Are the four rak'as before the fard of 'isha' an emphasized or a non-emphasized sunna?

Question

The four rak'as that people pray before 'isha', regarding them as a sunna — are they an emphasized sunna (sunna mu'akkada) or a non-emphasized sunna (ghayr mu'akkada)? Is there proof for them from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or not? I have heard that there is no proof for them from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — is this correct?

Answer

No explicit proof for this is found in the hadith, and it is not correct to call it an emphasized sunna. There is a general narration that between every two adhans — [that is,] the adhan and the iqama — there is a prayer; these sunnas also fall under this general narration.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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