The sunna before and after 'isha'

Question

Before the fard of 'isha', people usually pray 4 rak'as with the intention of sunna. Is there proof for this in the books of the hadith sciences or not? And is this practice established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or not? From the text of Kabiri, p. 427, no basis (sanad) for it is found; see: [ar]وذكر في المحيط: إن تطوع قبل العصر بأربع وقبل العشاء بأربع فحسن لأن النبي لم يواظب عليهما، أما عدم مواظبته عليه السلام على ما قبل العشاء فمقرر، بل لم يرو أنه صلاها فضلا عن المواظبة[/ar] “It is mentioned in al-Muhit: if…

Answer

(1) Despite searching, proof for four rak'as before 'isha' was not found in the noble hadith. Al-Diraya is printed on the margin of some copies of al-Hidaya, and the narration is present in it, but there is an error (wahm) in it: the original narration concerns [the prayer] before zuhr, whereas in it “before 'isha'” has also been stated.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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