The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out one night in the middle of the night and prayed in the mosque, and some men prayed along with his prayer. In the morning the people talked about it, so a larger group gathered the next night and prayed with him. In the morning the people talked about it again, and on the third night the mosque was filled with even more people. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out and they prayed along with his prayer. When the fourth night came, the mosque could not accommodate its people, but he did not come out to them until he came out for the morning prayer. After completing the dawn prayer, he turned to the people, recited the testimony of faith, and then said, "Now then, your presence was not hidden from me, but I feared that this prayer might be made obligatory upon you and you would be unable to perform it."Abu Abdullah said, Yunus followed him in this narration.
حدثنا يحيى بن بكير قال حدثنا الليث عن عقيل عن ابن شهاب قال أخبرني عروة أن
أن رسول الله ﷺ خرج ذات ليلة من جوف الليل فصلى في المسجد فصلى رجال بصلاته فأصبح الناس فتحدثوا فاجتمع أكثر منهم فصلوا معه فأصبح الناس فتحدثوا فكثر أهل المسجد من الليلة الثالثة فخرج رسول الله ﷺ فصلوا بصلاته فلما كانت الليلة الرابعة عجز المسجد عن أهله حتى خرج لصلاة الصبح فلما قضى الفجر أقبل على الناس فتشهد ثم قال أما بعد فإنه لم يخف علي مكانكم لكني خشيت أن تفرض عليكم فتعجزوا عنها قال أبو عبد الله تابعه يونس