مُوَطَّأُ مَالِكٍ
Muwatta Malik 312
Prayer in Congregation
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهَا أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّهَا لَمْ تَرَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي صَلاَةَ اللَّيْلِ قَاعِدًا قَطُّ حَتَّى أَسَنَّ فَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ قَاعِدًا حَتَّى إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ قَامَ فَقَرَأَ نَحْوًا مِنْ ثَلاَثِينَ أَوْ أَرْبَعِينَ آيَةً ثُمَّ رَكَعَ .
Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, (ﷺ), told him that she had never seen the Messenger of Allah, (ﷺ), doing night prayers sitting down until he was getting on in years. He would recite sitting down until when he wanted to go into ruku, he would stand up and recite about thirty or forty ayats and then go into ruku.
Arabic/English book reference: Book 8, Hadith 23