Sahih Muslim Book - 6, Hadith - 1784

وَحَدَّثَنِى حَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ أَخْبَرَنِى يُونُسُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِى عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- خَرَجَ مِنْ جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّى فِى الْمَسْجِدِ فَصَلَّى رِجَالٌ بِصَلاَتِهِ فَأَصْبَحَ النَّاسُ يَتَحَدَّثُونَ بِذَلِكَ فَاجْتَمَعَ أَكْثَرُ مِنْهُمْ فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فِى اللَّيْلَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ فَصَلَّوْا بِصَلاَتِهِ فَأَصْبَحَ النَّاسُ يَذْكُرُونَ ذَلِكَ فَكَثُرَ أَهْلُ الْمَسْجِدِ مِنَ اللَّيْلَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ فَخَرَجَ فَصَلَّوْا بِصَلاَتِهِ فَلَمَّا كَانَتِ اللَّيْلَةُ الرَّابِعَةُ عَجَزَ الْمَسْجِدُ عَنْ أَهْلِهِ فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَيْهِمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فَطَفِقَ رِجَالٌ مِنْهُمْ يَقُولُونَ الصَّلاَةَ. فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَيْهِمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- حَتَّى خَرَجَ لِصَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ فَلَمَّا قَضَى الْفَجْرَ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى النَّاسِ ثُمَّ تَشَهَّدَ فَقَالَ « أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَخْفَ عَلَىَّ شَأْنُكُمُ اللَّيْلَةَ وَلَكِنِّى خَشِيتُ أَنْ تُفْرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ فَتَعْجِزُوا عَنْهَا ».

'Aishah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) came out in the middle of the night and prayed in the Masjid, and some men followed his prayer. The next day the people were talking about that, then more of them gathered and the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) came out on the second night, and they followed his prayer. The next day the people were talking about that, and the number of people in the Masjid increased on the third night. He came out, and they followed his prayer. Then on the fourth night, the Masjid could hardly contain the people, and the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) did not come out to them. Some people started calling out, saying: "The prayer!" But the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) did not come out to them until he came out for Fajr prayer. When he had finished Fajr he turned to the people, recited the Shahadah, and said: "I was not unaware of your situation last night, but I feared that the night prayer might be made obligatory for you, and you would be unable to do it."