I went out in the company of ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb one night in Ramaḍān to the mosque and found the people praying in different groups. A man praying alone or a man praying with a little group behind him. So, ʿUmar said: In my opinion, it would better to collect them under the leadership of one reciter. So, he made up his mind to congregate them behind Ubay b. Kaʿb. Then on another night, I went again in his company and the people were praying behind their reciter. On that, ʿUmar remarked: What an excellent *bidʿah* (innovation) this is; but the prayer which they do not perform and sleep at its time is better than the one they are offering. ˹What˺ he meant is the prayer in the last part of the night, (i.e. Tahajjud) ˹In those days˺ people used to pray in the early part of the night.  

خَرَجْتُ مَعَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ؓ لَيْلَةً فِي رَمَضَانَ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَإِذَا النَّاسُ أَوْزَاعٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ، يُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَيُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ فَيُصَلِّي بِصَلاَتِهِ الرَّهْطُ۔ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: إِنِّي أَرَى لَوْ جَمَعْتُ هَؤُلاَءِ عَلَى قَارِئٍ وَاحِدٍ لَكَانَ أَمْثَلَ۔ ثُمَّ عَزَمَ فَجَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ، ثُمَّ خَرَجْتُ مَعَهُ لَيْلَةً أُخْرَى وَالنَّاسُ يُصَلُّونَ بِصَلاَةِ قَارِئِهِمْ۔ قَالَ عُمَرُ: نِعْمَ الْبِدْعَةُ هَذِهِ! وَالَّتِي يَنَامُونَ عَنْهَا أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الَّتِي يَقُومُونَ، يُرِيدُ آخِرَ اللَّيْلِ، وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَقُومُونَ أَوَّلَهُ۔