd-numbered unit of his prayer, he would not rise until he had sat upright. Abu Isa said: The hadith of Malik ibn al-Huwayrith is hasan sahih. Some of the people of knowledge act upon it. This is the view of Ishaq and some of our companions. Malik was known by the kunya Abu Sulayman.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The description of sitting upright is translated literally without identifying a specific named posture.
أَنَّهُ رَأَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي فَكَانَ إِذَا كَانَ فِي وِتْرٍ مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ لَمْ يَنْهَضْ حَتَّى يَسْتَوِيَ جَالِسًا .
The Arabic says an odd number of his prayer; it does not specify the unit explicitly.
Does odd-numbered unit best convey the prayer position described?