Furthermore, this practice was not confined to Madinah only. Instead, Imam Muhammad bin Sa'd narrates in his Tabaqaat that when Hazrat Umar radhiyallahu anhu had established this practice in the year 14 Hijri in Madinah, he wrote to the other provinces of the Islamic state instructing them to do the same. The 20 rakaats taraweeh in jamaat thus became the standard practice of the entire Islamic empire in the lifetime of Sayyiduna Umar radhiyallahu anhu.

After the demise of Hazrat Umar the succeeding Khulafa, Sayyiduna Uthman and Sayyiduna Ali radhiyallahu anhuma continued this procedure by establishing regular taraweeh jamaat of twenty rakaats. During this period other Sahaaba too abided by the same teaching of Hazrat Umar and performed twenty rakaats taraweeh.

In short, from the year 14 Hijri this procedure of twenty rakaats taraweeh in jamaat became the standardized form of taraweeh throughout the Islamic world. It continued to be so until this very day, upheld and supported by all the Fuqahaa and Muhadditheen throughout the corridor of Islamic history.

This means that for a period of over 1400 years (14 A.H. to 1418 A.H.) twenty rakaats in jamaat was the accepted and practised method of taraweeh in all Islamic states and communities. In the light of such unanimity among the great Ulema of past and present, it is inconceivable that all these luminaries in the firmament of Islamic Ilm could unite on an issue which is baseless and unfounded in Islam. Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

"Verily Allah shall never ever unite my Ummat (or the Ummat of Muhammad) on falsehood. And The Hand of Allah is over the united group; whosoever breaks away, breaks away into the fire of JahanNam."
(Mustadrak Hakim 115/1)

It must be noted that the action of Hazrat Umar was not unprecedented in the establishment of 20 rakaats. What he did was merely a perpetuation of the already established practice of performing twenty rakaaats taraweeh, but this time in jamaat form. So the purpose of this treatise is merely to prove that twenty rakaats taraweeh in jamaat has been and still is a standard practice of Islam. The 20 rakaats taraweeh, be it in jamaat or individually, should never be in dispute since it was already a forgone and well established fact that taraweeh salaah consisted of twenty rakaats, and not less. It must be we are discussing taraweeh in congregational form. The fact that taraweeh comprises 20 rakaats is supposed to be an entrenched practice among Muslims by now. The dispute which this treatise attempts to settle is taraweeh in jamaat form.

1) Abdur Rahman bin Abd narrates that "once during Ramadaan I accompanied Hazrat Umar to the Masjid. People were scattered about, some performing their taraweeh individually, while others had small groups following them. Hazrat Umar then said:

"I feel it will be most appropriate if I unite all these people behind one Qaari."

He thereupon established one congregation behind Ubay bin Ka'b radhiyallahu anhu.

Abdur Rahman says: "A few nights later I again visited the Masjid with Hazrat Umar and saw everyone behind one Imam. Upon this Hazrat Umar remarked:

"This is indeed a good innovation. (Muatta Imam Malik )

2) Imam Malik narrates from Yahya bin Saeed that Hazrat Umar radhiyallahu anhu had appointed a man to lead them in twenty rakaats taraweeh salaah. (Musannaf Ibni Abi Shaiba 393/2)

3) Hazrat Ubay bin Ka'b radhiyallahu anhu used to lead people in twenty rakaats taraweeh and three witr in Madinah during the month of Ramadaan. (Musannaf Ibni Abi Shaiba)

4) Imam Malik narrates from Yazeed bin Rooman that during the reign of Hazrat Umar people used to perform 23 rakaats in Ramadaan. (Muatta)

Imam Ibni Ishaaq says that this is the most sound narration to reach him as regards the taraweeh salaah. (Naylul Owtaar 60/3)

NOTE: Twenty rakaats were taraweeh while the last three were witr.

5) Abul Hasnaa narrates that Hazrat Ali radhiyallahu anhu had instructed a man to lead the people in twenty rakaats taraweeh. (Kanzul Ummal 409/8)

6) Hazrat Ibni Abi Mulaika, Ali bin Rabee'a and Abul Bakhtari radhiyallahu anhum all used to lead people in twenty rakaats taraweeh and three witr during Ramadaan. (Musannaf Ibni Abi Shaiba 393/2)

7) Hazrat Ataa (a tabi'ee) says: "I found the Sahaaba reading twenty rakaats taraweeh and three witr during Ramadaan." (Al Fathur Rabbani 18/5)

9) Imam Baihaqi narrates the statement of Hazrat Saa-ib bin Yazeed radhiyallahu anhu, that the Sahaaba used to observe twenty rakaats taraweeh during the reign of Hazrat Umar, and the same occurred in the time of Hazrat Uthman and Ali radhiyallahu anhum. (Umdatul Qaari 178/7)

Imam Ibni Qudaama states in Mughni that the above narration is akin to Ijmaa' or consensus. (Umdatul Qaari) Because of the existence of the above narrations the author of the famous Hanafi book on Fiqah, Al-Hidayah states that the practice of twenty rakaats taraweeh in jamaat is sunnat because the Khulafaa e Rashideen observed it without fail. The above quotations quite clearly support this claim.

Imam Abu Abdullah Hakim states in his kitab Al Mustadrak: “It is clear from the hadeeth that taraweeh salaah in the Masaajid of the Muslims is a standard sunnah practice, and Hazrat Ali had strongly urged Hazrat Umar to establish this until he eventually did so.” (Mustadrak 440/1)

Allama Ibni Hajar Shafi'ee says: “The Sahaaba are unanimous that the taraweeh is twenty rakaats.” (Mirqaat 194/3)

About the concept of Ijmaa', the author of Kitabul Fiqh alal Mazha-hibil Arba'a , Shaikh Abdur Rahman Al Jaza-iri states the following:

“Ijmaa’ is a daleel (valid proof), because the total agreement of the Sahaaba signalling their consent to what he (Hazrat Umar) had done is proof of the fact that they were convinced of some basis or source for that ruling. And, as stated in the books of Usool, it is not necessary that we know of the basis of Ijmaa’.” (vol.4 p.341)

Imam Jaza-iri here confirms the significance of the Ijmaa’ of Sahaaba, stating that in itself it represents a valid Shar'ee proof, after which one need not even bother to ascertain the source of this Ijmaa’.

Here we cite references to establish that it was the standard practice of most of the Ulema and Imams after the Sahaaba to perform 20 rakaats taraweeh during Ramadaan.

1. Imam Tirmizhi states in his kitab: