Taraweeh

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

“In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”

Ruling No 1: Taraweeh is the performing of 20 raka’at in units of two after performing esha salaah.

Ruling No 2: The time for taraweeh is after esha salaah till subah sadiq (fajr beginning time).

Ruling No 3: Ir is not permissible to pray taraweeh before esha salaah. If a person is delayed due to some reason he must perform esha first & then join taraweeh.

Ruling No 4: Witr should be prayed after taraweeh however, if it was prayed before it would still be correct.

Ruling No 5: It is preferable to pray taraweeh in units of 2 raka’at & not 4 as this is against the sunnah.

Ruling No 6: Taraweeh is sunnah-e-muakaddah for men & women. This means that it was the constant practice of the Prophet ﷺ. A person who leaves these 20 raka’at out without a valid excuse will be sinful.

Ruling No 7: The method of praying taraweeh is just like performing any other sunnah-e-muakkadah raka’at.

Ruling No 8: Taraweeh should not be replaced with qadha prayers. Qadha prayers can be prayed at any time throughout the year, whereas taraweeh is a speciality of the month of Ramadhan. One will be sinful for missing taraweeh.

Ruling No 9: There is no qadha for taraweeh.

Ruling No 10: Taraweeh is the plural of tarweehah which means to take a short rest. It has been the practice to rest after every 4 raka’at, hence the name was given. It is recommended to pause & do a bit of dhikr after every 4 raka’at. One may recite whatever dhikr, tasbeeh, durood etc they wish.

Some scholars have mentioned to recite the following tasbeeh after every 4 raka’at, which although is not found in any hadiths, will still be permissible to recite. However, it must be done on an individual basis and not collectively. One must not believe that reciting this Tasbeeh is part of the A’amaal (practices) of Taraweeh Salaah, & one must not believe that these are duas of the Prophet ﷺ. If one wishes, he can recite it on an individual basis and he can also remain silent and rest. One who does not recite it, must not be blamed of having done something wrong.

سُبْحَانَ ذِي الْمُلْكِ وَالْمَلَكُوْتِ ، سُبْحَانَ ذِيْ الْعِزَّةِ وَالْعَظَمَةِ وَالْهَيْبَةِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ وَالْكِبْرِيَاءِ وَالْجَبَرُوْتِ ، سُبْحَانَ الْمَلِكِ الْحَيِّ الَّذِيْ لَا يَنامُ وَ لَا يَمُوْتُ ، سُبُّوْحٌ قُدُّوْسٌ رَبُّ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالرُّوْحِ ، اللَّهُمَّ أَجِرْنا مِنَ النّارِ ، يا مُجِيرُْ يا مُجِيْرُ يا مُجِيْرُ

Is Taraweeh 8 raka’at or 20?

Some people argue & say that taraweeh is only 8 raka’at this is incorrect. All 4 imams agree upon the fact that taraweeh is no less than 20 raka’at. The entire ummah have been performing 20 raka’at for the past 12 centuries. This has been the practice of Muslims from the time of the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ , the Sahaabah (r.a), the Tabi’een and the Ulama.

Those who claim that Taraweeh is 8 raka’at only use the following Hadith as their evidence:

Hadhrat Aa’ishah (r.a) was asked about the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ . She replied, “The Prophet ﷺ did not exceed eleven raka’at in Ramadhaan nor in any other month. He used to perform four raka’at and do not ask me about their beauty and their length. Thereafter he used to perform four raka’at and do not ask me about their beauty and their length. Then he used to perform three raka’at (witr)”. Hadhrat Aa’ishah (r.a) asked him, ” O the Prophet of Allah, do you sleep before performing witr.” He replied , “O Hadhrat Aa’ishah, my eyes sleep but not my heart.” (Bukhari)

However this is referring to Qiyamul layl (Tahajjud), as if it was Taraweeh, Hadhrat Aa’ishah (r.a) would not say ‘in any other month’ as Taraweeh is not performed in any other month apart from Ramadhaan.

A Woman’s Guide To Taraweeh Salaah At Home

The 2 Raka’at (2×10=20) of Taraweeh salaah is performed in the same manner as any other 2 Sunnah – e – Mukkadah raka’at. In other words a surah will be recited after Surah Faatihah in each raka’at. One may recite any surah that they wish, however the easiest method of praying the Taraweeh Salaah is to perform 10 raka’at in the following manner & then just repeat the same method for the next 10 raka’at.

1) First set of 2 raka’at:

•Recite Surah Feel after surah Fatihah in the first raka’at.

•Surah Quraysh after surah Fatihah in the second raka’at.

2) Second set of 2 raka’at :

•Recite Surah Ma’uun after Surah Faatihah in the first raka’at.

•Recite Surah Kauthar after Surah Faatihah in the second raka’at.

3) Third set of 2 raka’at:

•Recite Surah Kafiroon after Surah Faatihahin the first raka’at.

•Recite Surah Nasr after Surah Faatihah in the second raka’at.

4) Fourth set of 2 raka’at:

•Recite Surah Lahab after Surah Faatihah in the first raka’at.

•Recite Surah Ikhlaas after Surah Faatihah in the second raka’at.

5) Fifth set of 2 raka’at:

•Recite Surah Falaq after Surah Faatihah in the first raka’at.

•Recite Surah Naas after Surah Faatihah in the second raka’at.

In short, one will be reciting the last 10 surahs of the Quraan in order from Surah Feel- Naas.