Mu'jam Kabir Tabarani 10977 — one night the Prophet ﷺ delayed the Isha

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that one night the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delayed the Isha prayer so long that the people of the mosque went back, except Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him), who was one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and fifteen or sixteen men, who did not reach seventeen. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will not leave tonight until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) comes out, so that I may pray with him and learn what his matter is." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out at about one third of the night, and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was with him. He did not find anyone in the mosque, when he heard the sound of people talking in one corner of the mosque. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) walked towards them until he greeted them with salam, and said: "What has kept you sitting at this hour?" They said: "O Prophet of Allah, we were waiting for you so that we could join the prayer with you." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "No nation before you has ever prayed this prayer of yours, and you have remained in prayer all this while (because of this waiting)." And he said: "The stars are a safeguard for the sky; when the stars are effaced, there will come to the sky what you are promised. I am a safeguard for my Companions; when I depart, there will come to my Companions what they are promised. And my Companions are a safeguard for my Ummah; when my Companions depart, there will come to my Ummah what it is promised."