...with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven." (1)

2193 - Zakariyya ibn Yahya informed us, saying: Ishaq informed us, saying: Abdullah al-Harith informed us, from Yunus al-Ayli, from al-Zuhri, who said: Urwa ibn al-Zubayr informed me that Aisha informed him that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, went out in the middle of the night to pray in the mosque, and he led the people in prayer... and he narrated the hadith, in which she said (2): He would encourage them to pray during the nights of Ramadan without commanding them as an obligation, and he would say: "Whoever stands in prayer on the Night of Decree with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven." She said: Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away while the matter remained as such (3).

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(1) A sound hadith. Ishaq ibn Rashid — although weak in [narrations from] al-Zuhri — was corroborated by Yunus ibn Yazid as in the following narration, and Shu'ayb ibn Abi Hamza as in narration (2195), and Mu'qil ibn Ubaydullah in Ibn Hibban (141). The compiler — as al-Mizzi reported from him in "Al-Tuhfah" (16411) — held the view that his statement: "He would encourage the people to pray during the nights of Ramadan without commanding them as an obligation" is not from the narration of al-Zuhri, from Urwa, from Aisha, but rather from the narration of al-Zuhri, from Abu Salama, from Abu Hurayra. We say: It is in "Al-Muwatta" 1/113, "Musnad Ahmad" (10843), and "Sunan Abi Dawud" (1371).
Al-Mu'afa: he is Ibn Sulayman al-Jazari, and Musa is Ibn A'yan, and it is in "Al-Sunan al-Kubra" under numbers (2513) and (3412).
See what follows, and what will come under number (2195).
It has preceded — without the aforementioned addition — from the hadith of Abu Hurayra under number (1602).
Al-Sindi said: His statement "yurghghib al-nas" (he would encourage the people) is from targhib (encouragement); "bi-'azimat amrin fihi" (as an obligation in it) with idafa (construct), meaning: without commanding them to a decisive matter or ruling therein, whether of obligation or recommendation. Indeed, encouragement in this manner entails recommendation.
(2) In (M) and the margins of (K) and (H): he said.
(3) Its chain is sound. Yunus al-Ayli: he is Ibn Yazid, and the discussion on him has preceded in the previous narration.
It is in "Al-Sunan al-Kubra" under number (2514).
Ibn Hibban also narrated it (2543) via the path of Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, with this chain. =