It was narrated that Ibn 'Umar said:"We stayed in the Masjid one night waiting for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to pray 'Isha'. He came out to us when one-third of the night or more had passed, and he said when he came out: 'You are waiting for a prayer for which the followers of no other religion are waiting. Were it not that I would impose too much difficulty on my Ummah, I would have led them in prayer at this time.' Then he commanded the Mu'adhdhin to say the Iqamah and he prayed."
أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنِ الْحَكَمِ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ مَكَثْنَا ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ نَنْتَظِرُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِعِشَاءِ الآخِرَةِ فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا حِينَ ذَهَبَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ أَوْ بَعْدَهُ فَقَالَ حِينَ خَرَجَ " إِنَّكُمْ تَنْتَظِرُونَ صَلاَةً مَا يَنْتَظِرُهَا أَهْلُ دِينٍ غَيْرُكُمْ وَلَوْلاَ أَنْ يَثْقُلَ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لَصَلَّيْتُ بِهِمْ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ " . ثُمَّ أَمَرَ الْمُؤَذِّنَ فَأَقَامَ ثُمَّ صَلَّى .
Nesai
The Book of the Times (of Prayer) • Hadith 537