Sahih Muslim — hadith #1326–#1350
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This hadith has been reported by Yahya b. Abd Kathir with the same chain of transmitters.
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn and afternoon prayers. Those (of the angels) who spend the night among you, then, ascend, and their Lord asks them, though He is the best informed about them: How did you leave My servants? -they say: We left them while they were praying and we came to them while they were praying.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and the rest of the hadith is the same.
Jarir b. Abdullah is reported to have said: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that he looked at the full moon and observed: You shall see your Lord as you are seeing this moon, and you will not be harmed by seeing Him. So if you can, do not let -yourselves be overpowered in case of prayer observed before the rising of the sun and its setting, i. e. the 'Asr prayer and the morning prayer. Jarir then recited it:" Celebrate the praise of thy Lord before the rising of the sun and before Its setting" (xx. 130).
Waki' reported (this hadith) with the same chain of transmitters (that the Holy Prophet) said: You will be soon presented before your Lord, and you will see Him as you are seeing this moon, and then recited (the above-mentioned verse). But (in this hadith) no mention is made of Jarir.
'Umara b. Ruwaiba is reported to have said on the authority of his father: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: He who observes prayer before the rising of the sun and its setting, i.e. the dawn prayer and the afternoon prayer, would not enter the (Hell) fire. A person belonging to Basra said to him: Did you yourself hear it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? He said: Yes. The person (from Basra) said: I bear witness that I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ); my ears heard it and my heart retained it.
Umara b. Ruwaiba reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He who said prayer before the rising of the sun and its setting would not enter the fire (of Hell), and there was a man from Basra (sitting) beside him who said: Did you hear it from the Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him)? He said: Yes, I bear witness to it. The man from Basra said: I bear witness that I did hear from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying it from the place that you heard from him.
Abu Bakr reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He who observed two prayers at two cool (hours) would enter Paradise.
This hadith has been narrated by the same chain of transmitters by Hammam, and said about Abu Bakr that he was Ibn Abu Musa.
Salama b. al-Akwa' reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray the evening prayer when the sun had set and disappeared (behind the horizon).
Rafi' b. Khadij reported: We used to observe the evening prayer with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and then one of us would go away and he could see the (distant) place where his arrow would fall.
A hadith like this, i. e." We used to observe evening prayer...." so on and so forth, has been narrated by Rafi' b. Khadij by another chain of transmitters.
'A'isha. the wife of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) deferred one night the 'Isya' prayer. And this is called 'Atama. And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not come out till Umar b. Khattab told (him) that the women and children had gone to sleep. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out towards them and said to the people of the mosque: None except you from the people of the earth waits for it (for the night prayer at this late hour), and it was before Islam had spread amongst people. And in the narration transmitted by Ibn Shihab the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is reported to have said: It is not meant that you should compel the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for prayer. And (this he said) when 'Umar b. Khattab called (the Holy Prophet) in a loud voice.
A hadith like this has been narrated by Ibn Shihab with the same chain of transmitters, but therein no mention has been made of the words of al-Zuhri: It was narrated to me, and that which followed.
'A'isha reported: The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) one night delayed (observing the 'Isya' prayer) till a great part of the night was over and the people in the mosque had gone to sleep. He (the Holy Prophet) then came out and observed prayer and said: This is the proper time for it; were it not that I would impose a burden on my people (I would normally pray at this time). In the hadith transmitters by 'Abd al-Razzaq (the words are):" Were it not that it would impose burden on my people."
Abdullah b. Umar reported: We waited one night in expectation of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for the last prayer of the night, and he came out to us when a third of the night had passed even after that. We do not know whether he had been occupied with family business or something else. When he came cut he said: You are waiting for prayer, for which the followers of no other religion wait. except you. Were it not a burden for my Ummah, I would have led them (in the 'Isya' prayer) at this hour. He then ordered the Mu'adhdbin (to call for prayer) and then stood up for prayer and observed prayer.
Abdullah b. 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was one night occupied (in some work) and he delayed it ('Isya' prayer) till we went to sleep in the mosque. We then woke up and again went to sleep and again woke up. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then came to us and said: None among the people of the earth except you waits for prayer in the night.
Thabit reported: They (the believers) asked Anas about the ring of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said: One night the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delayed (observing) the 'Isya' prayer up to the midnight or midnight was about to be over. He then came and said: (Other) people have offered prayers and slept, but you are constantly in prayer as long as you wait for prayer. Anas said: I perceive as if I am seeing the lustre of his silver ring, and lifted his, small left finger (in order to show how the Prophet had lifted it).
Anas b. Malik reported: We waited for the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon hi n) one night, till it was about midnight. He (the Holy Prophet) came and observed prayer and then turned his face towards us, as it I was seeing the lustre of the silver ring on his finger.
This hadith has been narrated by Qurra with the same chain of transmitters, but therein he did not mention: " He turned his face towards us."
Abu Musa reported: I and my companions who had sailed along with me in the boat landed with me in the valley of Buthan while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was staying in Medina. A party of people amongst them went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) every night at the time of the 'Isya' prayer turn by turn. Abu Musa said: (One night) we (I and my companions) went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he was occupied in some matter till there was a delay in prayer so much so that it was the middle of the night. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then came out and led them (Musa's companions) in prayer. And when he had observed his prayer he said to the audience present: Take it easy, I am going to give you information and glad tidings that it is the blessing of Allah upon you for there is none among the people, except you, who prays at this hour (of the night), or he said: None except you observed prayer at this. (late) hour. He (i. e. the narrator) said: I am not sure which of these two sentences he actually uttered. Abu Musa, said: We came back happy for what we heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
Ibn Juraij reported: I said to Ata': Which time do you deem fit for me to say the 'Isya' prayer, -as an Imam or alone, -that time which is called by people 'Atama? He said: I heard Ibn 'Abbas saying: The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) one night delayed the 'Isya' prayer till the people went to sleep. They woke up and again went to sleep and again woke up. Then 'Umar b. Khattab stood up and said (loudly)" Prayer." Ata' further reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) came out, and as if I am still seeing him with water trickling from his head, and with his hand placed on one side of the head, and he said: Were it not hard for my Ummah, I would have ordered them to observe this prayer like this (i. e. at late hours). I inquired from 'Ata' how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) placed his hand upon his head as Ibn Abbas had informed. So Ata' spread his fingers a little and then placed the ends of his fingers on the side of his head. He then moved them like this over his head till the thumb touched that part of the ear which is near the face and then it (went) to the earlock and the part of the heard. It (the bind) neither held nor caught anything but this is how (it moved oil). I said to Ata': Was it mentioned to you (by Ibn Abbas) how long did the Apostle (ﷺ) delay it (the prayer) during that eight? He said: I do not know (I cannot give you the exact time). Ali' said: I love that I should say prayer, whether as an Imam or alone at delayed hours as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said that night, but if It is hard upon you in your individual capacity or upon people in the congregation and you are their Imam, then say prayer ('Isha') at the middle hours neither too early nor too late.
Jabir b. Samura reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) postponed the last 'Isha' prayer.
Jabir b. Samura reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe prayers like your prayers, but he would delay the prayer after nightfall to a little after the time you observed it, and he would shorten the prayer.
Abdullah b. 'Umar reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Let the bedouin not gain upper hand over you in regard to the name of your prayer. See I (The night prayer should be called) 'Isya' (and the bedouins call it Atama (because) they milk their camels late.