حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عُثْمَانَ الْحِمْصِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي حَدَّثَنَا حَرِيزٌ عَنْ رَاشِدِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ حُمَيْدٍ السَّکُونِيِّ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ مُعَاذَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ يَقُولُ أَبْقَيْنَا النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي صَلَاةِ الْعَتَمَةِ فَأَخَّرَ حَتَّی ظَنَّ الظَّانُّ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ وَالْقَائِلُ مِنَّا يَقُولُ صَلَّی فَإِنَّا لَکَذَلِکَ حَتَّی خَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالُوا لَهُ کَمَا قَالُوا فَقَالَ لَهُمْ أَعْتِمُوا بِهَذِهِ الصَّلَاةِ فَإِنَّکُمْ قَدْ فُضِّلْتُمْ بِهَا عَلَی سَائِرِ الْأُمَمِ وَلَمْ تُصَلِّهَا أُمَّةٌ قَبْلَکُمْ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 421
Narrated Muadh ibn Jabal: We waited for the Prophet ﷺ to offer the night prayer. He delayed until people thought that he would not come out and some of us said that he had offered the prayer. At the moment when we were in this condition the Prophet ﷺ came out. People said to him as they were already saying. He said: Observe this prayer when it is dark, for by it you have been made superior to all the peoples, no people having observed it before you.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020