Explanation of Taraweeh
Ruling on Taraweeh Prayer:
❀ Taraweeh prayer is a voluntary prayer, it is neither obligatory nor compulsory. Sayyida Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) states that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed Taraweeh in the mosque on one night of Ramadan, and the people prayed behind him. Then on the second night, he prayed again, and the followers increased greatly. Then on the third or fourth night, people gathered but he did not come out for prayer. In the morning he said:
قد رأيت الذى صنعتم ولم يمنعني من الخروج إليكم إلا أني خشيت أن تفرض عليكم
“I saw what you did, and I did not come out only out of fear that this prayer might be made obligatory upon you.”
❀ Some people have spread the belief that whoever does not pray Taraweeh will not have their fast accepted, and whoever prays Taraweeh must fast, even though Shariah has given exemption (due to illness, travel, or minority). Consequently, those who are not required to fast also do not pray Taraweeh. Both of these notions are completely wrong and a result of ignorance.
The Virtue of Taraweeh:
❀The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
من قام رمضان إيمانا واحتسابا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه
“Whoever stands (in prayer) during Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.”
Congregational Taraweeh:
Taraweeh is a voluntary prayer, and it is permissible to perform it both individually and in congregation. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, led the Taraweeh prayer in congregation for three nights, then abandoned it out of fear that it might become obligatory, as mentioned above in the narration of Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her.
This method continued until the early period of the caliphate of Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. One night, when Sayyiduna Umar went to the mosque, he saw people praying alone or in small groups of two or four. He said: “It would be better if I gather them behind one Imam.” Then, following this plan, he gathered everyone behind Sayyiduna Abi bin Ka’b, may Allah be pleased with him.
Some scholars say that performing Taraweeh in congregation is better than praying alone because the Prophet, peace be upon him, abandoned congregation only out of fear that it might become obligatory, and then Sayyiduna Umar arranged for the congregation. Also, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: Whoever stands in prayer with the Imam during Ramadan, it is recorded for him as if he stood the entire night.
Some scholars say that it is better to perform Taraweeh at home because when the Prophet, peace be upon him, led Taraweeh for three nights and then did not lead it the next night, he said: “I know that you gather for prayer, but O my companions! Pray in your homes, because except for the obligatory prayers, a person’s prayer at home is better.”
Therefore, if additional activities such as congregation and listening to the Quran are arranged only in the mosque and cannot be arranged at home, then staying in the mosque for these activities will be preferable.
Rak’ahs of Taraweeh:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and the noble companions, may Allah be pleased with them, always prayed eight rak’ahs of Taraweeh; none of them ever prayed more than eight rak’ahs of Taraweeh. Some people have made this issue a matter of dispute, even though this issue is very clear in the ahadith. The evidences are as follows:
First Hadith:
Abu Salamah bin Abdul Rahman asked Sayyidah Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her: “How was the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in Ramadan?” She said: “He, peace be upon him, never prayed more than eleven rak’ahs in Ramadan and other days (including Taraweeh and Witr).”
One Objection and Its Refutation:
This hadith is very clear, and it was difficult for those who advocate twenty rak’ahs of Taraweeh to deny it. Therefore, they raised an objection that this hadith mentions a prayer performed equally in Ramadan and non-Ramadan, which is Tahajjud; hence, the rak’ahs mentioned in this hadith are of Tahajjud, not Taraweeh.
The answer is present in the same hadith. First, Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked about the prayer performed in Ramadan, which is the Taraweeh prayer, and Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) responded regarding the same. However, she also added that this was the usual practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him) outside Ramadan as well.
Secondly, in the Quran and Sunnah, various descriptive names are given for the night prayer, such as Tahajjud, Salat al-Layl, Qiyam al-Layl, and (due to being performed in Ramadan) Qiyam Ramadan, etc. Similarly, Taraweeh is one of the names of Tahajjud; this name came later and is not mentioned in the Quran or Hadith. Since the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) gave more importance to Qiyam al-Layl in Ramadan due to its abundant reward, some people misunderstood and considered Taraweeh as a separate and permanent prayer. The correct fact is that Taraweeh and Tahajjud are two names for the same prayer. The evidences are as follows:
1. Allah Almighty said: “O you who wraps himself [in clothing], arise [to pray] the night, except for a little – half of it – or subtract from it a little or add to it, and recite the Qur’an with measured recitation.”
These verses command the Prophet (peace be upon him) to perform Qiyam al-Layl, which includes all nights of the year, whether Ramadan or non-Ramadan. It is also established that the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed the same prayer in Ramadan and non-Ramadan, and during Ramadan nights, he did not perform any prayer other than Taraweeh.
Deobandi scholar Anwar Shah Kashmiri writes: “On the nights when the Prophet (peace be upon him) led Taraweeh prayer, he did not perform Tahajjud prayer on those nights.”
2. The Prophet (peace be upon him) called Taraweeh Salat al-Layl and Qiyam al-Layl. The Prophet (peace be upon him) led the Taraweeh congregation for three nights in Ramadan but did not go out on the fourth night. Then he explained the reason:
إني خشيت أن تكتب عليكم صلاة الليل
“I feared that Salat al-Layl might be made obligatory upon you.”
And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both):
يا عبد الله ! لا تكن مثل فلان ، كان يقوم من الليل فترك قيام الليل
“O Abdullah! Do not be like so-and-so who used to perform Qiyam al-Layl and then abandoned it.”
3. Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made us stand in prayer until one-third of the night on the 29th of Ramadan, until half the night on the 25th, and on the 27th he led Taraweeh until the fear of missing Suhoor arose.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) led one prayer from after Isha until the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor), thus proving that from after Isha until the last part of the night, it is one and the same prayer.
4. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw people praying Taraweeh in the early part of the night and said: “The part of the night in which people sleep (i.e., the last part of the night) is better than the part in which they stand (i.e., the early part of the night).”
5. Deobandi scholar Anwar Shah Kashmiri writes: “Generally, (Hanafi) scholars say that Taraweeh and Salat al-Layl (Tahajjud) are two different types of prayers. But in my view, the preferred opinion is that these two prayers are one and the same. Considering the difference in characteristics as a difference in type is not correct in my opinion. In reality, these two prayers are one and the same. It was called Taraweeh because it was performed in the early part of the night, and it was called Tahajjud because it was performed in the last part of the night. If there is some difference in their characteristics, then why be surprised if it has two names? Yes! The difference in type between these two prayers would be established only if it is proven that the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed Tahajjud along with Taraweeh (which is not proven anywhere).”
6. Deobandi scholar Rashid Ahmad Gangohi writes: “It is not hidden from the scholars that Qiyam Ramadan (Taraweeh) and Qiyam al-Layl (Tahajjud) are actually the same prayer, which was assigned in the early part of the night for the ease of Muslims in Ramadan, but the intention remains to perform it in the last part of the night.”
7. Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him)’s student Imam Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned the hadith of Aisha under the chapter “Qiyam of the month of Ramadan” in Muwatta Imam Muhammad.
8. Deobandi scholar Ibn Hammam Hanafi in Fath al-Qadeer Sharh al-Hidayah
writes:
أنه مخالف للحديث الصحيح عن أبى سلمة بن عبد الرحمن أنه سأل عائشة رضي الله عنها
The narration of twenty rak’ahs is against the authentic hadith in which Abu Salamah asked Lady Aisha.
Therefore, it is established that the prayer mentioned in the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) refers to the Taraweeh prayer, and the Hanafi scholars also accept this, and the rak’ahs mentioned in it are those of the Taraweeh prayer.
Second Hadith:
Everyone agrees that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, led the Taraweeh prayer congregation for three nights in his entire life. Regarding these three nights, Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:
“The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, taught us to pray eight rak’ahs and Witr in the month of Ramadan.”
This hadith has been narrated by Imam Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban in their Sahih collections, which indicates its authenticity according to them. Ibn Hajar mentioned this hadith in “Fath al-Bari” and remained silent about it, and it is a principle among the Hanafis that Ibn Hajar’s silence indicates the hadith’s authenticity.
Besides them, Imam Al-Dhahabi graded its chain as excellent, while Al-A’zami and Al-Albani classified it as Hasan. Among Hanafi scholars, Allama Ayni Hanafi mentioned it in Umdat al-Qari
, Allama Zaili Hanafi in Nasb al-Rayah
, Mulla Ali Qari Hanafi in ”مرقاة“, Allama Ibn Hummam Hanafi in Fath al-Qadeer, and Allama Abdul Hayy Hanafi Lakhnawi in ”تعليق الممجد“, and they considered it applicable.
Third Hadith:
Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنهما says:
“Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka’b رضي الله عنه came to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and said: O Messenger of Allah! Tonight (i.e., the night of Ramadan) something happened to me. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ‘Ubayy! What happened?’ He replied: ‘The women of my household said that they cannot recite the Qur’an, so they will pray Taraweeh with you. So I taught them eight rak’ahs (Taraweeh) and Witr.’ Sayyiduna Jabir رضي الله عنه says: ‘It seems that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم liked it and said nothing else.'”
Fourth Hadith:
❀ Sayyiduna Saib bin Yazid رضي الله عنه says:
“Umar bin Khattab رضي الله عنه ordered Ubayy bin Ka’b and Tamim al-Dari رضي الله عنهما to lead the people in eleven rak’ahs of Taraweeh.”
This hadith is so authentic that, to my knowledge, no one has disputed it. From these blessed hadiths, it becomes as clear as daylight that the number of rak’ahs of Taraweeh prayed by the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was only eleven, and never more than that.
Evidence for the eleven rak’ahs of Taraweeh and their status:
After presenting the arguments for eight rak’ahs of Taraweeh, we now present the arguments of those who advocate for eleven rak’ahs of Taraweeh along with their chain of narration, so that the esteemed readers may find it easier to make a decision. The arguments of those who advocate for twenty rak’ahs of Taraweeh are of three types: Prophetic Hadith, the practices of the Companions and the Successors, and the consensus of the Ummah, which are as follows.
Prophetic Hadith:
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما says:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يصلي فى رمضان عشرين ركعة والوتر
“Indeed, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم used to pray twenty rak’ahs of Taraweeh and Witr in Ramadan.”
If a detailed discussion is made on the chain of this Marfu’ hadith and the statements of the great Muhaddithin are presented, it would become lengthy. Therefore, I will only present the opinions of Hanafi scholars regarding it.
➊ Allama Zailai Hanafi writes: “This narration is defective due to Imam Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah’s grandfather Abu Shaybah Ibrahim ibn Uthman, because all Muhaddithin agree on its weakness, and Ibn Adi has classified it as weak in Al-Kamil. Moreover, this narration contradicts the authentic hadith (in which Abu Salamah asked Aisha رضي الله عنها, which we have presented as the first evidence for eight rak’ahs).”
➋ Ibn al-Humam Hanafi, after quoting this narration in Fath al-Qadeer Sharh al-Hidayah, wrote: “This narration is weak due to Abu Shaybah; all Muhaddithin agree on its weakness, and it also contradicts the authentic hadith of Aisha رضي الله عنها.”
➌ Allama Aini Hanafi wrote in Umdat al-Qari: “Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah’s grandfather, Qadi Wasit Abu Shaybah, was criticized by Imam Shu’bah, and Imam Ahmad, Ibn Mu’in, Bukhari, and Nasai declared him weak, and Imam Ibn Adi classified this narration narrated by him among his rejected narrations.”
➍ Sheikh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlawi says:
لم يثبت رواية عشرين منه صلى الله عليه وسلم كما هو المتعارف إلا فى رواية ابن أبى شيبة وهو ضعيف وقد عارضه حديث عائشة رضي الله عنها وهو حديث صحيح
“The twenty rak’ahs of Taraweeh that are famous and well-known are not proven from the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, and the narration in Ibn Abi Shaybah about twenty rak’ahs is weak and also contradicts the authentic hadith of Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها.”
Besides them, the mentioned narration has also been declared weak by Hanafi scholars such as Allama Abdul Hay Lakhnawi, Anwar Shah Kashmiri, and Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi.
From the above statements of the Hanafi scholars, it becomes clear that the mentioned narration is very weak and not suitable for argument.
Besides this, a narration from Sunan Abi Dawood is presented:
أن عمر بن الخطاب رضى الله عنه جمع الناس على أبى بن كعب فكان يصلي لهم عشرين ليلة، ولا يقنت بهم إلا فى النصف الباقي، فإذا كانت العشر الأواخر تخلف فصلى فى بيته، فكانوا يقولون أبى أبق
Sayyiduna Umar ibn Khattab رضي الله عنه gathered people behind Sayyiduna Abu bin Ka’b رضي الله عنه for prayer, and he used to lead Taraweeh for twenty nights and would recite the Du’a al-Qunoot only in the last half of the night. When the last ten nights began, Sayyiduna Abu bin Ka’b رضي الله عنه would leave the leadership and pray at home, and people would say that Abu has fled.”
The point of reference in this narration is that in some manuscripts عشرين ليلة is replaced by عشرين ركعة. For example, in Jami’ al-Masanid wal-Sunan
and Sirat A’lam al-Nubala
, it is عشرين ركعة. However, this narration is not actionable. It has a discontinuity because Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan al-Basri did not live in the time of Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه.
The Works of the Companions and the Successors:
Maulana Muhammad Munir Qamar, in his book “Namaz-e-Taraweeh,” has written ten (10) narrations from the Companions and the Successors as arguments for twenty rak’ahs of Taraweeh and has also clarified the chain of narration status of each. At the end, while stating the overall status of all, he writes:
“Individually, the condition of all narrations related to eleven rak’ahs has already been mentioned as weak and not acceptable as evidence or argument, while sometimes it happens that a hadith or narration is weak through one chain but has other chains or routes through which the weakness in its chain can be removed, or the cause of weakness can be eliminated, then the overall status of these hadiths or narrations together strengthens each other, but the narrations related to eleven rak’ahs are devoid of the benefit of mutual strengthening. Thus, Allama Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him, who is undoubtedly one of the foremost experts in the science of hadith in the present era, writes in his book “Salat al-Taraweeh” under the title: هذه الروايات لا يقوى بعضها بعضا : “(The earlier narrations related to Sayyiduna Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, or his era of caliphate) despite their abundance, do not strengthen each other when combined.” Then he has explained the reasons in detail.
Consensus of the Ummah
According to some scholars, it is also said that there is a consensus of the Ummah on eleven rak’ahs. There can be no consensus against an authentic hadith. The principle of consensus is that it is established where there is no evidence from the Book and Sunnah, whereas authentic hadiths regarding the number of Taraweeh rak’ahs exist, as we have mentioned.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, Allama Ayni, Imam Shawkani, and Allama Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri, may Allah have mercy on them, have proven in their respective books that after the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, various people practiced fifteen different numbers. If the scholars of the Ummah have been practicing different numbers, then where and when did consensus occur?
Number of Taraweeh Rak’ahs in the View of Hanafi Scholars:
➊ Allama Aini Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “If you ask why there is no mention of the number in the Tarawih prayer that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, led in three nights, then I would answer that Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban narrated from Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, led us in Ramadan in eight rak’ahs of Tarawih besides Witr.”
➋ Imam Abu Hanifa’s student Imam Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned the aforementioned hadith of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, in Muwatta Imam Muhammad under ”باب قيام شهر رمضان“ and at the end said: “We act upon all these hadiths.”
Additionally, he did not mention eleven rak’ahs, and Maulana Abdul Haqq Hanafi Lakhnawi said about this hadith in ”تعليق الممجد شرح موطا امام محمد“: “This hadith is very authentic.”
➌ Imam Ibn Hummam Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “The summary of all these evidences is that the standing (Qiyam) of Ramadan (Tarawih) is Sunnah, which is proven by the practice of the Prophet, peace be upon him, as eleven rak’ahs including Witr in congregation.”
➍ Allama Mulla Ali Qari Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes: “Originally, the Tarawih that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed is proven to be eleven rak’ahs including Witr.”
➎ Allama Abdul Haqq Hanafi Lakhnawi, in his three books, has declared only eight rak’ahs of Tarawih as Sunnah based on the hadith of Sayyiduna Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him.
➏ Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi (author of Fada’il A’mal) wrote:
“According to the principles of the Muhaddithin, the number twenty rak’ahs of Tarawih is not proven from the Prophet, peace be upon him.”
➐ Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri, may Allah have mercy on him, in his three books declares eight rak’ahs of Tarawih as Sunnah and rejects the narration of twenty rak’ahs, writing:
“There is no choice but to accept that the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed eight rak’ahs of Tarawih.”
➑ Founder of Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote:
“As nowadays twenty rak’ahs of Tarawih are being called Sunnah, this is not proven from the Prophet, peace be upon him. During the blessed time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, according to his command, the hadith of Sayyidah Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, was followed, as found in Sahih Bukhari, and Sayyidah Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, was well aware of the state of the Prophet, peace be upon him.”
➒ Allama Najmuddin, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote: “According to the principles of our elders, eight rak’ahs of Tarawih is Sunnah, because eleven rak’ahs including Witr of Tarawih is proven from the Prophet, peace be upon him.”
➓ Allama Tahtawi in Hashiyah Dar al-Mukhtar
, Abu al-Su’ud in Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq
, and Maulana Muhammad Hasan Nanotvi in Hashiyah Kanz al-Daqa’iq write:
“The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, did not pray eleven rak’ahs of Tarawih, rather he prayed eight rak’ahs.”
⓫ Sheikh Abdul Haq Dehlawi, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote in three books:
“The correct view is that the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed eleven rak’ahs of Tarawih, as it was his blessed habit in Qiyam al-Layl.”
⓬ Ahmad Ali Sabarnpuri, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote: “According to authentic hadith, only eleven rak’ahs of Tarawih including Witr are proven.”
⓭ Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlawi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “From the practice of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, eleven rak’ahs of Tarawih is an established fact.”
Issues of Taraweeh:
❀ When it is established that Taraweeh and Tahajjud are the same prayer, then the issues of Taraweeh are the same as those mentioned in the context of Tahajjud.
