When the last ten nights began, the Prophet ﷺ would spend the night in worship, wake his family, devote himself earnestly, and tighten his waist-wrap.
كان النبي ﷺ إذا دخل العشر أحيا الليل وأيقظ أهله وجد وشد المئزر.
Bukhari related it in the chapter on the virtue of Laylat al-Qadr (2024), and Muslim in the chapter on itikaf (1174), both through the route of Sufyan bin Uyayna, from Abu Yafur, from Abu Duha Muslim bin Sabih, from Masruq, from Ayesha, who said, "and she mentioned it." The wording given is Muslim's.Abu Yafur here is Abdul-Rahman bin Ubayd bin Nistas, a Kufan of the younger generation of successors, and he is the one meant here. There is another Abu Yafur whose name was Waqdan, also a Kufan, but of the older generation of successors, and both of them are among the men of the Sahih.As for his saying, "and he tightened his waist wrapper," it means he withdrew from women, as Abdul-Razzaq related from Thawri. In some narrations outside the Sahih collections it appears as, "he tightened his waist wrapper and withdrew from women," joined by a conjunction, since tightening the waist wrapper does not necessarily entail withdrawing from women. Rather, what is meant by it is diligence in worship, as one says, "I tightened my waist wrapper for this matter," meaning he girded himself for it. It is also possible that this girding up encompasses both worship and withdrawal from women together.For more, see Fath al-Bari (4/269).