And he said: We do not recognize it except from the hadith of 'Umar ibn Abi Khath'am, and al-Bukhari classified it as extremely weak. And [also] four [rak'ahs] after 'Isha', due to what was narrated from Shurayh ibn Hani', from 'A'ishah, who said: I asked her about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and she said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) never prayed 'Isha' without praying four rak'ahs or six rak'ahs. Recorded by Abu Dawud (40).
Section: There is a difference of opinion regarding four rak'ahs, of which two are before Maghrib after the Adhan. The evident meaning of Ahmad's statement is that they are permissible but are not a sunnah. Al-Athram said: I said to Abu 'Abd Allah, "[What about] the two rak'ahs before Maghrib?" He replied: "I have never performed them except once, when I heard the hadith." He then added: "There are excellent—or he said 'authentic'—hadiths concerning them from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), his companions, and the Successors (al-Tabi'in)." However, he said: "For whoever wishes" (41). So, whoever wishes may pray them. He further said: "This is something people disapprove of," and he laughed as if surprised, adding: "This is considered a serious matter among them." The evidence for their permissibility is what Anas narrated, saying: "We used to pray two rak'ahs at the time of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) after the sun set and before the Maghrib prayer." Al-Mukhtar ibn Fulful said: I asked him, "Did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) pray them?" He replied: "He used to see us praying them, and he neither commanded us [to do so] nor forbade us." Agreed upon (42). Anas also said: "In Madinah, when the caller (mu'adhdhin) gave the call for Maghrib prayer, they would hasten to the pillars and perform two rak'ahs, such that a stranger entering the mosque would think that the prayer had already been performed due to the large number of people performing them." Recorded by Muslim (43). And from 'Abd Allah ibn
between Maghrib and 'Isha', from the Book of Establishing the Prayer. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/369, 437. (40) In: The chapter on prayer after 'Isha', from the Book of Voluntary Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/300. (41) It comes shortly after from the hadith of 'Abd Allah al-Muzani. (42) Al-Bukhari did not extract it; it was extracted by Muslim in: The chapter on the recommendation of two rak'ahs before Maghrib prayer, from the Book of the Traveler's Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/573. (43) In the previous chapter. It was also extracted by al-Bukhari in: The chapter on praying towards a pillar, from the Book of Prayer, and in: The chapter on how long [the time is] between the Adhan and the Iqamah and who awaits the Iqamah, from the Book of Adhan. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/134, 161. And by al-Nasa'i in: The chapter on prayer between the Adhan and the Iqamah, from the Book of Adhan. al-Mujtaba 2/23. And by Imam Ahmad in:
