The 1400 Year History of Taraweeh Salaah

Amongst the special Ibaadah of the month of Ramadhaan are the fasts and the Taraweeh salaah. The information below will be dedicated to the history of the number of Rakaahs of Taraweeh that have always been performed in the two holy Harams.

The Taraweeh Salaah During the Time of Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله (صلى

Saheeh Muslim reports a hadith from Hadhrat Aaisha ( عنها الله that when (during (رضىRamadhaan) Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله once performed the Taraweeh salaah in the (صلىMasjidun Nabawi, the Sahabah عنهم تعالى الله followed him in the salaah. When رضىRasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله again performed the salaah the following night, an even (صلىlarger congregation followed him. It was then either on the third or fourth night that Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله .did not come to the Masjid for the Taraweeh salaah (صلىExplaining his reason the following morning, Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله said to the (صلىSahabah عنهم تعالى الله I noticed your fervour and did not come to the Masjid to" ,رضىperform the Salaah fearing that this Taraweeh salaah should become compulsory for you." 1

It is therefore evident that Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله performed the Taraweeh salaah (صلىin congregation at least twice or thrice in his lifetime. Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah الله and رحمةAllaama Showkaani الله have both mentioned that a study of Ahadeeth regarding رحمةTaraweeh reveals that Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله never specified the number of (صلىrakaahs for Taraweeh.

During the Period of Hadhrat Abu Bakr ( عنه تعالى الله (رضى

During this period, the Sahabah عنهم تعالى الله meticulously performed the Taraweeh رضىsalaah individually or in small congregations.

During the Period of Hadhrat Umar ( عنه تعالى الله (رضى

During his Khilaafah, the second Khalifah Hadhrat Umar Faarooq ( عنه تعالى الله (رضىcombined all the small congregations into one because of the possibility of the Taraweeh salaah becoming Fardh no longer existed. With the approval of all the Sahabah الله رضى

عنهم twenty rakaahs Taraweeh salaah was performed every night of Ramadhaan after ,تعالىthe Isha salaah, followed by three Rakaahs Witr salaah. 2

There are many people nowadays who perform the Taraweeh salaah with Jamaah throughout Ramadhaan because it was carried out during the time of hadrat Umar ( عنه تعالى الله (رضىwith the consent of all the Sahabah عنهم تعالى الله However, these people object to .رضىthe number of Rakaahs. If they keep the following Hadith in mind, their objection will Inshaa Allah be removed.

Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله said, "I advise you fear Allah, to listen and to obey (your (صلىleaders) even though your leader be an Abyssinian slave because those of you who live after me shall see great disputes. It is therefore compulsory for you to adhere to my practices and to the practice of the righteous and rightly guided successors (Khulafaa Raashideen). Hold fast to these practices and bite on them with your molars." 3

In this Hadith Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله has emphasised to his Ummah that it is (صلىimperative for them to emulate his practices as well as the practices of the Khulafaa Raashideen. When Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله has instructed the following of the (صلىpractices of his Khulafaa, how can their practices be labelled as Bidah? How can one promote forsaking something that Rasulullah ( وسلم عليه الله ?empathetically wanted done (صلىHow can there be scope to oppose something that the Sahabah عنهم تعالى الله رضىunanimously agreed upon?

This practice of the righteous Khalifah Hadhrat Umar ( عنه تعالى الله falls perfectly (رضىwithin the purport of this Hadith. Therefore one should perform twenty Rakaahs Taraweeh salaah in congregation every night of Ramadhaan after the Isha salaah. This is then followed by three Rakaahs of Witr salaah.

During the period of Hadhrat Uthmaan ( عنه تعالى الله (رضى

The third righteous khalifah Hadhrat Uthmaan ( عنه تعالى الله also continued the (رضىpractice of twenty Rakaahs Taraweeh salaah in congregation, followed by the three Rakaahs of Witr salaah. 4

During the period of Hadhrat Ali ( عنه تعالى الله (رضى

The fourth righteous khalifah Hadhrat Ali ( عنه تعالى الله also continued the practice (رضىof twenty Rakaahs Taraweeh salaah in congregation, followed by the three Rakaahs of Witr salaah. 5

The Taraweeh salaah in the Masjid Haraam in Makkah

The famous book of Ahadeeth Jaami Tirmidhi states that according to the majority of scholars, the number of Rakaahs in the Taraweeh salaah is twenty, as reported from Hadhrat Umar عنه تعالى الله عنه Hadhrat Ali ,رضى تعالى الله الله and other Sahabah رضى رضى

عنهم الله This is also the opinion of Hadhrat Sufyan Thowri .تعالى and Hadhrat رحمةAbdullah ibn Mubaarak الله الله Hadhrat Imaam Shafiee .رحمة says, "I have seen the رحمةlearned scholars of Makkah perform twenty Rakaahs of Taraweeh salaah." 6

In his famous book Kitaabul Umm (vol 1 page 142), Imaam Shaafiee الله says that رحمةtwenty Rakaahs Taraweeh salaah is reported from Hadhrat Umar عنه تعالى الله and the رضىlearned scholars of Makkah also perform twenty Rakaahs Taraweeh with three Rakaahs Witr.

In the third century A.H., the famous historian of Makkah Muhammad bin Ishaaq Faakihi documented that during the month of Ramadhaan it was the practice of the people of Makkah to sit five periods of Taraweeh (rest periods between every four Rakaahs of the Taraweeh salaah. This denotes that they performed twenty Rakaahs of salaah.) 7

It is therefore evident twenty Rakaahs of Taraweeh salaah has been performed in the Masjid Haraam of Makkah for the past fourteen hundred years. Throughout, this period, there has never been a single night when only Rakaahs have been performed.

Taraweeh salaah in the Masjidun Nabawi وسلم عليه الله صلى

The renowned Saudi scholar and Mufassir Sheikh Atiyya Saalim الله who was a رحمةSheikhul Hadeeth, judge and lecturer in the Masjidun Nabawi وسلم عليه الله wrote a صلىbook in Arabic entitled "The history of the Taraweeh salaah in the Masjidun Nabawi صلى

وسلم عليه for more than a thousand years." In this book[8], he conclusively proves from اللهhistorical evidence that twenty Rakaahs Taraweeh salaah has been performed in the Masjidun Nabawi وسلم عليه الله for the past fourteen centuries. He adds further that even after صلىthe establishment of the Saudi rule, both the Harams in Makkah and Madinah have twenty Rakaahs of Taraweeh salaah with three witr. 9

The heart-rending and beautiful Taraweeh salaah in both the Harams is broadcast live throughout both on radio and television.

A fourteen century old practice

Twenty Rakaahs Taraweeh salaah is being performed from the first century of Islaam up to this fifteenth century.

THE TARAWÎH PRAYER

Tarwihah (pl. Tarawîh) is the pause observed after every four rakâhs of the Night Prayer

during Ramadhân. The Tarawîh Prayer consists of twenty rakâhs and has the status of Sunnah

both for the men and women. Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam observed this Prayer

and after him his Companions also kept up the practice. It is independent of the fast and

should be offered even by the person who does not observe the fast due to some reason,

unless otherwise exempted.

MERIT OF THE TARAWÎH PRAYER

Once Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam addressed his followers on the last day of

Sha’bân, on the eve of Ramadhân, and said: “There is a night in this month which is greater

in excellence than a thousand months; Allâh has enjoined an extra prayer to be offered in the

nights of this month. If a person performs a voluntary good act out of his own free choice

during this month, he will be entitled to receive the reward of an imperative act performed in

the other months…” (Mishkât).

In another tradition, he has regarded the Tarawîh Prayer as a means of the forgiveness of sins.

He has said: “The one who observes the Tarawîh Prayer at night during Ramadhân with

complete faith and devotion only for the sake of the recompense of the Âkhirat [Hereafter],

will have all his previous sins forgiven by Allâh.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

TIME OF THE TARAWÎH PRAYER

First Tarawîh Prayer has to start from the evening the Ramadhân moon is sighted and has to

be discontinued in the evening the Eid moon is sighted. The time for it starts after the Isha

Prayer and lasts till the break of dawn. If a person offers his Tarawîh Prayer before the Isha

Prayer, it will not be valid, or if he offers it after the Isha prayer, but then has to repeat his

Isha Prayer due to some reason, he will have to repeat his Tarawîh Prayer as well (Durrul

Mukhtâr). It is, however, commendable that the Tarawîh prger is offered after one third of

the.night has passed and before it is midnight.

COLLECTIVE OFFERING OF THE TARAWÎH PRAYER

Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam led the Tarawîh Prayer in congregation on the 23rd,

25th and 27th of Ramadhân. Then when he saw the great keenness and enthusiasm of the

Companions for the Prayer he decided to stay back in his house. The companions thought that

perhaps he had gone to sleep, and so came to his door to call him out for the prayer.

Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam came out and said:

“May Allâh increase your keenness and bless you; I have purposely not come out for the

Prayer lest it should be made incumbent upon you and then you are not able to observe it

regularly as a prescribed Prayer; so you should offer it privately in your houses, because

offering a voluntary prayer in the house carries much more rewards (than offering it in the

Mosque).” (Muslim)

This Hadîth at least shows that it is permissible to offer the Tarawîh Prayer in congregation,

because Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam himself led it in congregation during three

nights. After him the Companions also kept up this practice in small groups till Hadrat’

‘Umâr Radiallâhu anhu, the second Caliph of Islâm, decided to establish it as a regular

congregational prayer to which none of the Companions objected. This practice continued in

the times of the later Caliphs also. That is why the scholars have regarded collective offering

of the Tarawîh Prayer as a compulsory Sunnah having the Kifayah status.

RAKÂHS OF TARAWÎH

According to the consensus of the Companions the Tarawîh Prayer consists of 20 rakâhs

which are to be offered two at a time with one salutation, and after every four rakâhs a short

pause of rest has to be observed for the convenience of the people.

 

WHAT SHOULD BE RECITED DURING THE PAUSE

The worshipper has the option to sit quiet during the pause after each four rakahs, or recite

some Tasbih, or offer a voluntary prayer. The people of Makkah, as mentioned above, used to

perform a tawaf of the Ka’bah, and the people of Madinah offered four rakahs of Nafl.

Somejurists, however, have recommended that the following Tasbih be recited in the pause:

Subhana dhil Mulki wal Malakuti

[Glorified is the Owner of the Kingdom of the earth and the heavens]

Subhana zil izzati wal ‘azmati wal haibati

[Glorified is the Possessor of Honour and Magnificence and Awe]

wal qudrati wal kibriy,âi waljabarut

[and Power and Greatness and Omnipotence].

Subhanal Maliki il Hayy, illazi la yanamu wa la yamut.

[Glorified is the Sovereign, the Living, Who does neither sleep nor die].

Subbuhun Quddusun Rabbuna wa Rabb ul Mala’ikati war Rûh.

[He is the most praised and the most Holy, our Rabb and Rabb of the Angels and the Spirit

(Gabriel).]

CONGREGATION FOR WITR PRAYER

The Witr Prayer is allowed to be offered collectively only during Ramadhân, and not in any

other month. The people who happen to offer the Tarawîh prayer individually, may also join

in the Witr congregation, but those who offer the Sunnah prayer of Tarawîh behind an Imâm

are under obligation to offer the wâjib Prayer of Witr as well behind the Imâm. It is not

proper to go to sleep after the Tarawîh Prayer and defer the Witr Prayer till Tahajjud time and

offer it privately then. (Hidâyah, vol. 1, p. 131)

RECITAL OF THE WHOLE QUR’ÂN DURING TARAWÎH

It is a Sunnah of Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam to complete recital of the whole

Qur’ân, from the beginning to the end, during Ramadhân. It has been related that the

Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam himself used to recite the whole Qur’ân before Angel

Jibra’îl Alayhis Salâm during every Ramadhân, but in the year he passed away he recited it

twice before him. He has exhorted his followers also to keep up the practice. According to

Hadrat Abdullah bin ‘Umâr Radiallâhu anhu, he has said:

“The Fast and the Qur’ân will intercede for the believer (on the Day of Judgment). The Fast

will say: ‘My Rabb, I stopped this person from eating and drinking and gratifying his desires

during the day and he abstained from these, so do accept my intercession on his behalf’ and

the Qur’ân will say: ‘I stopped him from seeking ease and comfort during the night, and he

abstained from sleep and kept standing in Thy presence, reciting the Qur’ân; so my Rabb, do

accept my intercession on his behalf.’ So Allâh will accept the intercession of both.”

(Mishkât)

The Companions kept up this practice. Hadrat ‘Umâr Radiallâhu anhu would make special

arrangements for offering the Tarawîh Prayer collectively and recital of the whole Qur’ân

during Ramadhân.

MISCELLANEOUS REGULATIONS ON TARAWÎH

1. Tarawîh Salâh is Sunnah e Muakkada for both men and women.

2. To perform Tarawîh in Jarnât for Men is Sunnah e Kifaya.

3. If a person performs Tarawîh at his home while Tarawîh Salâh are said in the neighbouring

masjid, the person who says it alone will not be sinful, but if all of the neighbours say it alone

in their homes, all of them will be sinful for neglecting Tarawîh Jamât.

4. The intention is to observe two rakâhs of sunnah of the Tarawîh Prayer, and thus to

complete 20 rakâhs with 10 salutations.

5. It is preferable to offer the Witr Prayer after the completion of the Tarawîh Prayer, but if

the Witr Prayer is offered before the Tarawîh Prayer, or after offering some rakâhs of the

Tarawîh, Prayer, there is no harm (Ilm al Fiqh, vol. II, p. 52)

6. If a late comer for the Tarawîh Prayer finds that the Imâm has stood up for the Witr Prayer

when he has yet to complete some of his Tarawîh rakâhs, he should join in the Witr

congregation, and should complete his remaining rakâhs of Tarawîh later in his own time.

7. It is desirable to observe the pause of rest after each four rakâhs for as long as the time

taken for observing the four rakâhs; however, if the followers find it hard and inconvenient

they may observe a shorter pause. 8. It is not valid to join in the Tarawîh congregation before

first observing the Fard Prayer of Isha, for the Tarawîh Prayer has to start after the Isha

Prayer.

8. If a person has oberved his Fardh Prayer of Isha in congregation, but has not observed the

Tarawîh Prayer in congregation, he is permitted to offer his Witr Prayer in congregation.

9. Even if he has not observed the Fard Prayer of Isha in congregation, he is allowed to offer

the Witr Prayer in congregation.

10. It is undesirable to offer the Tarawîh, Prayer sitting unless one has a genuine excuse for

doing so.

11. If a person is not able to observe the Fard Prayer of Isha in congregation, he can offer his

Tarawîh Prayer in congregation.

12. It is permissible that the Fard and Witr congregational Prayers are led by one Imâm and

the Tarawîh congregation by another. Hadrat ‘Umar (R.A.) used to lead the Fard and Witr

Prayers while the Tarawîh congregation was led by Hadrat Abi bin Ka’b (R.A.).

13. If a few rakâhs of Tarawîh, are invalidated due to some reason, and they have to be

repeated, the relevant portion of the Qur’ân should also be repeated so as to make the recital

of the Qur’ân complete and valid.

14. If the Imâm stands up by mistake after completing two rakahs of Tarawîh, and realizes his

mistake before going down for Sajdah, or is reminded by a follower, he should sit down in

Qadah, recite Tashahhud and complete the prayer with Sajdah Sahwa. If, however, he

realizes the mistake after the Sajdah of the third Rakâh has been performed, he should

observe the fourth Rakâh as well; in this case the four rakahs thus performed will represent

the original two rakahs only.

15. If the Imarn sits in Qadah after two rakahs, but then stands up by mistake for the third

Rakâh, he should complete four rakahs, which will be counted valid and in order.

16. It is not proper to offer the Tarawîh Prayer in congregation for the persons who have not

first offered the Fard Prayer of Isha in congregation, because this would mean giving

preference to a voluntary prayer over an obligatory prayer which is not good.

17. If some people have started the Tarawîh Prayer collectively after observing the Isha

Prayer duly in congregation, they may be joined by other people who did not observe the

Fard Prayer in congregation, because in this case the latecomers would only be following

those who have observed the Isha Prayer duly in congregation before starting the Tarawîh

Prayer.

18. If a person reaches the masjid at a time when the Isha congregational Prayer has already

been held, he should first offer the Isha Prayer independently, and then join the Tarawîh

congregation; the rakahs of Tarawîh which he has missed may either be offered during the

pauses or at the end of the Witr Prayer.

19. The persons who have not offered the Isha Prayer in congregation, but individually, may

also join in the Witr congregation along with those who may be offering it after having

observed the Isha Prayer in congregation.

20. The custom of holding Shabinahs which has become common these days is not correct;

the Qur’ân needs to be recited most carefully and the followers have to listen to it with due

attention and understanding in order to draw spiritual benefits as was the practice in the time

of the Compainions. The Qur’ân says: “This Book which We have sent down to you is full of

blessings so that the people may ponder over it verses and those endued with understanding

may learn lessons from it.” (38: 29)

Rasulullâh Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam has warned: “The person who finished recital of the

Qur’ân in less than three days, has drawn no benefit from it.” (Tirmidhi)

And the Qur’ân says: “When the Qur’ân is recited, you should listen to it with due attention.”

(204)

21. According to the Hanafis, ‘Bismillah ir Rahman ir Rahim’ is a verse of the Qur’ân and

has to be recited aloud by the Imâm in the beginning of any Sûrah, not necessarily Al-Ikhlas

(112), at least once in the Tarawîh Prayer during Ramadhân. However, according to Imâm

Shafi‘î Rahimahullâh ‘alayhi and the reciters of Makkah and Kufah, it is a verse of every

Sûrah, and thus has to be recited aloud in the beginning of every Sûrah accordingly.

22. It is undesirable to recite Sûrah Ikhlas (112) thrice in the same Rakâh of the Tarawîh

Prayer; some jurists, however, regard this as commendable, but outside the prayer, not inside

it.

23. When recital of the Qur’ân has been completed once, it is commendable to start reciting it

again from the beginning in the next Rakâh of Tarawîh and continue it till the end of v. 5 of

Al-Baqarah (2). (Ilm al Fiqh, vol. 11, p. 174)

24. It is not permissible to appoint a boy who has not yet attained puberty, as an Imâm for the

Tarawîh Salâh (Kabiri). However such a boy may lead the Tarawîh Salâh if the followers of

his congregation are also all immature children. (Kaniyyah).

25. If the Imân of one’s masjid recites the Qur’ân incorrectly, there is no hindrance in

performing the Tarawîh in the Masjid of another area. (Alamgiri).

26. It is makrûh [abominable] to summon an Imarn for Tarawîh on a fixed remuneration basis

(Alamgiri).

27. If someone missed the Tarawîh Salâh (of some night) due to some reason, there is no

Qadhâ for it (after the lapse of that night) neither with nor without Jamât. Albeit, if someone

mAkes the Qadhâ, it will not be regarded as Taraweh but as Nafl Salâh. (Bahr)

28. When the Jamât of Tarawîh commences, a person remains seated. As soon as the Imâm

goes into ruku, he quickly makes his niyyah and joins the Imâm. This type of action is

makrûh [abominable] and is analogous to the actions of hypocrites. (Kabiri)

29. It is mustahab [desirable] to spend a major portion of the night in Tarawîh. (Bahr)

30. To complete the Qur’ân once (either by reciting or listening) is Sunnah. To complete it

twice is superior and to complete it thrice is even better. if the Irnârn recites only ten âyâh

[verses] in each rakât, the Qur’ân can be very conveniently completed once. In this way, it

will not be burdensome on the Muqtadis either. (Khaniyyah).

31. It is better to complete the Qur’ân once in every ten days (Bahr).

32. It is meritorious for those who are Huffâz of the Qur’ân to perform a further twenty rakâts

at home after returning from the masjid, so that they may thereby acquire the virtue of

completing the Qur’ân twice. (Khaniyyah)

33. If the Imâm of one’s local masjid does not complete the Qur’ân in Tarawîh, there is

nothing wrong in performing Tarawîh in another masjid where completion of the Qur’ân does

take place (Kabiri); because the sunnah of completion of the Qur’ân will only be achieved

there. (Fatâwa Mahmoodiya 1 vol. 2)

In Tarawîh, the Imâm should recite Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim at least once in a loud voice

at the beginning of any Sûrah. By reciting it silently, the Imâm will have recited the entire

Qur’ân, but the Muqtadi’s (followers) will not have heard the entire Qur’ân. (ibid.)

Source: The Historyof Makkah Mukarramahby Dr Muhammad Ilyas Abdul Ghani

References1 - Muslim - The Chapter concerning encouragement for performing the Taraweeh salaah.2 - Mu'atta Maalik, as quoted in Nasbur Ra'yah3 - Tirmidhi - Hadith 6272. The hadith is classified Hasan Saheeh and even Albaani has verified its authenticity [see Mishkaat annotated by him (Vol. 1 pg. 28)]4 - Sunan Kubra of Bayhaqi - Chapter concerning the number of Rakaahs during the nights of Ramadhaan.5 - Sunan Kubra of Bayhaqi - Chapter concerning the number of Rakaahs during the nights of Ramadhaan.6 - Tirmidhi7 - Akhbaar Makkah by Faakihi (Vol.2 Pg. 156,157)8 - Pgs. 41-589 - Pg. 65