Why did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) leave the tarawih prayer, when he encouraged it and said: “Whoever prays with the imam until he finishes…”?

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. In the hadith of the Prophet and in the hadith of Aisha, it is stated that he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed it for several nights, so they prayed with him. Then he delayed and prayed in his house for the rest of the month. The question is: How did he (peace and blessings be upon him) encourage it to be prayed with the imam, and then leave it and not pray it in the mosque thereafter?

Answer:
The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did this for a purpose, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) explained it, saying: “I feared it would become obligatory upon you.” As for the imam, if he prays with the people, it is not obligatory by the imam’s action, because this is specific to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So, one follows the imam until he finishes, and there is no fear in this that it will become an obligation. This is only in the case of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, there is no harm in following the imam until he finishes every night. Yes.