The Ruling on Delaying the 'Isha' Prayer and Prolonging It After Midnight

Question:
An imam who prays 'Isha' at eleven in the evening and finishes at two in the morning?

Answer:
Is it the obligatory prayer or the night prayer?
The student: No, the obligatory prayer.
The Shaykh: Is he ill?
Q: No, he is not ill; he is accustomed to praying with the congregation.
The Shaykh: No, it is not permissible for him. It is obligatory for him to pray with the people, and it is not permissible for him to delay the time.
Q: He is an imam and prays with the people from before midnight to after midnight...
The Shaykh: The people do not pray at eleven.
Q: Perhaps he is in a farm...?
The Shaykh: The point is that if it coincides with the time of 'Isha', there is nothing wrong with it, but he should not delay beyond one-third of the night. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he delayed it, delayed it to one-third of the night, and its end is the middle of the night. The time of 'Isha' extends to the middle of the night.