Sunan Ibn Majah 691
سنن ابن ماجه#691Sahihحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لأَخَّرْتُ صَلاَةَ الْعِشَاءِ إِلَى ثُلُثِ اللَّيْلِ أَوْ نِصْفِ اللَّيْلِ " .
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:"The Messenger of Allah said: 'Were it not that it would be too difficult for my Ummah, I would have delayed the 'Isha' prayer until one third or one half of the night had passed
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave, each scholar counted once — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. When they judged only its chain of narrators (“Isnaad”), the label says “Sound chain”. Each scholar's own wording:
Our source also lists this ruling under Muhammad Fouad Abd al-Baqi, the editor of the printed edition it was taken from. It is al-Albani's ruling printed again, so it is counted once.
In-book reference: 2:25