Answered by Shaykh Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf Mangera
Because it’s makruh to pray Isha after the halfway point of the night, after the halfway point should I just pray the fard, and no sunnah, seeing as how it is disliked by Allah at that time, but the fard must still be completed?
Assalamu alaykum
In the name of Allah the Inspirer of truth
It will remain recommended to perform the voluntary prayers along with the fard and sunan of Isha even if one delays and performs in the latter part of the night.
The reprehensibility is not in the performance of the prayer at that time but it is in delaying the obligatory prayer beyond the halfway point of night. Hence the blame is earned for delaying it without reason to beyond that part of the night, and not for the actual performance of the prayer.
In fact, it is recommended to perform tahajjud at night, which is a nafl [voluntary] prayer. The emphasized sunnats [mu’akkada] are more important in that regard, hence they do not become reprehensible.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
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