Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو حَدَّثَنِي مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ أَبِي النَّضْرِ عَنْ بُسْرِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ قَالَ صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيْلَةً فَسَمِعَ أَهْلُ الْمَسْجِدِ صَلَاتَهُ قَالَ فَكَثُرَ النَّاسُ اللَّيْلَةَ الثَّانِيَةَ فَخَفِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَوْتُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَجَعَلُوا يَسْتَأْنِسُونَ وَيَتَنَحْنَحُونَ قَالَ فَاطَّلَعَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ مَا زِلْتُمْ بِالَّذِي تَصْنَعُونَ حَتَّى خَشِيتُ أَنْ يُكْتَبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَوْ كُتِبَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ مَا قُمْتُمْ بِهَا وَإِنَّ أَفْضَلَ صَلَاةِ الْمَرْءِ فِي بَيْتِهِ إِلَّا صَلَاةَ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ.
English Translation
Muhammad ibn Bishr told us: Muhammad ibn Amr told us: Musa ibn Uqba told me, from Abu al-Nadr, from Busr ibn Sa'id, from Zayd ibn Thabit, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed one night, and the people of the mosque heard his prayer. He said: So more people gathered the second night, and the voice of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, became hidden from them, so they began to make themselves known and clear their throats. He said: So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came out to them and said: "You have continued what you were doing until I feared it would be made obligatory upon you, and had it been made obligatory upon you, you would not have kept it up; and indeed the most excellent prayer of a person is in his house, except the obligatory prayer."