Sunan an-Nasa'i 538
سنن النسائي#538Sahihأَخْبَرَنَا عِمْرَانُ بْنُ مُوسَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ، عَنْ أَبِي نَضْرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ صَلَّى بِنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلاَةَ الْمَغْرِبِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَيْنَا حَتَّى ذَهَبَ شَطْرُ اللَّيْلِ فَخَرَجَ فَصَلَّى بِهِمْ ثُمَّ قَالَ " إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ صَلُّوا وَنَامُوا وَأَنْتُمْ لَمْ تَزَالُوا فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا انْتَظَرْتُمُ الصَّلاَةَ وَلَوْلاَ ضَعْفُ الضَّعِيفِ وَسُقْمُ السَّقِيمِ لأَمَرْتُ بِهَذِهِ الصَّلاَةِ أَنْ تُؤَخَّرَ إِلَى شَطْرِ اللَّيْلِ " .
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in Maghrib prayer, then he did not come out to us until half the night had passed. Then he came out and led them in prayer, then he said: 'The people have prayed and gone to sleep, but you are still in a state of prayer so long as you are waiting for the prayer. Were it not for the weakness of the weak and, the sickness of the sick, I would have commanded that this prayer be delayed until halfway through the night
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: 6:45