'A'isha reported: The Apostle of Allah ﷺ one night delayed (observing the 'Isya' prayer) till a great part of the night was over and the people in the mosque had gone to sleep. He (the Holy Prophet) then came out and observed prayer and said: This is the proper time for it; were it not that I would impose a burden on my people (I would normally pray at this time). In the hadith transmitters by 'Abd al-Razzaq (the words are):" Were it not that it would impose burden on my people".
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was very considerate of his people and did not want to impose any unnecessary burden upon them by making them stay up late for prayers when they were already tired from their daily activities. He showed us through this hadith that even though prayer is important, sometimes delaying it can be beneficial for everyone involved as long as there is a valid reason behind the delay such as avoiding burdening others or taking into account their comfort levels.
