The above states that one
must pray Isha before midnight. This is, I'm sure, one opinion of the Ulema. Yet, because it may cause hardship or distress on some muslim brothers or sisters - if they are struggling and fail to meet this requirement - then one should know that there are also hadith to support the other opinions noted in the quoted text above - i.e that one can pray until the time of fajr.
According to a major school of the Ulama, the time of ''isha salah begin when the shafaq has dissapeared and lasts until the time of the fajr salah. 'Aishah (ra) reported: 'One night the Prophet (sas) prayed the 'Isha salah after most of the night had gone and most of the people in the masjid had fallen asleep. Then he came out, prayed, and said: 'this would be the proper time if it were not a hardship on my nation'.' (Muslim, k. al-masajid was mawadi al-salah, b. waqt al-'isha wa ta'kiriha). 'Abdullah ibn Abbas (ra) said: Between every two salah there is time'. (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf, i. 294). He also said: 'No salah is missed until the adhan of the other salah is said (ibid.). Abu Hurarrah (ra) was asked what consittutes missing a salah. He said: 'That you delay it until the time of the one after it enters' (ibid).
The prefered time for 'Isha is up to a thrid of the night. 'Aisha (ra) said 'They used to pray the 'Isha Salah between the dissapearence of the shafaq and the final the final third of the nights beginning' (al-Bukhari, b. kuruj al-nisa' ila al-masajid bi al-layl wa al-ghalas). Abu Hurayrah (ra) repoted that the Messnger of Allah (sas) said: 'If it were not to be a hardship upon my ummah, I would order them to delay the 'Isha Salah until a third or half the night had passed (al-Tirmidhi, k. al-salah, b. ma ja'a fi ta'khir salat al-'isha al-akhirah). Abu Nadrah (ra) reported from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri saying: 'Once, we waited for the Messenger of Allah (sas) to lead the 'isha salah until half the night had passed, at whihc time he came and prayed with us. He said: 'Stay in your places of sitting'. We stayed in our sitting positions, then he said: 'While the people have gone to their places of laying down for sleep, you are in salah and for this as long as you are waiting for the salah. If it were not for the weakness of the weak and the illness of the ill, I would have delayed the time of this salah to a half of the night' (Abu Dawud, k. al-salah, b. waqt al-isha al-akhirah).
And Allah Knows best.
:wa: