Hadithcore
Sahih Muslim, 256
sahih

Ibn 'Abbas reported that he spent a night at the house of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up for prayer in the latter part of the night. He went out and looked towards the sky and then recited this verse (190th) of AI-i-'Imran:

" Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day." up to the (words)" save us from the torment of Hell." He then returned to his house, used the tooth-stick, performed the ablution, and then got up and offered the prayer. He than lay down on the bed. and again got up and went out and looked towards the sky and recited this verse (mentioned above), then returned, used the tooth-stick, performed ablution and again offered the prayer.

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْمُتَوَكِّلِ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّهُ، بَاتَ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ فَقَامَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ فَخَرَجَ فَنَظَرَ فِي السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ تَلاَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ فِي آلِ عِمْرَانَ ‏{‏ إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ‏}‏ حَتَّى بَلَغَ ‏{‏ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ‏}‏ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ فَتَسَوَّكَ وَتَوَضَّأَ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَصَلَّى ثُمَّ اضْطَجَعَ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَخَرَجَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَتَلاَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ فَتَسَوَّكَ فَتَوَضَّأَ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَصَلَّى ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 2, Hadith 63
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Book 2, Hadith 494 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The Prophet ﷺ was keen to perform the night prayer and encouraged his companions to perform it to the extent that he never missed it while being a resident or traveling. In this hadith, the great companion Abdullah ibn Abbas mentioned that he spent a night in his aunt Maimouna’s house, a wife of the Prophet ﷺ. He found that the Prophet ﷺ got up in the last part of the night, went out, looked at the sky, and recited Allah’s sayings, “Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying), ‘Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.” (Aal Imran: 190, 191) In Muslim’s narration, he said, “He recited these verses until he finished the sura.” These verses mean: Verily, the perfect creation of the heavens and the earth from nothing and the alternation of night and day have clear signs guiding those having sound minds to the Creator and His attributes. They are those remembering Allah in all of their cases whether they are standing, sitting, or lying down. They are always pondering over the creation of heavens and earth then supplicate Allah, “Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.” Then, the Prophet ﷺ went home and used the siwak, which was a stick made of the roots of the arak tree, to clean his mouth and always smell good. Afterward, he performed ablution and night prayer then slept for a while. Later, he got up and exactly repeated what he did the first time. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It encourages Muslims to use siwak when waking up at night, (2) It confirms the possibility of a little kid’s (who does not reach puberty) spending the night with his female relative that he is forbidden to marry, even if her husband is present, (3) It clarifies the legitimacy of performing the night prayer, reciting the above-mentioned verses when waking up at night, and pondering over its great signs, (4) It recommends that a person looks at the sky to contemplate Allah’s wonderful creation, (5) It contains the permissibility that a person sleeps between his night prayers and repeats the Prophet’s above-mentioned deeds of using the siwak, reciting those two verses, and performing ablution..