The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out in the middle of the night and prayed in the mosque. Some men gathered and prayed along with him. When morning came, the people spoke about it, saying that the Prophet ﷺ had gone out and prayed in the mosque in the middle of the night. The following night, an even greater number gathered.She said, the Prophet ﷺ performed ghusl in the middle of the night, then went out, prayed, and they prayed along with him. In the morning, the people again spoke about it, so on the third night a large crowd gathered until the mosque was filled with people.She said, the Prophet ﷺ came out in the middle of the night and prayed, and they prayed with him. On the fourth night, so many people gathered that the mosque could scarcely hold them all. But the Prophet ﷺ remained seated and did not come out.She said, I heard some of them calling out, "The prayer! The prayer!" Yet the Prophet ﷺ did not come out to them. When he prayed the Fajr prayer and gave the closing salam, he stood before the people, declared the shahadah, and then said, "Now then, your situation last night was not hidden from me, but I feared that this prayer might be made obligatory upon you and you would be unable to keep up with it."
حدثنا عبد الرزاق وابن بكر قالا أنا ابن جريج قال حدثني ابن شهاب قال قال عروة
خرج رسول الله ﷺ ليلة من جوف الليل فصلى في المسجد فثاب رجال فصلوا معه بصلاته فلما أصبح الناس تحدثوا أن النبي ﷺ قد خرج فصلى في المسجد من جوف الليل فاجتمع الليلة المقبلة أكثر منهم قالت فخرج النبي ﷺ اغتسل من جوف الليل فصلى وصلوا معه بصلاته ثم أصبح فتحدثوا بذلك فاجتمع الليلة الثالثة ناس كثير حتى كثر أهل المسجد قالت فخرج النبي ﷺ من جوف الليل فصلى فصلوا معه فلما كانت الليلة الرابعة اجتمع الناس حتى كاد المسجد يعجز عن أهله فجلس النبي ﷺ فلم يخرج قالت حتى سمعت ناسا منهم يقولون الصلاة فلم يخرج إليهم النبي ﷺ فلما صلى صلاة الفجر سلم ثم قام في الناس فتشهد ثم قال أما بعد فإنه لم يخف علي شأنكم الليلة ولكني خشيت أن تفرض عليكم فتعجزوا عنها