Four rak'as prior to 'isha'

Question

I learned Hazrat Wala's opinion concerning the four rak'as of sunna before 'isha'. After consulting Hazrat Wala, I came across the following text on the margin of al-Hidaya and am sending it to you, since the right [to judge] its soundness and weakness belongs to Hazrat Wala alone, although the revered shaykh's eye has probably fallen on it many times: [ar]سنن سعيد بن منصور من حديث البراء رفعه: مَنْ صَلَّى قَبْلَ الْعِشَاءِ أَرْبَعًا كَانَ كَأَنَّمَا تَهَجَّدَ مِنْ لَيْلَةٍ، وَمَنْ صَلَّاهُنَّ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ…

Answer

I have not found the narration about praying four rak'as before 'isha' in the books of hadith. I searched for the reference you sent, but did not find it anywhere in the texts of hadith. The jurists and hadith scholars have written: [ar]أما الأربع قبل العشاء فذكروا في بيانه أنه لم يثبت أن التطوع بها من السنن الراتبة فكان حسنا لأن العشاء نظير الظهر في أنه يجوز التطوع قبلها…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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