Once in the middle of the night Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) went out and prayed in the mosque and some
men prayed with him. The next morning the people spoke about it and so more people gathered and
prayed with him (in the second night). They circulated the news in the morning, and so, on the third
night the number of people increased greatly. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) came out and they prayed
behind him. On the fourth night the mosque was overwhelmed by the people till it could not
accommodate them. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came out only for the Fajr prayer and when he finished the
prayer, he faced the people and recited "Tashah-hud" (I testify that none has the right to be
worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is His Apostle), and then said, "Amma ba'du. Verily your
presence (in the mosque at night) was not hidden from me, but I was afraid that this prayer (Prayer of
Tahajjud) might be made compulsory and you might not be able to carry it out."
Sahih al-Bukhari Book 11, Hadith 48