[Machine] The Prophet ﷺ delayed the night prayer of Isha until the people of the mosque had left, except for Uthman ibn Mazh'un, who was one of the Prophet's companions, and about fifteen or sixteen men who were not yet seventeen. Uthman said, "I will not leave tonight until the Prophet ﷺ leaves so that I can pray with him and learn from his guidance." The Prophet ﷺ left the house close to one-third of the night with Bilal, and when he did not find anyone in the mosque, he heard some people speaking in one corner of the mosque. He walked towards them and greeted them, saying, "What is keeping you at this hour?" They replied, "O Prophet of Allah, we were waiting for you to bear witness to the prayer with you." He said to them, "No people before you have performed their prayer in this way, and you are still in prayer." And he said, "The stars are the security of the sky. When the stars disappear, what you have been promised will come. And I am the security for my companions. When I am gone, what my companions have been promised will come. And my companions are the security for my Ummah. When my companions are gone, what my Ummah has been promised will come."  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ أَخَّرَ صَلَاةَ الْعِشَاءِ لَيْلَةً حَتَّى انْقَلَبَ أَهْلُ الْمَسْجِدِ إِلَّا عُثْمَانَ بْنَ مَظْعُونٍ وَهُوَ منْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَخَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا أَوْ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ مَا بَلَغُوا سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ فَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ لَا أَخْرُجُ اللَّيْلَةَ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَأُصَلِّيَ مَعَهُ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا أَمْرُهُ فَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فِي قَرِيبٍ مِنْ ثُلُثِ اللَّيْلِ وَمَعَهُ بِلَالٌ وَلَمْ يَرَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ أَحَدًا إِذْ سَمِعَ نَغَمَةً مِنْ كَلَامِهِمْ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَمَشَى إِلَيْهِمْ حَتَّى سَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ «مَا يُجْلِسُكُمْ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةِ؟» قَالُوا يَا نَبِيُّ اللهِ انتظرناكَ لنَشْهَدَ الصَّلَاةَ مَعَكَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ «مَا صَلَّى صَلَاتَكُمْ هَذِهِ أُمَّةٌ قَطُّ قَبْلَكُمْ وَمَا زِلْتُمْ فِي صَلَاةٍ بَعْدُ» وَقَالَ «إِنَّ النُّجُومَ أَمَانُ السَّمَاءِ فَإِذَا طُمِسَتِ النُّجُومُ أَتَى السَّمَاءَ مَا تُوعَدُونَ وَإِنِّي أَمَانٌ لِأَصْحَابِي فَإِذَا ذَهَبْتُ أَتَى أَصْحَابِي مَا يُوعَدُونَ وَأَصْحَابِي أَمَانٌ لِأُمَّتِي فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ أَصْحَابِي أَتَى أُمَّتِي مَا يُوعَدُونَ»