Sunan an-Nasa'i 222
سنن النسائي#222Sahihأَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ هِشَامٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَخْلَدٌ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْعَلاَءِ، عَنْ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ نُسَىٍّ، عَنْ غُضَيْفِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ، أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ عَائِشَةَ - رضى الله عنها - أَىُّ اللَّيْلِ كَانَ يَغْتَسِلُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَتْ رُبَّمَا اغْتَسَلَ أَوَّلَ اللَّيْلِ وَرُبَّمَا اغْتَسَلَ آخِرَهُ . قُلْتُ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي الأَمْرِ سَعَةً .
It was narrated from Ghudaif bin Al-Harith that he asked 'Aishah in which part of the night would the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) perform Ghusl? She said:"Sometimes he performed Ghusl at the beginning of the night and sometimes he performed Ghusl at the end." I said: "Praise be to Allah Who has made the matter flexible
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — 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. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 1:223