Reading four rakaats nafl salaah after the fardh of Esha

Q: I heard that 4 rakaats after Esha is equal to Tahajjud Salaah on Laylatul-Qadr. I wanted to know what's the tarteeb of reading these 4 Rakaats, is it 2 Sunnah and 2 Nafl before Witr or is it 2 Sunnah then 2 Nafl and another 2 nafl then Witr or is it 2 Sunnah and 4 Nafl with one Salaam and then Witr? 

Also, what will be the count of the Esha Rakaats taking into consideration either 4 or 2 Rakaats before, these 4 mentioned in the Hadith and also the 2 Rakaats sitting after Witr?

A: After performing the fard and two sunnat, perform these four rakaats of nafil. Thereafter, perform your witr salaah.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)