It comprises the Hadīth cited above in which Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “I prayed with the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) two Rak‘ahs after the ‘Ishā’ prayer;” and the Hadīth reported by ‘Abdullāh ibn Mughaffal: “There is a prayer between every two Adhāns.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) The Sunnah before the ‘Ishā’ prayer is not Rātibah (a confirmed regular Sunnah). Rather, it falls under the Prophet’s general statement: “There is a prayer between every two Adhāns.”
2) The Sunnah after the ‘Ishā’ prayer is Rawātib.
The foregoing Hadīths point out the supererogatory prayers which a person is recommended to perform on a regular basis. They are as follows:
1) The Fajr prayer: It has a Rātibah Sunnah before it and no Rātibah after it.
2) The Zhuhr prayer: It has a Rātibah Sunnah before and after it.
3) The ‘Asr prayer: It has no Rātibah Sunnah before or after it. Rather, it has an ordinary supererogatory prayer before it and another one to be performed after it on an occasional basis.
4) The Maghrib prayer: It has a Rātibah Sunnah after it. As for the Sunnah before it, it is merely recommended, not Rātibah.
5) The ‘Ishā’ prayer: It has a Rātibah Sunnah after it. The Sunnah before it is not Rātibah.
The Sunnah after the ‘Asr prayer is proved by a Hadīth in which ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “There are two Rak‘ahs the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) would not abandon, openly or secretly: two Rak‘ahs before the Fajr prayer and two Rak‘ahs after the ‘Asr prayer.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
However, this Sunnah is restricted with the word ‘occasionally’, as the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) generally prohibited prayer after the ‘Asr prayer until sunset.