What he said to people who had waited a long time
They had been sitting for the night prayer until nearly midnight.
عَلَى رِسْلِكُمْ، أَبْشِرُوا إِنَّ مِنْ نِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ يُصَلِّي هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ غَيْرُكُمْ
ʿAlā rislikum, abshirū. Inna min niʿmati-Llāhi ʿalaykum annahu laysa aḥadun mina-n-nāsi yuṣallī hādhihi-s-sāʿata ghayrukum
“Take it easy. Take the good news. It is part of Allah's favour on you that there is nobody among people praying at this hour except you.”
Where this comes from
He came out after they had waited, and the first thing he said was not an apology and not an instruction. He told them the waiting itself was the thing they had been given.
The full narration
Narrated Abu Musa:My companions, who came with me in the boat and I landed at a place called Baqi [??] Buthan [??] . The Prophet (ﷺ) was in Medina at that time. One of us used to go to the Prophet (ﷺ) by turns every night at the time of the `Isha prayer. Once I along with my companions went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he was busy in some of his affairs, so the `Isha' prayer was delayed to the middle of the night He then came out and led the people (in prayer). After finishing from the prayer, he addressed the people present there saying, "Be patient! Don't go away. Have the glad tiding. It is from the blessing of Allah upon you that none amongst mankind has prayed at this time save you." Or said, "None except you has prayed at this time." Abu Musa added, 'So we returned happily after what we heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
Source
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī · 567
- Agreed upon as authentic (al-Bukhārī / Muslim)