We waited for the Prophet ﷺ to offer the night prayer. He delayed until people thought that he would not come out and some of us said that he had offered the prayer. At the moment when we were in this condition the Prophet ﷺ came out. People said to him as they were already saying. He said: Observe this prayer when it is dark, for by it you have been made superior to all the peoples, no people having observed it before you.  

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ مُعَاذَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ يَقُولُ ارْتَقَبْنَا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فِي صَلاَةِ الْعَتَمَةِ فَأَخَّرَ حَتَّى ظَنَّ الظَّانُّ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ وَالْقَائِلُ مِنَّا يَقُولُ صَلَّى فَإِنَّا لَكَذَلِكَ حَتَّى خَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَقَالُوا لَهُ كَمَا قَالُوا فَقَالَ لَهُمْ أَعْتِمُوا بِهَذِهِ الصَّلاَةِ فَإِنَّكُمْ قَدْ فُضِّلْتُمْ بِهَا عَلَى سَائِرِ الأُمَمِ وَلَمْ تُصَلِّهَا أُمَّةٌ قَبْلَكُمْ  

[Machine] We trailed behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the Isha prayer and he remained in seclusion until we thought he would not come out. The saying among us was that he had prayed and would not come out. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out, so we said, "O Messenger of Allah, we thought that you would not come out, and the one among us who said so claimed that you had prayed and would not come out." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Adhere to this prayer, for it has been given superiority over the prayers of all the nations that were before you."  

رَقَبْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فِي صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ فَاحْتَبَسَ حَتَّى ظَنَنَّا أَنْ لَنْ يَخْرُجَ وَالْقَائِلُ مِنَّا يَقُولُ قَدْ صَلَّى وَلَنْ يَخْرُجَ فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ظَنَنَّا أَنَّكَ لَنْ تَخْرُجَ وَالْقَائِلُ مِنَّا يَقُولُ قَدْ صَلَّى وَلَنْ يَخْرُجَ فَقَالَرَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَعْتِمُوا بِهَذِهِ الصَّلَاةِ؛ فَقَدْ فُضِّلْتُمْ بِهَا عَلَى سَائِرِ الْأُمَمِ وَلَمْ تُصَلِّهَا أُمَّةٌ قَبْلَكُمْ  

[Machine] We stayed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for the night prayer until he delayed it to the extent that people thought he had already prayed or that he would not come out. Then he came out and someone said to him, "O Prophet of Allah, we thought that you had already prayed or that you would not come out." The Prophet ﷺ said to us, "Perform this prayer. Indeed, you have been favored with it over the other nations, and no previous nation has performed it."  

بَقِيَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لِصَلَاةِ الْعَتَمَةِ لَيْلَةً فَتَأَخَّرَ بِهَا حَتَّى ظَنَّ الظَّانُّ أَنْ قَدْ صَلَّى أَوْ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ خَرَجَ بَعْدُ فَقَالَ لَهُ قَائِلٌ يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ لَقَدْ ظَنَنَّا أَنَّكَ قَدْ صَلَّيْتَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ أَوْ لَسْتَ بِخَارِجٍ فَقَالَ لَنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَعْتِمُوا بِهَذِهِ الصَّلَاةِ فَإِنَّكُمْ قَدْ فُضِّلْتُمْ بِهَا عَلَى سَائِرِ الْأُمَمِ وَلَمْ يُصَلِّهَا أُمَّةٌ قَبْلَكُمْ