Isha (prayer)
Isha (Arabic: صلاة العشاء), alternatively also transliterated as Ishaa', and also known as Khoftan or Khooftaan (from Persian خفتن meaning sleeping), is one of the mandatory five daily Islamic prayers, and contains four cycles. == Ahadith mentioning virtues == Uthman ibn Affan reported that he heard Muhammad saying: "He who observed the 'Isha' prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed up to midnight, and he who prayed the morning prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed the whole night." (Muslim) Abu Hurairah reported: The Messenger of Allah said, "The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are the 'Isha' and the Fajr prayers and if they knew what these contain, they would have come to them, even though they had to crawl on their knees." (Bukhari) == Sunni Muslims == The time period within which the Isha prayer must be recited is the following: Time begins: According to the Hanafi school, Isha begins when complete darkness has arrived and the white twilight in the sky has disappeared.