The Prophet ﷺ Did Not Pray More Than Eleven Rak‘ahs for Tarawih

Written by: Abu Sadiq Ashiq Ali Athari Hafizahullah

Number of Rak‘ahs for Tarawih:

1. No Consensus on Twenty Rak‘ahs: Throughout the time of Umar (رضي الله عنه) and even before and after his era, there has never been a consensus of the Muslim Ummah on performing twenty rak‘ahs for Tarawih prayer.
2. Believing Twenty Rak‘ahs with Congregation as a Sunnah is Baseless: Considering twenty rak‘ahs of Tarawih with congregation as a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ is entirely unfounded and baseless. The narration often presented, which supports praying twenty rak‘ahs without congregation, relies on a narrator (Abu Shaybah Ibrahim bin Uthman) whom no renowned critic or hadith scholar has considered reliable. Instead, all scholars unanimously agree on his weakness and unreliability. Imam Shuba went as far as calling him a liar, and Imam Suyuti stated that it is not permissible to narrate from him.
3. The Prophet’s Practical Sunnah: From the authentic and accepted hadiths, it is established that the Prophet ﷺ prayed eight rak‘ahs without Witr and eleven rak‘ahs including Witr for Tarawih, as supported by his practical Sunnah.
4. Acknowledgment of Eleven Rak‘ahs as Sunnah: From the time of the Prophet ﷺ until recent times, no one has denied that praying eleven rak‘ahs for Tarawih is a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Even fair-minded scholars of the Hanafi school have acknowledged this fact. Investigating whether this Sunnah was consistently practiced is methodologically incorrect and is often used as an excuse to avoid following an established Sunnah.
5. Umar’s Order of Twenty Rak‘ahs: Praying twenty rak‘ahs by the order or approval of Umar (رضي الله عنه) is not firmly established according to the principles accepted by most hadith scholars. And even if it were hypothetically established, it would be based on understanding, reasoning, and ijtihad (independent reasoning), not on any authentic hadith. In contrast, the statement of Umar (رضي الله عنه) regarding eleven rak‘ahs is firmly established through an authentic narration. Thus, leading scholars of the Ummah recognize that this directive of Umar was derived from the practice of the Prophet ﷺ. [Reference: Anwar al-Masabih, Allama Nazir Ahmad Rahmani, pp. 348-349]

The Prophet ﷺ Did Not Pray More Than Eleven Rak‘ahs for Tarawih​

It is evident that performing Tarawih with congregation is prescribed and recommended, as the Prophet ﷺ saw people praying it in congregation, encouraged them to continue, and led them in Tarawih prayers while highlighting its virtues. Now, we wish to discuss the number of rak‘ahs the Prophet ﷺ prayed on those nights when he led the people in Tarawih prayer. In this regard, we have the following two hadiths:

1. Narration from Aisha (رضي الله عنها):
   • Abu Salamah bin Abdul Rahman asked Aisha (رضي الله عنها) about the manner in which the Prophet ﷺ prayed during Ramadan. She replied:
   • “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not pray more than eleven rak‘ahs in Ramadan or in any other month. He would pray four rak‘ahs, and do not ask about their beauty and length, then he would pray four more, and do not ask about their beauty and length, and then he would pray three rak‘ahs (Witr).”
   • [Narrated by Bukhari, Muslim, and others]
2. Narration from Jabir bin Abdullah (رضي الله عنه):
   • Jabir (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
   • “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in prayer during the month of Ramadan, praying eight rak‘ahs, followed by Witr. On the following night, we gathered in the mosque, hoping he would come out, but he did not come out until morning. When we met him, we said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, we gathered in the mosque last night hoping you would lead us in prayer.’ He replied: ‘I feared it would be made obligatory upon you.’”
   • [Narrated by Ibn Nasr, al-Tabarani, and others]

The Weakness of the Hadith Supporting Twenty Rak‘ahs:​

Hafiz Ibn Hajar’s View:In Fath al-Bari, Hafiz Ibn Hajar commented on the narration regarding the Prophet ﷺ allegedly praying twenty rak‘ahs:

“As for Ibn Abi Shaybah’s report from Ibn Abbas that the Prophet ﷺ prayed twenty rak‘ahs during Ramadan apart from Witr, it is weak in its chain and contradicts the authentic narration of Aisha (رضي الله عنها) found in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Aisha was more aware of the nightly practices of the Prophet ﷺ than others.”

Hafiz al-Zayla’i expressed a similar view earlier in Nasb al-Rayah.

Conclusion: Eleven or Thirteen Rak‘ahs is the Proven Sunnah​

Anyone who deeply studies the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ will recognize that the optimal number of rak‘ahs is eleven or thirteen, regardless of whether it is during Ramadan or outside of it. This was the regular practice of the Prophet ﷺ, and it is also easier for the congregation and more conducive to maintaining humility and concentration in prayer.

Praying with the Imam for the Entire Prayer:

It is recommended that those who pray behind the Imam during Ramadan should complete the prayer with him. The Prophet ﷺ said:

“When a person prays with the Imam until he finishes, it is recorded as if he prayed the entire night.”

[Sahih Sunan Abi Dawood and other sources]

Ramadan: The Season of Worship​

During the blessed month of Ramadan, all Muslims should strive to engage in various acts of worship such as performing voluntary prayers, reciting the Qur’an with reflection, frequently saying Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah, seeking forgiveness, making supplications from the Qur'an and Sunnah, enjoining good and forbidding evil, inviting others to the faith, assisting the poor and needy, showing kindness to parents, maintaining family ties, visiting the sick, and if possible, performing Umrah.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“An ‘Umrah during Ramadan is equal to (the reward of) Hajj—or he said—(equal to) performing Hajj with me.”

• [Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

A Final Prayer:​

May Allah grant us and all Muslims the ability to perform acts that please Him, accept our fasting and night prayers, rectify our conditions, and protect us from misguiding trials. We also ask Allah to guide the leaders of the Muslims and unite them upon the truth. He alone is the Protector and has power over all things.

And peace and blessings be upon you.

(Written by Allama Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz رحمه الله)