Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Jisrah bint Dajajah that she went for ‘Umrah, and when she reached the place of Rabdhah on the way, she heard Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrating this hadith: He said: One night, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) stood in prayer for ‘Isha and led the people in this prayer. When he finished, the Companions stepped back and began to pray. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that they had stepped back to pray, he went to his house. Then, when he saw that the place had become empty of people, he returned to his place and began to pray. Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I stood behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he gestured for me to stand on his right side, so I stood on his right. Then Sayyiduna Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) came and stood behind both of us, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured for him to stand on his left side, so he stood on his left. The three of us continued to pray in this manner, each one praying his own prayer and reciting from the Qur’an as he wished. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood in prayer with only one verse of the Qur’an, repeating it until the morning prayer. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) finished the Fajr prayer, I (Abu Dharr) gestured to Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about his action the previous night, what was his purpose in repeating only one verse, but he said: I will not ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), unless he speaks to me. Then I said: May my parents be sacrificed for you! You spent the whole night with only one verse, while you have the entire Qur’an memorized. If any of us had done this, we would have been displeased with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I prayed for my Ummah. I said: Then what answer was given to your prayer? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I was given such an answer that if most people were to know of it, they would rely on it and even abandon prayer. I said: Should I not give people the glad tidings of this? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Why not, certainly do so. I walked quickly and was still within a stone’s throw when Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! You have sent Abu Dharr to give glad tidings to the people, and because of this, they will become lax in worship. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called me back, saying: Abu Dharr, come back. So I returned. That verse was: {إِنْ تُعَذِّبْہُمْ فَإِنَّہُمْ عِبَادُکَ وَإِنْ تَغْفِرْ لَہُمْ فَإِنَّکَ أَ نْتَ الْعَزِیزُ الْحَکِیمُ} …