Nasai

526. Commentary:

➊ Sleeping after the Maghrib prayer is prohibited because there is a risk that the ‘Isha prayer may be missed, and conversing after it is also prohibited because it poses the danger of missing the Fajr prayer, either in its proper time or in congregation.

➋ Some people used to call the Zuhr prayer "Ula" (the first), and the ‘Asr prayer "Akhirah" (the last), because ‘Asr is performed later and Zuhr earlier. In Persian as well, Zuhr is called "Peshin" (first) and ‘Asr "Diger" (second). Since ‘Isha is performed in darkness, some people used to call it "‘Atamah" (the prayer of darkness), and then they would refer to Maghrib as ‘Isha. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam strictly forbade this, because it caused confusion between the rulings of Maghrib and ‘Isha.

496. Commentary:

➊ The beginning time for the Zuhr prayer is agreed upon by consensus; there is no difference of opinion in this regard, and it is at the decline of the sun (zawal al-shams).

➋ The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam generally used to perform the Isha prayer up to one third of the night (thuluth al-layl). Occasionally, he would delay it until half the night. When all the hadiths are combined, this is what becomes evident. According to the preferred opinion, half the night is the last time for the Isha prayer.

➌ The meaning of the sun being intense is that the sun had not yet turned yellow.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:
From these ahadith, it is understood that if a person wakes up from sleep, he should not put his hand into the water vessel, especially when he suspects that his hand may have touched a place which, by human nature, is not considered pleasant to touch. And if, in reality, impurity (najasah) has touched any place, then in every case it is necessary to wash it three times, because in this matter, merely on the basis of suspicion and apprehension, the hand has been commanded to be washed three times. Even though, if a person has performed istinja (cleansing after relieving oneself) with water, there is no apparent impurity left on the private parts. And even in the case of cleaning with a stone (dry material), the substance or matter of impurity does not remain. Despite this, the hand should be washed three times. And this hadith is not concerned with whether the vessel contains a small amount of water or a large amount of water; rather, it teaches an etiquette and a manner for using water after waking up from sleep.

Commentary:
(1)
Sleeping before the ‘Isha prayer carries the risk that one may not wake up for the prayer and thus miss it, or if one does wake up, lethargy may prevail, making it difficult to perform the ‘Isha prayer with attention and concentration. Therefore, one should sleep after performing the prayer.

(2)
Speaking after ‘Isha is also considered inappropriate because it may cause delay in waking up for the Fajr prayer. However, necessary conversation, discussion of scholarly matters, and admonition and advice are permissible. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Knowledge, Chapter: Knowledge and greatness at night, and Chapter: Staying up at night for knowledge, Hadith: 116, 115)
Nevertheless, care should be taken that such gatherings do not become excessively prolonged so that the Fajr prayer can be performed on time. Therefore, it is questionable from a Shar‘i perspective for religious and preaching gatherings to continue late into the night. There is a need to change this common practice.