Hadith 616

‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar said: We waited one night in expectation of God’s Messenger for the last prayer of the evening, and he came out to us when a third of the night had passed, or later; we did not know whether he had been occupied with family business, or something else. When he came out he said, “You are waiting for a time of prayer for which the followers of no other religion wait, and were it not that it would impose a burden on my people, I would normally pray with them at this time.” He then gave orders to the mu'adhdhin who declared that the time for prayer had come, and then prayed. Muslim transmitted it.

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ: مَكَثْنَا ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ نَنْتَظِرُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِصَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ فَخَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا حِينَ ذَهَبَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ أَوْ بَعْدَهُ فَلَا نَدْرِي أَشَيْءٌ شَغَلَهُ فِي أَهْلِهِ أَوْ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ حِينَ خَرَجَ: «إِنَّكُمْ لَتَنْتَظِرُونِ صَلَاةً مَا يَنْتَظِرُهَا أَهْلُ دِينٍ غَيْرُكُمْ وَلَوْلَا أَنْ يَثْقُلَ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لَصَلَّيْتُ بِهِمْ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ» ثُمَّ أَمَرَ الْمُؤَذِّنَ فَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاة وَصلى. رَوَاهُ مُسلم

Reference: 5606160
In-book reference: Book 4, Hadith 616