Messenger of Allah ﷺ once delayed the ʿIsha' prayer and that was during the days when Islam still had not spread. The Prophet ﷺ did not come out till ʿUmar informed him that the women and children had slept. Then he came out and said to the people of the mosque: "None amongst the dwellers of the earth has been waiting for it (ʿIsha prayer) except you."  

أَعْتَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَيْلَةً بِالْعِشَاءِ وَذَلِكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَفْشُوَ الإِسْلاَمُ فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ حَتَّى قَالَ عُمَرُ نَامَ النِّسَاءُ وَالصِّبْيَانُ فَخَرَجَ فَقَالَ لأَهْلِ الْمَسْجِدِ مَا يَنْتَظِرُهَا أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ غَيْرُكُمْ  

ʿAbdullah bin ʿUmar said, "Once Messenger of Allah ﷺ was busy (at the time of the ʿIsha'), so the prayer was delayed so much so that we slept and woke up and slept and woke up again. The Prophet ﷺ came out and said, 'None amongst the dwellers of the earth but you have been waiting for the prayer." Ibn ʿUmar did not find any harm in praying it earlier or in delaying it unless he was afraid that sleep might overwhelm him and he might miss the prayer, and sometimes he used to sleep before the ʿIsha' prayer. Ibn Juraij said, "I said to ʿAta', 'I heard Ibn ʿAbbas saying: Once Messenger of Allah ﷺ delayed the ʿIsha' prayer to such an extent that the people slept and got up and slept again and got up again. Then ʿUmar bin Al-Khattab I, stood up and reminded the Prophet ﷺ I of the prayer.' ʿAta' said, 'Ibn ʿAbbas said: The Prophet came out as if I was looking at him at this time, and water was trickling from his head and he was putting his hand on his head and then said, 'Hadn't I thought it hard for my followers, I would have ordered them to pray (ʿIsha' prayer) at this time.' I asked ʿAta' for further information, how the Prophet had kept his hand on his head as he was told by Ibn ʿAbbas. ʿAta' separated his fingers slightly and put their tips on the side of the head, brought the fingers downwards approximating them till the thumb touched the lobe of the ear at the side of the temple and the beard on the face. He neither slowed nor hurried in this action but he acted like that. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Hadn't I thought it hard for my followers I would have ordered them to pray at this time."  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ شُغِلَ عَنْهَا لَيْلَةً فَأَخَّرَهَا حَتَّى رَقَدْنَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ ثُمَّ اسْتَيْقَظْنَا ثُمَّ رَقَدْنَا ثُمَّ اسْتَيْقَظْنَا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ يَنْتَظِرُ الصَّلاَةَ غَيْرُكُمْ وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ لاَ يُبَالِي أَقَدَّمَهَا أَمْ أَخَّرَهَا إِذَا كَانَ لاَ يَخْشَى أَنْ يَغْلِبَهُ النَّوْمُ عَنْ وَقْتِهَا وَكَانَ يَرْقُدُ قَبْلَهَا قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ قُلْتُ لِعَطَاءٍ وَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ يَقُولُ أَعْتَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَيْلَةً بِالْعِشَاءِ حَتَّى رَقَدَ النَّاسُ وَاسْتَيْقَظُوا وَرَقَدُوا وَاسْتَيْقَظُوا فَقَامَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ فَقَالَ الصَّلاَةَ قَالَ عَطَاءٌ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَخَرَجَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ الآنَ يَقْطُرُ رَأْسُهُ مَاءً وَاضِعًا يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ فَقَالَ لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لأَمَرْتُهُمْ أَنْ يُصَلُّوهَا هَكَذَا فَاسْتَثْبَتُّ عَطَاءً كَيْفَ وَضَعَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ يَدَهُ كَمَا أَنْبَأَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَبَدَّدَ لِي عَطَاءٌ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ شَيْئًا مِنْ تَبْدِيدٍ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ أَطْرَافَ أَصَابِعِهِ عَلَى قَرْنِ الرَّأْسِ ثُمَّ ضَمَّهَا يُمِرُّهَا كَذَلِكَ عَلَى الرَّأْسِ حَتَّى مَسَّتْ إِبْهَامُهُ طَرَفَ الأُذُنِ مِمَّا يَلِي الْوَجْهَ عَلَى الصُّدْغِ وَنَاحِيَةِ اللِّحْيَةِ لاَ يُقَصِّرُ وَلاَ يَبْطُشُ إِلاَّ كَذَلِكَ وَقَالَ لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لأَمَرْتُهُمْ أَنْ يُصَلُّوا هَكَذَا  

Anas was asked, "Did the Prophet ﷺ wear a ring?" Anas said, "Once he delayed the: ʿIsha' prayer till midnight. Then he came, facing us ..... as if l am now Looking at the glitter of his ring ..... and said, "The people have offered their prayers and slept but you have been in prayer as you have been waiting for it."  

سُئِلَ أَنَسٌ هَلِ اتَّخَذَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ خَاتَمًا قَالَ أَخَّرَ لَيْلَةً صَلاَةَ الْعِشَاءِ إِلَى شَطْرِ اللَّيْلِ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْنَا بِوَجْهِهِ فَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى وَبِيصِ خَاتَمِهِ قَالَ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ صَلَّوْا وَنَامُوا وَإِنَّكُمْ لَمْ تَزَالُوا فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا انْتَظَرْتُمُوهَا  

My companions, who came with me in the boat and I landed at a place called Baqi [??] Buthan [??] . The Prophet ﷺ was in Medina at that time. One of us used to go to the Prophet ﷺ by turns every night at the time of the ʿIsha prayer. Once I along with my companions went to the Prophet ﷺ and he was busy in some of his affairs, so the ʿIsha' prayer was delayed to the middle of the night He then came out and led the people (in prayer). After finishing from the prayer, he addressed the people present there saying, "Be patient! Don't go away. Have the glad tiding. It is from the blessing of Allah upon you that none amongst mankind has prayed at this time save you." Or said, "None except you has prayed at this time." Abu Musa added, 'So we returned happily after what we heard from Messenger of Allah ﷺ ."  

كُنْتُ أَنَا وَأَصْحَابِي الَّذِينَ قَدِمُوا مَعِي فِي السَّفِينَةِ نُزُولاً فِي بَقِيعِ بُطْحَانَ وَالنَّبِيُّ ﷺ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَكَانَ يَتَنَاوَبُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ عِنْدَ صَلاَةِ الْعِشَاءِ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ نَفَرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَوَافَقْنَا النَّبِيَّ عليه السلام أَنَا وَأَصْحَابِي وَلَهُ بَعْضُ الشُّغْلِ فِي بَعْضِ أَمْرِهِ فَأَعْتَمَ بِالصَّلاَةِ حَتَّى ابْهَارَّ اللَّيْلُ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَصَلَّى بِهِمْ فَلَمَّا قَضَى صَلاَتَهُ قَالَ لِمَنْ حَضَرَهُ عَلَى رِسْلِكُمْ أَبْشِرُوا إِنَّ مِنْ نِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ يُصَلِّي هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ غَيْرُكُمْ أَوْ قَالَ مَا صَلَّى هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُكُمْ لاَ يَدْرِي أَىَّ الْكَلِمَتَيْنِ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى فَرَجَعْنَا فَفَرِحْنَا بِمَا سَمِعْنَا مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ  

ʿAbdullah bin ʿUmar said, "Once Messenger of Allah ﷺ was busy (at the time of the ʿIsha'), so the prayer was delayed so much so that we slept and woke up and slept and woke up again. The Prophet ﷺ came out and said, 'None amongst the dwellers of the earth but you have been waiting for the prayer." Ibn ʿUmar did not find any harm in praying it earlier or in delaying it unless he was afraid that sleep might overwhelm him and he might miss the prayer, and sometimes he used to sleep before the ʿIsha' prayer. Ibn Juraij said, "I said to ʿAta', 'I heard Ibn ʿAbbas saying: Once Messenger of Allah ﷺ delayed the ʿIsha' prayer to such an extent that the people slept and got up and slept again and got up again. Then ʿUmar bin Al-Khattab I, stood up and reminded the Prophet ﷺ I of the prayer.' ʿAta' said, 'Ibn ʿAbbas said: The Prophet came out as if I was looking at him at this time, and water was trickling from his head and he was putting his hand on his head and then said, 'Hadn't I thought it hard for my followers, I would have ordered them to pray (ʿIsha' prayer) at this time.' I asked ʿAta' for further information, how the Prophet had kept his hand on his head as he was told by Ibn ʿAbbas. ʿAta' separated his fingers slightly and put their tips on the side of the head, brought the fingers downwards approximating them till the thumb touched the lobe of the ear at the side of the temple and the beard on the face. He neither slowed nor hurried in this action but he acted like that. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Hadn't I thought it hard for my followers I would have ordered them to pray at this time."  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ شُغِلَ عَنْهَا لَيْلَةً فَأَخَّرَهَا حَتَّى رَقَدْنَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ ثُمَّ اسْتَيْقَظْنَا ثُمَّ رَقَدْنَا ثُمَّ اسْتَيْقَظْنَا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ يَنْتَظِرُ الصَّلاَةَ غَيْرُكُمْ وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ لاَ يُبَالِي أَقَدَّمَهَا أَمْ أَخَّرَهَا إِذَا كَانَ لاَ يَخْشَى أَنْ يَغْلِبَهُ النَّوْمُ عَنْ وَقْتِهَا وَكَانَ يَرْقُدُ قَبْلَهَا قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ قُلْتُ لِعَطَاءٍ وَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ يَقُولُ أَعْتَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَيْلَةً بِالْعِشَاءِ حَتَّى رَقَدَ النَّاسُ وَاسْتَيْقَظُوا وَرَقَدُوا وَاسْتَيْقَظُوا فَقَامَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ فَقَالَ الصَّلاَةَ قَالَ عَطَاءٌ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَخَرَجَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ الآنَ يَقْطُرُ رَأْسُهُ مَاءً وَاضِعًا يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ فَقَالَ لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لأَمَرْتُهُمْ أَنْ يُصَلُّوهَا هَكَذَا فَاسْتَثْبَتُّ عَطَاءً كَيْفَ وَضَعَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ يَدَهُ كَمَا أَنْبَأَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَبَدَّدَ لِي عَطَاءٌ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ شَيْئًا مِنْ تَبْدِيدٍ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ أَطْرَافَ أَصَابِعِهِ عَلَى قَرْنِ الرَّأْسِ ثُمَّ ضَمَّهَا يُمِرُّهَا كَذَلِكَ عَلَى الرَّأْسِ حَتَّى مَسَّتْ إِبْهَامُهُ طَرَفَ الأُذُنِ مِمَّا يَلِي الْوَجْهَ عَلَى الصُّدْغِ وَنَاحِيَةِ اللِّحْيَةِ لاَ يُقَصِّرُ وَلاَ يَبْطُشُ إِلاَّ كَذَلِكَ وَقَالَ لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لأَمَرْتُهُمْ أَنْ يُصَلُّوا هَكَذَا