Hadith 25362

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ ، وَابْنُ بَكْرٍ ، قَالَا : أَخبرنا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ شِهَابٍ ، قَالَ : قَالَ عُرْوَةُ : قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ : خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيْلَةً مِنْ جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ ، فَصَلَّى فِي الْمَسْجِدِ ، فَثَابَ رِجَالٌ فَصَلَّوْا مَعَهُ بِصَلَاتِهِ ، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ النَّاسُ تَحَدَّثُوا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ خَرَجَ ، فَصَلَّى فِي الْمَسْجِدِ مِنْ جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ ، فَاجْتَمَعَ اللَّيْلَةَ الْمُقْبِلَةَ أَكْثَرُ مِنْهُمْ ، قَالَتْ : فَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اغْتَسَلَ مِنْ جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّى وَصَلَّوْا مَعَهُ بِصَلَاتِهِ ، ثُمَّ أَصْبَحَ فَتَحَدَّثُوا بِذَلِكَ ، فَاجْتَمَعَ اللَّيْلَةَ الثَّالِثَةَ نَاسٌ كَثِيرٌ حَتَّى كَثُرَ أَهْلُ الْمَسْجِدِ ، قَالَتْ : فَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّى ، فَصَلَّوْا مَعَهُ ، فَلَمَّا كَانَتْ اللَّيْلَةُ الرَّابِعَةُ ، اجْتَمَعَ النَّاسُ حَتَّى كَادَ الْمَسْجِدُ يَعْجَزُ عَنْ أَهْلِهِ ، فَجَلَسَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ ، قَالَتْ : حَتَّى سَمِعْتُ نَاسًا مِنْهُمْ ، يَقُولُونَ : الصَّلَاةَ ، فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَيْهِمْ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَلَمَّا صَلَّى صَلَاةَ الْفَجْرِ سَلَّمَ ، ثُمَّ قَامَ فِي النَّاسِ ، فَتَشَهَّدَ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : " أَمَّا بَعْدُ ، فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَخْفَ عَلَيَّ شَأْنُكُمْ اللَّيْلَةَ ، وَلَكِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ تُفْرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَتَعْجَزُوا عَنْهَا " .
It is narrated from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out of the house in the middle of the night and started praying in the mosque. People gathered and they also joined the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in prayer. In the morning, people mentioned to each other that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had gone out of the house at midnight and had prayed in the mosque. Consequently, on the next night, more people gathered than before. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out as usual and started praying, and people also joined him. The same happened on the third day. On the fourth day, so many people gathered that there was no room left in the mosque for anyone else to come, but that day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained seated in the house and did not come out, until I even heard some people saying, "Prayer, prayer," but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not come out. Then, when he led the Fajr prayer, after saying salam, he stood among the people, bore witness to the oneness of Allah and the messengership, and after saying "Amma ba'd," he said: "Your condition today is not hidden from me, but I feared that this prayer might become obligatory upon you and then you would be unable to perform it."
Hadith Reference مسند احمد / مسند النساء / 25362
Hadith Grading حکم دارالسلام: إسناده صحيح، خ: 924، م: 761