How does the imam pray the witr after the tarawih?

The questioner : Peace be upon you. And upon you be peace.

The Shaykh : May Allah have mercy on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence. It is not given to us initially, but we must know that the one who leads may pray two rak'ahs first and conclude the prayer, then come to the third. He may also combine the three with one tashahhud and one taslim. As for the ma'mum (those praying behind the imam), they should intend that they are in the witr, even in the first two rak'ahs. For example, if the imam finishes the tarawih and says the takbir for the witr—which people call the witr, and which is considered a completion of the witr—then the ma'mum intends that he has entered the witr. By doing so, matters are not confused, because the witr is part of the night prayer, and it is not considered a separate matter.
What I see is that it is recommended for the imam to maintain a consistent practice. That is, to pray the three rak'ahs as a single unit with one tashahhud and one taslim from the beginning of the month to the end, or to use the second method, which is to pray two rak'ahs, conclude the prayer, and then pray the third, so that the people are not confused. As I told you, and as I say to the questioner, there is no term for "invalid" here, because the two separated rak'ahs are part of the witr. The ma'mum concludes that he has entered the witr from the moment the imam says the takbir for the witr after the tarawih. Yes. Yes, yes.
As for some of the people, the imam may pray eight rak'ahs and then conclude, and for some, he may pray ten rak'ahs and then conclude. The ma'mum may not know whether the imam intends to conclude after eight rak'ahs or after ten. Allah knows this. What is recommended for the imam is to stick to either eleven or thirteen rak'ahs, so that the people are not confused. As for praying ten one night and thirteen another, there is no doubt that this causes confusion for the people. However, some of the brothers say that I do this so that it becomes clear to the people that both methods are permissible.
This is undoubtedly a good intention, but it causes confusion. It is sufficient to explain to the people that both methods are permissible and smooth. When he concludes the prayer, he can say that it is permissible to pray thirteen rak'ahs and that it is permissible to pray eleven rak'ahs. On this occasion, I would like to say that what some imams do, namely praying nine rak'ahs with one taslim, sitting after the eighth without concluding, and then praying the ninth, based on the fact that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did it in this manner,
I say that this is a mistake, a mistake by these brothers. This is because the first point is that this manner of praying the witr was only from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he prayed in his house alone, and it is not established that he (peace and blessings be upon him) ever prayed this manner with the people.
Second, it is difficult for the people to pray nine rak'ahs with one taslim. Some people need to urinate and the like. And even if there is no hardship in that, such as the difficulty of standing, one can inform the people of this without doing it with them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do this when he prayed with his Companions in the standing prayer of Ramadan.
And on this occasion, I also wish my brothers who are eager to clarify the Sunnah in word and deed to look carefully at how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do it? If he did it in this manner, for example, when he prayed alone, and a person when he prays alone can lengthen as he wishes, or when he prays with the people, or the like. This is a matter that a student of hadith should make a point of.

The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : May Allah keep you safe. And upon you be peace.