Yahya b. Ma'in, Hannad b. al-Sari, and Uthman b. Abi Shaybah narrated to us from Abd al-Salam b. Harb—and this is the wording of Yahya's narration—from Abu Khalid al-Dalani, from Qatadah, from Abu al-Aliyah, from Ibn Abbas, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to prostrate, sleep, and breathe heavily (with a puffing sound), then get up and pray without performing ablution. I said to him: "You prayed and did not perform ablution, yet you slept." He replied: "Ablution is only obligatory upon one who sleeps lying down." Uthman and Hannad added: "For when he lies down, his joints become relaxed."
Abu Dawud said: The saying, "Ablution is only obligatory upon one who sleeps lying down," is a munkar (rejected) hadith. No one narrated it except Yazid Abu Khalid al-Dalani from Qatadah. A group of narrators narrated its beginning from Ibn Abbas and did not mention any of this addition, and he said: "The Prophet (ﷺ) was protected." Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "My eyes sleep, but my heart does not sleep."
Shu'bah said: Qatadah only heard four hadiths from Abu al-Aliyah: the hadith of Yunus b. Matta, the hadith of Ibn Umar regarding prayer, the hadith that judges are three, and the hadith of Ibn Abbas: "Reliable men narrated to me, and the most reliable among them in my opinion is Umar."
Abu Dawud said: I mentioned the hadith of Yazid al-Dalani to Ahmad b. Hanbal, and he rebuked me in strong disapproval of it, saying: "What does Yazid al-Dalani have to do with inserting things into the companions of Qatadah?" And he did not pay any heed to this hadith.