What Is Recommended Regarding Delaying 'Isha'

Sayyar bin Salamah said:

"My father and I entered upon Abu Barzah, and my father said to him: 'How did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pray the prescribed prayers?' He said: He used to pray Zuhr, which you call Al-Uala (the first) when the sun passed its zenith; he used to pray 'Asr then one of us could go back to his home in the farthest part of Al-Madinah when the sun was still bright.'" - He said: "I forgot what he said to me about Maghrib." - "And he used to like to delay 'Isha', which you call Al-'Atamah, and he did not like to sleep before it nor speak after it. And he used to finish the Al-Ghadah (Fajr) prayer when a man could recognize his neighbor, and he used to recite between sixty and one hundred verses.'"

أَخْبَرَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، عَنْ عَوْفٍ، عَنْ سَيَّارِ بْنِ سَلاَمَةَ، قَالَ دَخَلْتُ أَنَا وَأَبِي، عَلَى أَبِي بَرْزَةَ الأَسْلَمِيِّ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبِي أَخْبِرْنَا كَيْفَ، كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي الْمَكْتُوبَةَ قَالَ كَانَ يُصَلِّي الْهَجِيرَ الَّتِي تَدْعُونَهَا الأُولَى حِينَ تَدْحَضُ الشَّمْسُ وَكَانَ يُصَلِّي الْعَصْرَ ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ أَحَدُنَا إِلَى رَحْلِهِ فِي أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ وَالشَّمْسُ حَيَّةٌ قَالَ وَنَسِيتُ مَا قَالَ فِي الْمَغْرِبِ قَالَ وَكَانَ يَسْتَحِبُّ أَنْ تُؤَخَّرَ صَلاَةُ الْعِشَاءِ الَّتِي تَدْعُونَهَا الْعَتَمَةَ قَالَ وَكَانَ يَكْرَهُ النَّوْمَ قَبْلَهَا وَالْحَدِيثَ بَعْدَهَا وَكَانَ يَنْفَتِلُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الْغَدَاةِ حِينَ يَعْرِفُ الرَّجُلُ جَلِيسَهُ وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ بِالسِّتِّينَ إِلَى الْمِائَةِ .

It was narrated that Ibn Juraij said:

"I said to 'Ata': 'What is the best time you think I should pray Al-'Atamah, either in congregation or on my own?' He said: 'I heard Ibn 'Abbas say: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ delayed Al-'Atamah one night until the people had slept and woken up, then slept and woken up again. Then 'Umar got up and said: 'The prayer, the prayer!'" 'Ata' said: 'Ibn 'Abbas said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out, and it is as if I can see him now, with water dripping from his head, putting his hand on the side of his head. [He said: "And he indicated (how)"].'" I checked with 'Ata' how the Prophet ﷺ put his hand on his head, and he showed me the same way as Ibn 'Abbas had done. 'Ata' spread his fingers a little, then placed them with the tips of his fingers on his forehead, then he drew his fingers together on his head until his thumb touched the edge of the ear that is next to the face, then moved it to his temple and forehead, then he said: 'Were it not that I would impose too much difficulty for my Ummah, I would have commanded them to offer this prayer only at this time.'"

أَخْبَرَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ، وَيُوسُفُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِعَطَاءٍ أَىُّ حِينٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ الْعَتَمَةَ إِمَامًا أَوْ خِلْوًا قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ يَقُولُ أَعْتَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ بِالْعَتَمَةِ حَتَّى رَقَدَ النَّاسُ وَاسْتَيْقَظُوا وَرَقَدُوا وَاسْتَيْقَظُوا فَقَامَ عُمَرُ فَقَالَ الصَّلاَةَ الصَّلاَةَ قَالَ عَطَاءٌ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ خَرَجَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ الآنَ يَقْطُرُ رَأْسُهُ مَاءً وَاضِعًا يَدَهُ عَلَى شِقِّ رَأْسِهِ قَالَ وَأَشَارَ فَاسْتَثْبَتُّ عَطَاءً كَيْفَ وَضَعَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ فَأَوْمَأَ إِلَىَّ كَمَا أَشَارَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَبَدَّدَ لِي عَطَاءٌ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ بِشَىْءٍ مِنْ تَبْدِيدٍ ثُمَّ وَضَعَهَا فَانْتَهَى أَطْرَافُ أَصَابِعِهِ إِلَى مُقَدَّمِ الرَّأْسِ ثُمَّ ضَمَّهَا يَمُرُّ بِهَا كَذَلِكَ عَلَى الرَّأْسِ حَتَّى مَسَّتْ إِبْهَامَاهُ طَرَفَ الأُذُنِ مِمَّا يَلِي الْوَجْهَ ثُمَّ عَلَى الصَّدْغِ وَنَاحِيَةِ الْجَبِينِ لاَ يَقْصُرُ وَلاَ يَبْطُشُ شَيْئًا إِلاَّ كَذَلِكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ " لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لأَمَرْتُهُمْ أَنْ لاَ يُصَلُّوهَا إِلاَّ هَكَذَا " .

It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbas said:

"The Prophet ﷺ delayed 'Isha' one night until part of the night had passed. Then 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, got up and called out: 'The prayer, O Messenger of Allah! The women and children have gone to sleep.' Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out with water dripping from his head, saying: 'This is (the best) time (for 'Isha'), were it not that this would be too difficult for my Ummah.'"

أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ الْمَكِّيُّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَعَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ أَخَّرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ الْعِشَاءَ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ حَتَّى ذَهَبَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَقَامَ عُمَرُ - رضى الله عنه - فَنَادَى الصَّلاَةَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ رَقَدَ النِّسَاءُ وَالْوِلْدَانُ . فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَالْمَاءُ يَقْطُرُ مِنْ رَأْسِهِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ " إِنَّهُ الْوَقْتُ لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي " .

It was narrated that Jabir bin Samurah said:

"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to delay the later 'Isha'."[1]

[1] It is described as the later 'Isha' prayer because the Maghrib prayer is sometimes called 'Isha' prayer, but it is the first 'Isha'. Some scholars are of the opinion that it is disliked to call Maghrib 'Isha' without qualifying it as the first 'Isha'. See Fath Al-Bari.

أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ سِمَاكٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُؤَخِّرُ الْعِشَاءَ الآخِرَةَ .