The ruling on praying the night prayer in sets of four and connecting the rak'ahs of the witr

The questioner:
He says: I pray the night prayer, O Shaykh, four rak'ahs, then I say the taslim, then four rak'ahs, then I say the taslim, and I connect that with three rak'ahs?

The Shaykh:
Yes. You pray four rak'ahs and rest, then you pray four rak'ahs and rest; this is how the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do it. As for the qunut, and as for the shaf' and the witr, do not connect them with three rak'ahs. Perform the shaf' as two rak'ahs, then sit for the final tashahhud, then say the taslim, then stand up and perform the witr, which is the last rak'ah. Yes.

The questioner:
If, O Shaykh Salih, he prays four rak'ahs and then says the taslim.

The Shaykh:
Yes, the night prayer is prayed in pairs of two. He prays four rak'ahs; they are not all one unit, but every two rak'ahs are concluded with a taslim. That means he prays four taslims, then he rests afterward. Yes.