2. Allama Ibni Rushd Al-Hafeed states in his book Bidayatul Mujtahid :

“The Ulema are unanimous that the taraweeh which Hazrat Umar imposed upon the people in his time should be greatly encouraged. They differed, however, with regard to the accepted version of how many rakaats people should perform in Ramadaan. Hence, Imam Malik (in one version), Imam Abu Haneefa, Imam Shafi'ee, Imam Ahmad and Imam Dawood Zhahiree have chosen twenty rakaats besides the witr. Ibnul Qasim narrates from Imam Malik (in a second version) that he preferred thirty six rakaats and three witr.” (Bidayatul Mujtahid 152/1)

3. The following appears in the book Fiqhus Sunnah of Shaikh Sayyid Sabiq:

“It has been authentically established that people used to read twenty rakaats in the time of Umar, Uthman and Ali radhiyallahu anhum, and this is the view of the majority of Fuqaha among the Hanafi and Hambali Mazh-habs, and Imam Dawood Zhahiree.” (vol.1 p.174)

4. Allama Ibni Hajar narrates that it was the practice of Imam Bukhari rahmatullahi alaihi to lead his students in taraweeh salaah during Ramadaan. He would recite twenty verses in each rakaat of taraweeh until he completed the entire Quran. (Muqaddama Fathul Bari p.481)

This clearly indicates that Imam Bukhari too practised upon 20 rakaats taraweeh. If we assume from the above that he only read 8 rakaats or even 10 rakaats taraweeh, it would not be possible for him to complete the whole Quran in Ramadaan. To complete the Quran at a rate of 20 verses per rakaat requires the full twenty rakaats and nothing less. This gives an average of 400 verses per night, thus allowing a completion of Quran by the 16th night. The Ulema are unanimous that the Holy Quran contains over 6,200 verses.

Asad bin Amar narrates from Imam Abu Yusuf that once the latter asked Imam Abu Haneefa about the taraweeh and this practice of Hazrat Umar (of twenty rakaats). The respected Imam replied:

"The taraweeh is sunnate muakkadah and Hazrat Umar did not concoct it from his own side, nor was he an innovator in this regard. He established this taraweeh only because of some origin and basis which he knew of in the time of Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam." (Maraqil Falah 224)

The above statement puts the issue of twenty rakaats taraweeh in its proper perspective. This is clear evidence that Hazrat Umar's decision was in actual fact founded on a strong and genuine source in the life of Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, even though we may not be aware of such a source as yet. It is not possible that Hazrat Umar would make an addition to the rakaats of a salaah whilst knowing that these additional rakaats were not part and parcel of that salaah in the time of Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Nor would any of the Sahaaba allow him to proceed with such a venture while knowing that this was contrary to the teachings of Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam.

At the start of this treatise we pointed out that Allah Ta'ala would never allow the Sahaaba and those Ulema who came after them to unite in belief and practice on an issue which deviates from the true path of Islam. Therefore, the implication here is quite obvious. If Hazrat Umar and the rest of the Sahaaba were unanimous in the establishment of 20 rakaats taraweeh, and the Imams of the various mazhaahib followed suit, it can only mean that the performance of twenty rakaats taraweeh was definitely practised or commanded by Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam at some stage in his lifetime.

There exists a principle of Fiqah which all Muslim Jurists of the past have recognised, that any devotional rite or ritual which is not decided through qiyaas (reasoning or logic), but rather through Divine Decree, must necessarily be based on nass (a categoric statement of Allah or narration from Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam). At no stage can such deeds be subject to reason or rational arguments. This principle further states that if the Sahaaba-e-Kiraam radhiyallahu anhmu instituted certain amendments or made additions to such devotional acts, then surely they did so on the basis of some narration which they definitely heard from Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam himself. Such a move by the illustrious Sahaaba radhiyallahu anhum cannot be motivated by their personal opinion or reasoning, since the nature of the act is rooted in The Divine Directive of Almighty Allah, and has not been left to the discretion of the servant.

If it was possible to establish the number of rakaats in salaah through logical deduction and inference then the institutionalising of twenty rakaats taraweeh by Hazrat Umar could still be contested. However, the ritual of salaah is only and only established through Wahi (Divine Revelation) and this we receive from one source, The Noble Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Since discretion and reason does not feature in determining the number of rakaats in salaah, it is clear that the increase in the rakaats of taraweeh by the Sahaaba was in fact based on sound evidence in the lifetime of Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. According to the author of Kitabul Fiqh alal Mazha-hibil Arba'a , Shaikh Abdur Rahman Al Jaza-iri, whose statement appeared earlier, upon the establishment of Ijmaa' among Sahaaba on any act, one does not require the basis or source of that Ijmaa'. However, in this particular case we will later on in this treatise, mention the basis for the 20 rakaat increase by the Sahaaba.

In short, Hazrat Umar was in fact implementing a practice which he knew was part of The Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. He never used any logical reasoning to figure out how many rakaats should be performed in taraweeh since this issue is not a logical or rational one, instead it is a rite which has been ordained by Allah and His Rasool. All acts of worship are of this nature. The earlier statement of Imam Abu Haneefa very explicitly bears out what we have thus far stated.

Having thus assured ourselves that Hazrat Umar, in establishing a twenty-rakaat taraweeh salaah in Jamaat, was most certainly acting within the framework of The Sunnah, it now rests upon us to try and ascertain from the hadeeth of Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam whether this practice is to be found in the Holy Era of Nubuwwat. For this we cast a brief glance at the ibadat of Rasoolullah during the holy month of Ramadaan.

Abdur Rahman bin Ouf radhiyallahu anhu reports that Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

"Verily Allah has made the fast of Ramadaan compulsory upon you, and I have made its salaah (at night) sunnat for you. Therefore, whosoever fasts and performs taraweeh in this month with faith and hope for reward, emerges from his sins like the day he was born." (Nasaai 239/1)

This hadeeth proves that taraweeh salaah is the sunnat of Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. In addition to this verbal injunction of The Holy Prophet we also have his practice on the taraweeh salaah, which further emphasises the sunnat nature of taraweeh.

Hazrat Ayesha radhiyallahu anhaa narrates several important points about the ibadat of Rasoolullah during Ramadaan, as enlisted hereunder:

a) Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam would strive in the ibadat of Ramadaan more than any other month. (Muslim )

b) When the month enters he would begin a strenuous system of worship and would not even take to his bed (for much rest or fulfilment of conjugal rights). (Baihaqi in Shu'a bul Iemaan 310/3)

c) Upon the commencement of Ramadaan his complexion would change, fear could be discerned on his face, his salaah would increase and there was greater urgency in his duas. (Baihaqi )

The phrase "his salaah would increase" is of particular importance in our context, since it signifies an amount of salaah over and above the normal. Increase in salaah indicates additional rakaats, as opposed to lengthening the salaah, which implies longer qiraat and tasbeeh in ruku' and sujood.