Sahih Muslim 642

Translation

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.

Notes

• قُلْتُ لِعَطَاءٍ كَمْ ذُكِرَ لَكَ أَخَّرَهَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لَيْلَتَئِذٍ قَالَ لاَ أَدْرِي قَالَ عَطَاءٌ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَهَا إِمَامًا وَخِلْوًا مُؤَخَّرَةً كَمَا صَلاَّهَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لَيْلَتَئِذٍ فَإِنْ شَقَّ عَلَيْكَ ذَلِكَ خِلْوًا أَوْ عَلَى النَّاسِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ وَأَنْتَ إِمَامُهُمْ فَصَلِّهَا وَسَطًا لاَ مُعَجَّلَةً وَلاَ مُؤَخَّرَةً

• كَذَلِكَ ". قَالَ فَاسْتَثْبَتُّ عَطَاءً كَيْفَ وَضَعَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ كَمَا أَنْبَأَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَبَدَّدَ لِي عَطَاءٌ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ شَيْئًا مِنْ تَبْدِيدٍ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ أَطْرَافَ أَصَابِعِهِ عَلَى قَرْنِ الرَّأْسِ ثُمَّ صَبَّهَا يُمِرُّهَا كَذَلِكَ عَلَى الرَّأْسِ حَتَّى مَسَّتْ إِبْهَامُهُ طَرَفَ الأُذُنِ مِمَّا يَلِي الْوَجْهَ ثُمَّ عَلَى الصُّدْغِ وَنَاحِيَةِ اللِّحْيَةِ لاَ يُقَصِّرُ وَلاَ يَبْطِشُ بِشَىْءٍ إِلاَّ كَذَلِكَ. قُلْتُ لِعَطَاءٍ كَمْ ذُكِرَ لَكَ أَخَّرَهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَيْلَتَئِذٍ قَالَ لاَ أَدْرِي. قَالَ عَطَاءٌ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَهَا إِمَامًا وَخِلْوًا مُؤَخَّرَةً كَمَا صَلاَّهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَيْلَتَئِذٍ فَإِنْ شَقَّ عَلَيْكَ ذَلِكَ خِلْوًا أَوْ عَلَى النَّاسِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ وَأَنْتَ إِمَامُهُمْ فَصَلِّهَا وَسَطًا لاَ مُعَجَّلَةً وَلاَ مُؤَخَّرَةً

Grades by grader

Other narrations of this report

Musnad Ahmad 7513Musnad Ahmad 967Musnad Ahmad 968Sahih Ibn Hibban 1098Sahih Ibn Hibban 1532Musnad Abi Ya'la 6581

Narrators

1. 1
   ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās

   One of the Companions who narrated most prolifically (mukthirūn).d. 65 AH, or 67 AH, or 68 AH, also said: 69 AH, also said: 70 AH; also said: 73 AH
   عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍأحد المكثرين من الصحابة
   سمعت
2. 2
   ʿAṭāʾ b. Abī Rabāḥ

   Trustworthy (thiqah), a jurist (faqīh), virtuous, but he often narrated with omission of the Companion (irsāl); it is said that he changed (taghayyara) at the end of his life, though this was not frequent in himd. 112 AH, or 114 AH, or 115 AH, or 116 AH, or 117 AH
   عطاء بن أبي رباحثقة فقيه ، فاضل لكنه كثير الإرسال ، وقيل : إنه تغير بآخره ، ولم يكثر ذلك منه
   قلت
3. 3
   Ibn Jurayj

   Trustworthy (thiqah), a jurist (faqīh), excellent (fāḍil); he used to commit concealment (tadlīs) and to narrate with omission of the Companion (irsāl).d. 149 AH or 150 AH or 151 AH or 160 AH
   ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍثقة فقيه فاضل ، وكان يدلس ويرسل
   أخبرنا
4. 4
   ʿAbd al-Razzāq

   Trustworthy (thiqah), a retentive memorizer (ḥāfiẓ), a renowned author (muṣannif); he went blind at the end of his life and his memory changed (taghayyara), and he had Shiite leanings (kāna yatashayyaʿ)d. 211 AH
   عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِثقة حافظ مصنف شهير ، عمي في آخر عمره فتغير ، وكان يتشيع
   حدثنا
5. 5
   Muḥammad b. Rāfiʿ

   trustworthy (thiqah), devout (ʿābid)d. 245 AH
   مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍثقة عابد
   حدثنا
6. 6
   Muslim

   Trustworthy (thiqah), a retentive memorizer (ḥāfiẓ), an imam, an author of compilations, knowledgeable in jurisprudence (fiqh)d. Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb said: 261 AH, Makkī b. ʿAbdān said: 259 AH
   مُسْلِمٌثقة حافظ ، إمام ، مصنف ، عالم بالفقه

Who each narrator was and how reliable, from hdith.com

Latin names and English verdicts with a dotted underline are machine translations, not reviewed.