Proof No. ➊
❀ Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that:
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي فيما بين أن يفرغ من صلاة العشاء وهى التى يدعواالناس العتمة إلى الفجر إحدي عشرة ركعة يسلم بين كل ركعتيں ويوتر بواحدة إلخ
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, after finishing the Isha prayer, used to pray eleven rak’ahs until dawn, and the people also called this prayer ‘Atamah.’ He would make salam after every two rak’ahs and pray one witr.” Etc.
Proof No. ➋
❀ Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Rahman asked Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
How was the (night) prayer (Taraweeh) of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Ramadan? Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: ما كان يزيد فى رمضان ولا فى غيره على إحدي عشرة ركعة etc. “Whether in Ramadan or outside Ramadan, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not pray more than eleven rak’ahs.” Etc.
An Objection:
Does this hadith relate to Tahajjud?
Answer: Tahajjud, Taraweeh, Qiyam al-Layl, Qiyam Ramadan and Witr are different names for one and the same prayer.
Proof ① It is definitively not established from the Prophet ﷺ that Tahajjud and Taraweeh were prayed separately.
Proof ② The compilers of hadith have placed chapters on Qiyam Ramadan and Taraweeh under the hadith of the Siddiqa of creation, Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), for example:
● Sahih al-Bukhari: كتاب الصوم (Book of Fasting), كتاب صلوة التراويح (Book of Taraweeh), باب فضل من قام رمضان (Virtue of Qiyam Ramadan).
● Muwatta Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Shaybani:
, chapter قيام شهر رمضان و مافيه من الفضل
◈ Maulvi Abd al-Hayy Lakhnawi wrote in its margin:
قوله، قيام شهررمضان ويسمي التراويح
Meaning: Qiyam Ramadan and Taraweeh are one and the same thing.
● Al-Sunan al-Kubra of al-Bayhaqi
, باب ماروي فى عدد ركعات القيام فى شهر رمضان.
Proof ③ No muhaddith or faqih among the early scholars said that this hadith does not relate to the Taraweeh prayer.
Proof ④ Several imams have presented this hadith as a counter-argument against the twenty-rak’ah narration, which is mawdu’ and munkar, for example:
◈ Allama Zaylai Hanafi.
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani.
◈ Allama Ibn al-Humam Hanafi.
◈ Allama al-Aini Hanafi.
◈ Allama al-Suyuti.
and others.
Proof ⑤ The questioner’s question was only about Qiyam Ramadan, which is called Taraweeh. The questioner did not ask about the Tahajjud prayer at all. Rather, Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) in her answer explained, beyond the question, the Prophet’s ﷺ Qiyam in Ramadan and outside Ramadan. Therefore, from this hadith, the proof of eleven rak’ahs of Taraweeh is explicit.
Proof ⑥ Some people claim that:
Tahajjud and Taraweeh are two separate prayers. Their principle is that the Prophet ﷺ prayed 23 rak’ahs of Taraweeh
, as their practice shows, and on the same night prayed eleven rak’ahs of Tahajjud
. (As, according to them, is established from the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari.)
The difficulty here is that this would necessitate that in one night he prayed Witr twice, whereas the Prophet ﷺ said: لا وتران فى ليلة “There are not two Witrs in one night.”
↰ About this hadith, Imam Tirmidhi said:
هذا حديث حسن غريب
It should be remembered that all the narrators of this hadith are thiqah.
Since there can be no contradiction in the words and deeds of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, it is established that he prayed only one Witr in the night, and from the Prophet ﷺ only eleven rak’ahs
are established, not 23
. Therefore, distinguishing between Tahajjud and Taraweeh is baseless.
Proof ⑦ Maulvi Anwar Shah Kashmiri Deobandi acknowledged that the Tahajjud and Taraweeh prayer is one and the same, and there is no difference between them. See:
,
. This is testimony from the opponents’ own house. No one has yet answered this Kashmiri statement. The house caught fire, from the lamp of the house itself.
Proof ⑧ Amir al-Mu’minin Sayyidina Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) also considered Tahajjud and Taraweeh to be one. For details, see:
Proof ⑨ Several scholars have forbidden a person who has already prayed Taraweeh from praying Tahajjud.
↰ This is clear evidence that according to these scholars, Tahajjud and Taraweeh are one and the same prayer.
Proof ⑩ The narration of Sayyidina Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him): صلى بنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى رمضان ثمان ركعات والوتر etc. also supports it, as will be detailed later, so this hadith certainly relates to Taraweeh.
وتلك عشرة كاملة.
Proof No. ➌
❀ Sayyidina Jabir al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in prayer in Ramadan. He prayed eight rak’ahs and Witr, etc.
An Objection:
In its chain is Muhammad bin Humayd al-Razi, who is a liar.
Answer: This hadith has been narrated from Ya’qub bin Abdullah al-Qummi by many narrators other than Muhammad bin Humayd, such as:
① Ja’far bin Humayd al-Kufi.
② Abu al-Rabi’.
③ Abd al-A’la bin Hammad.
④ Malik bin Isma’il.
⑤ Ubaydullah, i.e., Ibn Musa.
↰ All these narrators are thiqah and sadduq, so the objection regarding Muhammad bin Humayd is wrong and rejected.
Second Objection:
In its chain, Ya’qub al-Qummi is da’if. Imam al-Daraqutni said about him: ليس بالقوي
Answer: Ya’qub al-Qummi is thiqah; the majority of scholars have declared him thiqah.
① Al-Nasa’i said: لیس بہ باس
② Abu al-Qasim al-Tabarani said: ثقه
③ Ibn Hibban mentioned him in Kitab al-Thiqat (and declared his hadith sahih).
④ Jarir bin Abd al-Hamid used to call him مومن آل فرعون.
⑤ Ibn Mahdi narrated from him.
◈ And Ibn Mahdi narrates only from thiqah.
⑥ Hafiz al-Dhahabi said: صدوق.
⑦ Ibn Khuzaymah declared his hadith hasan.
⑧ Nur al-Din al-Haythami declared his hadith hasan.
⑨ Imam al-Bukhari narrated from him in his ta’liqat and did not criticise him in his “al-Tarikh al-Kabir”
; therefore, according to Thanvi, he is thiqah in his view. See: Qawa’id fi Ulum al-Hadith
⑩ Hafiz Ibn Hajar remained silent on his single narration in Fath al-Bari
, and this silence (according to the Deobandis) is evidence of his hadith being graded good.
وتلك عشرة كامله
Third Objection:
In the chain of this narration, Isa bin Jariyah is da’if; Ibn Ma’in, al-Saji, al-Uqayli, Ibn Adi and Abu Dawud have criticised him, and some have also written that he is munkar al-hadith.
Answer: Isa bin Jariyah is, according to the majority of scholars, thiqah, sadduq or hasan al-hadith.
① Abu Zur’ah said: لا باس به
② Ibn Hibban mentioned him in al-Thiqat.
③ Ibn Khuzaymah said his hadith is sahih.
④ Al-Haythami declared his hadith sahih.
◈ And he called him thiqah.
⑤ Al-Busayri graded his hadith hasan in Zawa’id Sunan Ibn Majah.
⑥ Al-Dhahabi said about one of his single narrations: اسناده وسط.
⑦ Bukhari mentioned him in al-Tarikh al-Kabir
and did not criticise him.
⑧ Hafiz Ibn Hajar remained silent on his hadith in Fath al-Bari.
⑨ Hafiz al-Mundhiri graded one of his hadiths باسناد جيد.
⑩ Abu Hatim al-Razi mentioned him and did not make any criticism of him.
↰ Abu Hatim’s silence (according to the Deobandis) is an affirmation of the narrator’s reliability.
Therefore this chain is hasan.
تلك عشرة كاملة
——————
Proof No. ➍
❀ From Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him), it is narrated that:
I prayed eight rakats and witr in Ramadan, and I informed the Prophet ﷺ, and he did not say anything (in rejection) فكانت سنة الرضا “So it became a Sunnah of approval.”
◈ Allamah al-Haythami said about this hadith:
رواه أبو يعلي و الطبراني بنحوه فى الأوسط وإسناده حسن
“Abu Ya’la narrated it, and al-Tabarani similarly narrated it in al-Awsat, and its chain is hasan.”
↰ The chain of this hadith is the same as that of the hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him); see p. 5. Mawlawi Sarfaraz Safdar Deobandi writes: “If in his time Allamah al-Haythami did not have the capacity to distinguish authenticity from weakness, then who else did?”
Proof No. ➎
❀ Sayyiduna Amir al-Mu’minin Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered Sayyiduna Ubayy ibn Ka’b and Sayyiduna Tamim al-Dari (may Allah be pleased with them both) to lead the people (at night in Ramadan) in eleven rak’ahs.
This narration is found in many books, such as:
① Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar
② al-Mukhtarah by Hafiz Diya’ al-Maqdisi
③ Ma’rifat al-Sunan wa al-Athar lil-Bayhaqi
④ Qiyam al-Layl lil-Marwazi
⑤ Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq
⑥ Mishkat al-Masabih
⑦ Sharh al-Sunnah lil-Baghawi
⑧ al-Muhadhdhab fi Ikhtisar al-Sunan al-Kabir lil-Dhahabi
⑨ Kanz al-Ummal
⑩ al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa’i
, and others.
The chain of this Faruqi order is entirely sound.
Proof ① All its narrators are thoroughly trustworthy (thiqah).
Proof ② No criticism has been made of any narrator in this chain.
Proof ③ A narration with this same chain is also found in Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Hajj.
Proof ④ Shah Waliullah al-Dihlawi transmitted from “Ahl al-Hadith” that all the hadiths of the Muwatta are authentic.
Proof ⑤ Imam al-Tahawi al-Hanafi presented this narration as proof, saying لهذا يدل.
Proof ⑥ Diya’ al-Maqdisi, by bringing this narration in al-Mukhtarah, established its authenticity. See:
Proof ⑦ Imam al-Tirmidhi said about a chain similar to this one: حسن صحيح
Proof ⑧ No single hadith scholar among the early authorities declared this narration weak.
Proof ⑨ Allamah al-Baji (may Allah have mercy on him) accepted this narration.
Proof ⑩ The well-known non-Ahl al-Hadith scholar Muhammad ibn Ali al-Nimawi
said regarding this narration:
واسناده صحيح
and its chain is authentic.
(Therefore, the claim of some biased people in the fifteenth century that it is mudtarib is false and baseless.)
The Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
فمن أدرك منكم فعليه بسنتي و سنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين عضوا عليها بالنواجد
So whoever among you lives to see (disagreement), he must hold firmly to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided, Rightly Guiding Caliphs; hold fast to it with your molars.
↰ Regarding this hadith, Imam al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: هذا حديث حسن صحيح
↰ It should be remembered that Sayyiduna Umar’s being a Rightly Guided Caliph is established by a clear authentic text, and there is consensus of the Muslims on it.
In another hadith it is related that:
❀ The Prophet ﷺ said:
اقتدوا بالذين من بعدي أبى بكر و عمر
After me, follow (obey) these two persons, Abu Bakr and Umar.
↰ Regarding this hadith, Imam al-Tirmidhi said: ھذا حدیث حسن
↰ Therefore it is established that this Faruqi order also has the status of a hadith marfu’, and marfu’ hadiths also support it, and not even one authentic marfu’ hadith contradicts it.
Proof No. ➏
❀ From al-Sa’ib ibn Yazid (a Companion) may Allah be pleased with him, it is related that:
كنا نقوم فى زمان عمر بن الخطاب رضى الله عنه يا حدي عشرة ركعة۔۔۔ etc.
“We (i.e., the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them) used to pray eleven rak’ahs in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab, etc.”
↰ All the narrators of this narration are thiqah and saduq according to the majority.
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him)
writes about this narration:
وفي مصنف سعيد بن منصور بسند فى غاية الصحة
And this (the eleven-rak’ah narration) is in Musannaf Sa’id ibn Mansur with a very authentic chain.
↰ Therefore it is established that eleven rak’ahs for Qiyam al-Ramadan (Tarawih) is the consensus of the noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all.
Proof No. ➐
❀ In Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah it is recorded that:
إن عمر جمع الناس على أبى و تميم فكانا يصليان إحدي عشرة ركعة etc.
Indeed Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, gathered the people upon Ubayy (ibn Ka’b) and Tamim (al-Dari), may Allah be pleased with them both, and the two of them would lead eleven rak’ahs.
↰ The chain of this narration is entirely sound, all its narrators are from the narrators of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and they are unanimously thiqah.
Proof No. ➑
❀ It is definitively not established from the Prophet ﷺ that twenty rak’ahs of Tarawih were prayed.
◈ Anwar Shah Kashmiri Deobandi says:
وأما عشرون ركعة فهو عنه عليه السلام بسند ضعيف وعلي ضعفه إتفاق
And the narration of twenty rak’ahs has a weak chain, and there is consensus on its weakness.
↰ Therefore the twenty-rak’ah narration has the “talaqqi bil-radd” (acceptance of rejection) of the Muslim community, meaning the Ummah has unanimously rejected it.
◈ Tahtawi al-Hanafi and Muhammad Ahsan Nanautawi say:
لأن النبى عليه الصلوة والسلام لم يصلها عشرين بل ثماني
“Indeed the Prophet ﷺ did not pray twenty rak’ahs, rather he prayed eight.”
◈ Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri said:
“And that Tarawih being a sunnah mu’akkadah, and eight rak’ahs being its number, is by agreement.”
◈ Abd al-Shakur Lucknawi said:
“Although eight rak’ahs of Tarawih is sunnah from the Prophet ﷺ, and in a weak narration from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) a large number of rak’ahs as well…”
↰ These references are presented as an argument ad hominem (ilzam).
Proof No. ➒
❀ From Amir al-Mu’minin Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), twenty rak’ahs of Tarawih are definitively not established with an authentic, connected chain. The narrations of Yahya ibn Sa’id al-Ansari and Yazid ibn Ruman are munqati’ (broken chain) (this admission has also been made by Hanafi and Taqlidi scholars). As for everything else, it is neither a ruling of the caliph, nor the caliph’s practice, nor the practice of the people in the caliph’s presence. Weak and broken narrations are presented only by someone who is himself weak and broken.
Argument No. ➓
❀ It is definitively not established with a sound, continuous chain from any single Companion that twenty rak’ahs of Tarawih were prayed.
وتلك عشرة كاملة
↰ Therefore it is established that eleven rak’ahs are the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and the Sunnah of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
◈ Imam Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi (died 543 AH) said it well:
والصحيح أن يصلي إحدي عشرة ركعة صلاة النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم و قيامه فأما غير ذلك من الأعداد فلا أصل له
“The correct position is that eleven rak’ahs should be prayed; this was the prayer and standing (qiyam) of the Prophet ﷺ. As for other numbers, they have no basis.”
◈ Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
الذى آخذ لنفسي فى قيام رمضان، هو الذى جمع به عمر بن الخطاب الناس إحدي عشرة ركعة وهى صلوة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ولا أدري من أحدث هذا الركوع الكثير
“For myself, I adopt eleven rak’ahs for the night prayer of Ramadan (Tarawih), and it was upon this that Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people, and this is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I do not know from where people have derived these many rak’ahs.”
Dear readers! Several scholars (including Hanafi scholars) affirm that eleven rak’ahs of Tarawih are Sunnah, because eleven rak’ahs are established from our beloved Prophet ﷺ, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). As has passed above, there is no need here to cite a scholar. وفيه كفاية لمن له دراية
The claim of consensus on twenty Tarawih is false.
Now, here are some references, in light of each of which the claim of consensus is false.
➊ Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him, died 179 AH) said:
الذى آخذ به لنفسي فى قيام رمضان هو الذى جمع به عمر بن الخطاب الناس إحدي عشرة ركعة وهى صلاة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ولا أدريمن أحدث هذا الركوع الكثير، ذكره ابن مغيث
“For myself I adopt eleven rak’ahs for the night prayer of Ramadan (Tarawih). It was upon this that Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people, and this is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I do not know from where people have derived many rak’ahs.” This was reported by Ibn Mughith al-Maliki.
Note ①: The report from Imam Malik through Ibn al-Qasim is rejected. See:
Note ②: The book “al-Mutahajjidin” by Yunus ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Mughith al-Maliki is also mentioned in Siyar A’lam al-Nubala
.
◈ Ayni the Hanafi says:
وقيل إحدي عشرة ركعة وهو اختيار مالك لنفسه و اختاره أبوبكر العربي
“It is said that Tarawih is eleven rak’ahs; Imam Malik and Abu Bakr al-Arabi each adopted this for themselves.”
➋ It is not established with a sound chain from Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) that twenty rak’ahs of Tarawih were his view. On the contrary, the Muwatta of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, whom the Hanafis hold in high regard, shows that Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) held eleven rak’ahs.
➌ Imam al-Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him), after preferring twenty rak’ahs of Tarawih, said:
وليس فى شيء من هذا ضيق ولا حد ينتهي إليه لأنه نافلة فإن أطالوا القيام وأقلوا السجود فحسن وهو أحب إلى و إن أكثر والركوع و السجود فحسن
“There is no narrowness in this matter (Tarawih), nor is there any limit, because it is a voluntary prayer. If the rak’ahs are fewer and the standing longer, that is better and more preferred by me; and if the rak’ahs are more, that is also good.”
↰ It is understood that Imam al-Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) retracted his preference for twenty, and that he accepted both eight and twenty, considering eight to be better. And Allah knows best.
➍ Ishaq ibn Mansur asked Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him): how many rak’ahs should be prayed in Ramadan? He said:
قد قيل فيه ألوان نحوا من أربعين، إنما هو تطوع
“Up to forty rak’ahs have been narrated for this; it is merely a voluntary prayer.”
◈ The narrator says that ولم يقض فيه بشيء “Imam Ahmad did not make a decision on this” (as to how many rak’ahs should be prayed).
↰ It is understood that it is not established from any one of the four Imams that twenty rak’ahs of Tarawih are an emphasised Sunnah and that fewer or more than them is impermissible.
➎ Imam al-Qurtubi (died 656 AH) said:
ثم اختلف فى المختار من عدد القيام فعند مالك : أن المختار من ذلك ست و ثلاثون۔۔۔ وقال كثير من أهل العلم : إحدي عشرة ركعة أخذا بحديث عائشة المتقدم
“Scholars differ on the number of Tarawih. Imam Malik (in one report) adopted thirty-six rak’ahs… and many scholars say that it is eleven rak’ahs; they relied on the earlier hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).”
Note: The hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) is found in al-Mufhim of al-Qurtubi
with the words ماكان يزيد فى رمضان ولا فى غير على إحدي عشرة ركعة. From this statement of Imam al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) it is known that the majority of scholars hold eleven rak’ahs and act upon it.
➏ Qadi Abu Bakr al-Arabi al-Maliki (died 543 AH) said:
والصحيح أن يصلي احد عشر ركعة صلوة النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم وقيامه فأما غير ذلك من الأعداد، فلا أصل له ولا حدفيه
“The correct position is that eleven rak’ahs should be prayed; this is the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ and this is the standing (Tarawih). As for the other numbers that have been reported, they have no basis in the Sunnah. (And since it is a voluntary prayer) there is no limit to it.”
➐ Ayni the Hanafi (died 855 AH) said:
وقد اختلف العلماء فى العدد المستحب فى قيام رمضان على أقوال كثيرة، وقيل إحدي عشرة ركعة
“Scholars differ on the recommended number of Tarawih, and they hold many opinions… and it is said that Tarawih is eleven rak’ahs.”
➑ Allamah Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him, died 911 AH) said:
أن العلماء اختلفوا فى عددها
“Indeed, scholars differ on the number of Tarawih.”
➒ Ibn al-Humam (died 681 AH) said:
فتحصل من هذا كله أن قيام رمضان سنة إحدي عشرة ركعة بالوتر فى جماعة فعله صلى الله عليه وسلم
“The result of this whole discussion is that Tarawih with Witr is eleven rak’ahs, which the Prophet ﷺ prayed in congregation.”
➓ Imam al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
واختلف أهل العلم فى قيام رمضان
“And scholars differ regarding the number (of rak’ahs) of the night prayer of Ramadan.”
↰ From these references it is known that the claim of the Deobandis and Barelvis, that “only twenty rak’ahs are the emphasised Sunnah, and fewer or more than them is impermissible,” is wrong and false. All these references are from before the British era; therefore it is established that the claim of consensus on twenty rak’ahs is false.
