Can One Pray Tahajjud After Tarawih? Complete Ruling with Evidences
Source: Ahkam wa Masail, Vol. 01, in the light of the Qur’an
❖ Question
Is it permissible to perform Tahajjud after Tarawih?
Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ perform both Tarawih and Tahajjud separately?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʿAmma Baʿd!
✿ The Reality of Tarawih and Tahajjud
- The prayer of Tarawih and the prayer of Tahajjud are essentially the same worship under different names.
- Both are referred to as Qiyām al-Layl (night prayer).
✿ Number of Rakʿahs Performed by the Prophet ﷺ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray eleven rakʿahs in both Ramadan and outside of Ramadan.
Whether the prayer is called Tarawih or Tahajjud, its number and manner remained the same.
✿ Ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah (RA)
Abū Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrates:
I asked ʿĀʾishah (RA) about the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ in Ramadan. She replied:
"مَا كَانَ يَزِيدُ فِي رَمَضَانَ وَلَا فِي غَيْرِهِ عَلَى إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً يُصَلِّي أَرْبَعًا فَلَا تَسَلْ عَنْ حُسْنِهِنَّ وَطُولِهِنَّ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي أَرْبَعًا فَلَا تَسَلْ عَنْ حُسْنِهِنَّ وَطُولِهِنَّ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي ثَلَاثًا"
(Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 1909; Saḥīḥ Muslim, 738)
Translation:
The Prophet ﷺ never prayed more than eleven rakʿahs in Ramadan or outside of it. He would pray four rakʿahs — do not ask about their beauty and length — then four more rakʿahs — again, do not ask about their beauty and length — and then he would pray three rakʿahs.
❖ Conclusion
❀ Tarawih and Tahajjud are essentially one and the same prayer under different names.
❀ The Prophet ﷺ did not pray a separate Tahajjud in addition to Tarawih during Ramadan. Rather, the Qiyām al-Layl he performed is what we know as Tarawih.
❀ His night prayer was always eleven rakʿahs, whether in Ramadan or outside of it.
هذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
