Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that we had a large mat which we would spread out during the day, and at night the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would fold it and pray on it. Then some Muslims found out about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) prayer and they started praying with him. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) became aware of this, he said: “Take on only as much (good deeds) as you are able to bear. For Allah will not tire (of rewarding you) until you tire (of doing deeds), and the most beloved deeds to the Prophet (peace be upon him) were those that were done consistently, even if they were few. And whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed a (voluntary) prayer, he would adhere to it regularly.” This is the narration of Abdul Jabbar, and in the narration of Saeed bin Abdur Rahman, it is mentioned: “Some people heard about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) prayer and they also started praying with him.” And these words are added: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, I fear that a command may be made obligatory upon you which you would not be able to bear.”

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed (nafl) prayer in one of his chambers. Some Muslims became aware of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) prayer, so they came and began to pray with him. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) became aware of their presence, he shortened his prayer, then went home. There, he performed as much prayer as Allah willed. Then he came out (and the people were still present), so he repeated this action several times. When morning came, they said, “O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), last night we prayed with you, and we wish to perform it on a larger scale.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I did this deliberately (so that this prayer would not be made obligatory upon you).”