Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 1080
وَعَنْ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ أَبِي حَثْمَةَ قَالَ: إِنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ فَقَدَ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنَ أَبِي حَثْمَةَ فِي صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ وَإِنَّ عُمَرَ غَدَا إِلَى السُّوقِ وَمَسْكَنُ سُلَيْمَانَ بَيْنَ الْمَسْجِدِ وَالسُّوقِ فَمَرَّ عَلَى الشِّفَاءِ أُمِّ سُلَيْمَانَ فَقَالَ لَهَا لَمْ أَرَ سُلَيْمَانَ فِي الصُّبْحِ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّهُ بَاتَ يُصَلِّي فَغَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنَاهُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ لَأَنْ أَشْهَدَ صَلَاةَ الصُّبْحِ فِي الْجَمَاعَة أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَقُومَ لَيْلَةً. رَوَاهُ مَالك
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Sulayman ibn Abi Hathmah reported that ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab noticed that Sulayman ibn Abi Hathmah was absent from the dawn prayer. ʿUmar went to the market in the morning; since Sulayman’s home lay between the mosque and the market, he passed by al-Shifaʾ, Sulayman’s mother. He said to her, “I did not see Sulayman at the dawn prayer.” She replied, “He spent the night praying, but sleep overcame him.” ʿUmar said, “To attend the dawn prayer in congregation is dearer to me than spending a whole night in prayer.” Malik transmitted it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says sleep overtook Sulayman after he had spent the night praying; it does not state that he deliberately missed the prayer.