The ruling on delaying the Isha prayer in various cases: for the person who hears the call to prayer without an excuse other than the Prophet's hadith about delaying Isha, and for the person who did not hear the call to prayer but knew the time had entered or was eating, and for the person who hears the call to prayer but the mosque is far, and for the person who finds that the congregational prayer has ended, and for a woman in her home. Request for reconciliation between the hadith of delaying Isha and the hadith on the virtue of praying at its appointed time.

Congregational prayer in the mosque is obligatory according to many jurists, and it is not permissible to omit it without a valid excuse. Delaying the Isha (night) prayer for the virtue of delaying is not considered an excuse for missing the congregation. Even if it is said that it is a confirmed Sunnah (definition), it should not be abandoned. The preference for delaying Isha is only for the individual and the group content with it. Prayer at the beginning of its time in congregation is better than delaying it. The Prophet ﷺ would delay Isha if people gathered, and hasten if he saw they were gathered. It is permissible to miss the congregation if one is attending to their food and is eager for it. As for leaving the mosque congregation because of distance, it depends on being able to hear the call to prayer at a normal voice level without amplifiers.