أَخْبَرَنَا عِمْرَانُ بْنُ مُوسَی قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ عَنْ أَبِي نَضْرَةَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ صَلَّی بِنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَلَاةَ الْمَغْرِبِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَيْنَا حَتَّی ذَهَبَ شَطْرُ اللَّيْلِ فَخَرَجَ فَصَلَّی بِهِمْ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ صَلَّوْا وَنَامُوا وَأَنْتُمْ لَمْ تَزَالُوا فِي صَلَاةٍ مَا انْتَظَرْتُمْ الصَّلَاةَ وَلَوْلَا ضَعْفُ الضَّعِيفِ وَسَقَمُ السَّقِيمِ لَأَمَرْتُ بِهَذِهِ الصَّلَاةِ أَنْ تُؤَخَّرَ إِلَی شَطْرِ اللَّيْلِ
سنن نسائی · Hadith 542
It was narrated that Abu Saeed Al-Khudri said: “The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم led us in Maghrib prayer, then he did not come out to us until half the night had passed. Then he came out and led them in prayer, then he said: ‘The people have prayed and gone to sleep, but you are still in a state of prayer so long as you are waiting for the prayer. Were it not for the weakness of the weak and, the sickness of the sick, I would have commanded that this prayer be delayed until halfway through the night.” (Sahih)
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020