Hadith 21582

حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ ، حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبٌ ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ أَبَا النَّضْرِ يُحَدِّثُ ، عَنْ بُسْرِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ ، أَنّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اتَّخَذَ حُجْرَةً فِي الْمَسْجِدِ مِنْ حَصِيرٍ ، فَصَلَّى فِيهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيَالِيَ ، حَتَّى اجْتَمَعَ إِلَيْهِ نَاسٌ ، ثُمَّ فَقَدُوا صَوْتَهُ ، فَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُ قَدْ نَامَ ، فَجَعَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَتَنَحْنَحُ لِيَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ ، فَقَالَ : " مَا زَالَ بِكُمْ الَّذِي رَأَيْتُ مِنْ صَنِيعِكُمْ حَتَّى خَشِيتُ أَنْ يُكْتَبَ عَلَيْكُمْ ، وَلَوْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ ، مَا قُمْتُمْ بِهِ ، فَصَلُّوا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ ، فَإِنَّ أَفْضَلَ صَلَاةِ الْمَرْءِ فِي بَيْتِهِ إِلَّا الصَّلَاةَ الْمَكْتُوبَةَ " .
It is narrated from Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made a tent out of a mat in the mosque and prayed in it for several nights, until people also began to gather. After a few days, the voice of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was not heard, so people thought that perhaps the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had fallen asleep. Therefore, some people went near and started coughing so that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would come out. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: I was continuously observing your action until I feared that this prayer (Tahajjud) might become obligatory upon you, because if this prayer became obligatory upon you, you would not be able to adhere to it. Therefore, O people! Pray in your homes, for apart from the obligatory prayers, praying other prayers at home is the best for a person.
Hadith Reference مسند احمد / مسند الأنصار رضي الله عنهم / 21582
Hadith Grading حکم دارالسلام: إسناده صحيح، خ: 731، م: 781