Taraweeh Salah

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Taraweeh Salah

Sunnah Muakkadah

vRasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Whoever stands (in worship) in Ramadaan with ieman and to seek reward, all his past sins are forgiven.” (Sahih Muslim)

vThe taraweeh salah of twenty rakats is sunnah muakkadah for both males and females.

Twenty Rakats

vIbn Abbaas (radhiyallahu anhu) reports that during the month of Ramadaan, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) used to perform twenty rakats (taraweeh salah) and thereafter perform the witr salah. (As-Sunanul Kubra of Baihaqi – vol. 2 p. 496)

vSaid bin Yazid (radhiyallahu anhu) states that during the time of Umar (radhiyallahu anhu), the people used to perform twenty rakats of taraweeh. The same is also reported from Yazid bin Ruman. (Ibid)

vAbdul Aziz bin Rafai (radhiyallahu anhu) mentions that Ubai bin Ka’b (radhiyallahu anhu) used to perform twenty rakats for the people and thereafter three rakats of witr. (Ātharus Sunan, p. 253)

vUbai bin Ka’b (radhiyallahu anhu) reports that Umar (radhiyallahu anhu) instructed him saying that if he leads the salah, it would be better. Thereafter he said: “Perform twenty rakats for the people.” (Āthaarus Sunan, p. 255)

vAbdullah bin Mas’ud (radhiyallahu anhu) also used to perform twenty rakats. (Tuhfatul Ahwadhi, vol. 2 p. 75)

vAli (radhiyallahu anhu) performed twenty rakats during the era of Uthmaan (radhiyallahu anhu) (Sunan Baihaqi). Ali (radhiyallahu anhu) called the Qurra (experts in the recital of the Quran) and instructed them to perform twenty rakats for the people and Ali (radhiyallahu anhu) himself used to perform the witr. (Ibid)

vIn Makkah Mukarramah, the general practice was twenty rakats taraweeh salah during the time of Ataa (rahmatullahi alayhi). His demise was in 114 Hijrah. (Musanaf Ibn Abi Shaibah, vol. 2 p. 393)

vSimilarly, Ibn Abi Mulaikah (rahmatullahi alayhi) used to perform twenty rakats of taraweeh in Ramadaan.

vHasan (radhiyallahu anhu) reports that Umar bin Khattaab (radhiyallahu anhu) gathered the people behind Ubai bin Ka’b (radhiyallahu anhu) and he used to perform twenty rakats with them. (Sunan Abu Dawood, vol. 1 p. 202)

vIbn Taymiyyah (rahmatullahi alayhi) writes in his Majmu’atul- Fatawa (vol. 22 p. 234):

“This action (i.e. twenty rakats taraweeh) of Umar (radhiyallahu anhu) is sunnah and we have been ordered by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to hold fast to the sunnah of the Righteous Khulafa.”

vShaikh Atiyyah Muhammad Salim, who is a judge of the Supreme Court of Madinah Munawwarah and an orator and teacher in Musjidun Nabawi (ala sahibihis-salaam) has written a book entitled At-taraweeh akthara min alfi aamin fi masjid-in-Nabi (the history of taraweeh for more than a thousand years in Musjidun Nabawi (ala sahibihis-salaam). He has recorded the historical events dating from the era of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) right up to 1390 of the Hijrah calendar (i.e. almost fourteen centuries). From his writings it is ascertained that during this lengthy period, taraweeh salah was never less than twenty rakats in Musjidun Nabawi (ala sahibihis-salaam). The practice and norm was only twenty rakats or more (never less than that). After recording the historical facts till page 151 of his book, Shaikh Atiyyah poses a question to the reader: “During this lengthy period, was eight rakats the maximum limit or was less than twenty ever performed?! For fourteen hundred years, the taraweeh was between twenty and forty rakats. No person possessing ieman ever said that to perform more than eight rakats is not permissible.”