ذِكْرُ إِرَادَةِ الْمُصْطَفَى ﷺ تَأْخِيرَ صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ إِلَى شَطْرِ اللَّيْلِ

[Machine] The Messenger of Allahﷺ came out to his companions one night while they were waiting for the evening prayer. He said, "People have prayed and gone to sleep, while you are waiting for it. Indeed, you are in a prayer that you have been waiting for." Then he said, "If it were not for the hardship on the weak or the fatigue of the elderly, I would have delayed this prayer until later in the night."  

خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ وَهُمْ يَنْتَظِرُونَ الْعِشَاءَ فَقَالَ «صَلَّى النَّاسُ وَرَقَدُوا وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْتَظِرُونَهَا أَمَا إِنَّكُمْ فِي صَلَاةٍ مَا انْتَظَرْتُمُوهَا» ثُمَّ قَالَ «لَوْلَا ضَعْفُ الضَّعِيفِ أَوْ كِبَرُ الْكَبِيرِ لَأَخَّرْتُ هَذِهِ الصَّلَاةَ إِلَى شَطْرِ اللَّيْلِ»  

" عَنْ جابر قال: خرج النبي ﷺ ذات ليلة وأصحابه ينتظرونه لصلاة العشاء الآخرة، فقال: نام الناس ورقدوا، وأنتم تنتظرون الصلاة؟ أما إنكم في صلاة منذ انتظرتموها، ولولا ضعف الضعيف، وكبر الكبير لأخرت هذه الصلاة إلى شطر الليل".  

"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.'" (Using translation from Nasāʾī 538)   

"إِنَّ النَّاسَ قد صَلَّوْا ونامُوا، وأَنتم لمْ تَزَالوا في صلاة ما انتظرتم الصلاةَ، ولولا ضعفُ الضعيفِ، وسَقَمُ السقيم، لأَمرتُ بهذهِ الصلاةِ أَن تُؤَخَّر إِلى شَطْر الليل ".