وَعَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ قَالَ
أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ وَأَنَا فِي سَفَرٍ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: وَاللَّهِ لَأَرْقُبَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِلصَّلَاةِ حَتَّى أَرَى فِعْلَهُ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى صَلَاةَ الْعِشَاءِ وَهِيَ الْعَتَمَةُ اضْطَجَعَ هَوِيًّا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ ثُمَّ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَنَظَرَ فِي الْأُفُقِ فَقَالَ: (رَبنَا مَا خلقت هَذَا بَاطِلا) حَتَّى بَلَغَ إِلَى (إِنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ) ثُمَّ أَهْوَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ فَاسْتَلَّ مِنْهُ سِوَاكًا ثُمَّ أَفْرَغَ فِي قَدَحٍ مِنْ إِدَاوَةٍ عِنْدَهُ مَاءً فَاسْتَنَّ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَصَلَّى حَتَّى قُلْتُ: قَدْ صَلَّى قَدْرَ مَا نَامَ ثُمَّ اضْطَجَعَ حَتَّى قُلْتُ قَدْ نَامَ قَدْرَ مَا صَلَّى ثُمَّ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَفَعَلَ كَمَا فَعَلَ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَقَالَ مِثْلَ مَا قَالَ فَفَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَلَاثٌ مَرَّاتٍ قَبْلَ الْفَجْرِ
One of the companions of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) told how he decided when he was on a journey along with God’s Messenger that he must watch his prayer to see how he conducted it. When he had prayed the evening prayer, which is the ‘atama, he lay down for a long period during the night, then awoke, looked at the horizon and said, ‘Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain…verily Thou dost not break Thy promise’ (Al-Qur’an; 3:191,194).
Then God’s Messenger went to his couch from which he took out a toothstick, then poured out some water into a bowl from a skin vessel beside him, cleaned his teeth, and stood up and prayed, till it appeared to me that he prayed as long as he had slept. Then he lay down till it appeared to me that he slept as long as he had prayed.
Then awakening and doing as he did the first time, he said the same as he had said. He did that three times before the dawn. Nasai transmitted it.’