Question:
Some mosque imams perform Tarawih prayers by offering four or more rak’ahs with one taslim (salutation) and do not sit after two rak’ahs. They claim that this practice is established from the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Does this practice have any basis in our sacred Shari'ah?
Answer:
This practice is non-legitimate, rather it is either disliked (makruh) or, according to most scholars, prohibited (haram). This is because the Prophet ﷺ has said:
صلاة الليل مثنيٰ مثنيٰ
“The night prayer (Tahajjud) is to be offered in sets of two rak’ahs.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Salah 8, Hadith 472, 473; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 990, 993; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 145, 146, 147, 148, 749)
It is also authentically reported from Aisha (رضي الله عنها) that she said:
“The Prophet ﷺ used to pray eleven rak’ahs at night. He would offer taslim after every two rak’ahs and perform witr with one rak’ah.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 994; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 121, 122, 736)
There are numerous hadiths that convey the same meaning.
As for the famous narration of Aisha (رضي الله عنها):
“The Prophet ﷺ used to offer four rak’ahs at night, do not ask how beautiful and lengthy they were. Then he would offer another four rak’ahs, do not ask how beautiful and lengthy they were.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1147, 2013, 3569; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 125, 738)
This narration does not mean that he ﷺ offered all four rak’ahs with one taslim. Rather, it implies that he prayed two rak’ahs, performed taslim, and then prayed another two rak’ahs. This understanding is reinforced by the previous hadiths.
Moreover, the Prophet ﷺ’s explicit statement:
صلاة الليل مثنيٰ مثنيٰ
“The night prayer is in sets of two rak’ahs.”
proves that performing more than two rak’ahs without taslim is contrary to the Sunnah.
Different hadiths explain and confirm one another. Therefore, every Muslim is obligated to adhere to all the authentic hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ and understand them in light of one another. The correct way is to interpret concise hadiths in light of detailed hadiths.
And success is granted only by Allah Almighty.
— Sheikh Ibn Baz (رحمه الله)
