The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer-10a
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The reciter: Isma'il ibn Ibrahim and Muhammad ibn Hatim both narrated to me from Muhammad ibn Bakr. He said: And Harun ibn 'Abd Allah said: Hajjaj ibn Muhammad narrated to us. He said: And Hajjaj ibn al-Sha'ir and Muhammad ibn Rafi' both said: 'Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us. Their wordings are similar. They all said: Ibn Jurayj said: Al-Mughirah ibn Hakim informed me from Umm Kulthum bint Abi Bakr that she informed him from 'A'ishah, who said: And in the narration of 'Abd al-Razzaq: Sahih Muslim 642.
The Shaykh : The point of this delay is that he said:Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah 2:47 The meaning is not "most of the night" but "the majority of the night," meaning the time in which prayer can be performed. And his saying: Sahih Muslim 638c is evidence that this religion does not contain anything that burdens its people, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left the superior time out of fear of causing hardship. It is also evidence of considering the conditions of people, and that a person should not burden them. For example, if he intended to recite a long surah with the people, one that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited, but they are in a state where it is not appropriate to lengthen the recitation for them, there is no harm in leaving that surah for another, shorter one. Similarly, if there is severe heat and he intends to recite Surah al-Jumu'ah and Surah al-Munafiqun in the Friday prayer, but it will burden the people, we tell him: Do not recite them as long as it burdens the people due to the intensity of the heat; do not recite them. This is a rule: considering the conditions of people, and a person should not burden them in matters where there is leeway.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delayed [his prayer] one night until most of the night had passed and the people of the mosque had fallen asleep. Then he came out and prayed, and he said: "It is indeed its time, were it not that I would burden my Ummah."
أعتم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات ليلة حتى ذهب عامة الليل وحتى نام أهل المسجد ثم خرج فصلى فقال : إنه لوقتها لولا أن أشق على أمتيIbn Juraij reported: I said to Ata': Which time do you deem fit for me to say the 'Isya' prayer, -as an Imam or alone, -that time which is called by people 'Atama? He said: I heard Ibn 'Abbas saying: The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) one night delayed the 'Isya' prayer till the people went to sleep. They woke up and again went to sleep and again woke up. Then 'Umar b. Khattab stood up and said (loudly)" Prayer." Ata' further reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) came out, and as if I am still seeing him with water trickling from his head, and with his hand placed on one side of the head, and he said: Were it not hard for my Ummah, I would have ordered them to observe this prayer like this (i. e. at late hours). I inquired from 'Ata' how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) placed his hand upon his head as Ibn Abbas had informed. So Ata' spread his fingers a little and then placed the ends of his fingers on the side of his head. He then moved them like this over his head till the thumb touched that part of the ear which is near the face and then it (went) to the earlock and the part of the heard. It (the bind) neither held nor caught anything but this is how (it moved oil). I said to Ata': Was it mentioned to you (by Ibn Abbas) how long did the Apostle (ﷺ) delay it (the prayer) during that eight? He said: I do not know (I cannot give you the exact time). Ali' said: I love that I should say prayer, whether as an Imam or alone at delayed hours as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said that night, but if It is hard upon you in your individual capacity or upon people in the congregation and you are their Imam, then say prayer ('Isha') at the middle hours neither too early nor too late.
لولا أن يشق على أمتيThe Shaykh : The point of this delay is that he said: