"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ delayed A;-'Atamah one night, and 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, called out to him: 'The women and children have gone to sleep.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out and said: 'No one is waiting for it except you.' At that time no prayer was offered except in Al-Madinah. Then he said: 'Pray it between the time when the twilight disappears and when one-third of the night has passed.'"  

أَعْتَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَيْلَةً بِالْعَتَمَةِ فَنَادَاهُ عُمَرُ ؓ نَامَ النِّسَاءُ وَالصِّبْيَانُ فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَقَالَ مَا يَنْتَظِرُهَا غَيْرُكُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُصَلَّى يَوْمَئِذٍ إِلاَّ بِالْمَدِينَةِ ثُمَّ قَالَ صَلُّوهَا فِيمَا بَيْنَ أَنْ يَغِيبَ الشَّفَقُ إِلَى ثُلُثِ اللَّيْلِ وَاللَّفْظُ لاِبْنِ حِمْيَرَ  

"The Prophet ﷺ delayed the prayer one night until most of the night had passed and the people in the Masjid had gone home to sleep, then he went out and prayed, and said: 'This is indeed its (prayer) time, were it not that I would impose too much difficulty on my Ummah.'"  

أَعْتَمَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ حَتَّى ذَهَبَ عَامَّةُ اللَّيْلِ وَحَتَّى نَامَ أَهْلُ الْمَسْجِدِ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَصَلَّى وَقَالَ إِنَّهُ لَوَقْتُهَا لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي  

"We stayed in the Masjid one night waiting for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to pray 'Isha'. He came out to us when one-third of the night or more had passed, and he said when he came out: 'You are waiting for a prayer for which the followers of no other religion are waiting. Were it not that I would impose too much difficulty on my Ummah, I would have led them in prayer at this time.' Then he commanded the Mu'adhdhin to say the Iqamah and he prayed."  

مَكَثْنَا ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ نَنْتَظِرُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِعِشَاءِ الآخِرَةِ فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا حِينَ ذَهَبَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ أَوْ بَعْدَهُ فَقَالَ حِينَ خَرَجَ إِنَّكُمْ تَنْتَظِرُونَ صَلاَةً مَا يَنْتَظِرُهَا أَهْلُ دِينٍ غَيْرُكُمْ وَلَوْلاَ أَنْ يَثْقُلَ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لَصَلَّيْتُ بِهِمْ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ ثُمَّ أَمَرَ الْمُؤَذِّنَ فَأَقَامَ ثُمَّ صَلَّى  

"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in Maghrib prayer, then he did not come out to us until half the night had passed. Then he came out and led them in prayer, then he said: 'The people have prayed and gone to sleep, but you are still in a state of prayer so long as you are waiting for the prayer. Were it not for the weakness of the weak and, the sickness of the sick, I would have commanded that this prayer be delayed until halfway through the night.'"  

صَلَّى بِنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلاَةَ الْمَغْرِبِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَيْنَا حَتَّى ذَهَبَ شَطْرُ اللَّيْلِ فَخَرَجَ فَصَلَّى بِهِمْ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ صَلُّوا وَنَامُوا وَأَنْتُمْ لَمْ تَزَالُوا فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا انْتَظَرْتُمُ الصَّلاَةَ وَلَوْلاَ ضَعْفُ الضَّعِيفِ وَسُقْمُ السَّقِيمِ لأَمَرْتُ بِهَذِهِ الصَّلاَةِ أَنْ تُؤَخَّرَ إِلَى شَطْرِ اللَّيْلِ  

"Anas was asked: 'Did the Prophet ﷺ use a ring?' He said: 'Yes. One night he delayed the later 'Isha' prayer, until almost halfway through the night. When he prayed the Prophet ﷺ turned his face toward us and said: 'You are still in a state of prayer so long as you waiting for it.'" Anas said: 'It is as if I can see the luster of his ring.' According to the narration of 'Ali - that is, Ibn Hujr - "until halfway through the night."  

سُئِلَ أَنَسٌ هَلِ اتَّخَذَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ خَاتَمًا قَالَ نَعَمْ أَخَّرَ لَيْلَةً صَلاَةَ الْعِشَاءِ الآخِرَةِ إِلَى قَرِيبٍ مِنْ شَطْرِ اللَّيْلِ فَلَمَّا أَنْ صَلَّى أَقْبَلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَلَيْنَا بِوَجْهِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ لَنْ تَزَالُوا فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا انْتَظَرْتُمُوهَا قَالَ أَنَسٌ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى وَبِيصِ خَاتَمِهِ فِي حَدِيثِ عَلِيٍّ إِلَى شَطْرِ اللَّيْلِ