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Learn more about Quran with Tafsir
In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate
"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"
Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with
Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah
guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one
can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness
that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
The Excellence of Optional (Tawawih)
Prayer during Ramadan
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to urge (the people) to perform (optional
Tarawih) prayer at night during the month of Ramadan. He did not order them or
make it obligatory on them. He (PBUH) said, "Whosoever performs (optional
Tarawih) prayers at night during the month of Ramadan, with Faith and in the
hope of receiving Allahs reward, will have his past sins forgiven."
[Muslim].
Commentary:
This Hadith highlights the following points:
1. Qiyam in the month of Ramadan is a much-stressed act and has great
importance from the viewpoint of reward and award.
2. The sins which are pardoned through it are minor sins because major sins are
not forgiven unless one makes sincere repentance and compensates those whom he
has wronged.
3. That Qiyam during the month of Ramadan was the practice of the Prophet
(PBUH). During the course of a Ramadan, he made Qiyam for three nights
consecutively, that is, he performed this Nafl Salat in congregation with his
Companions. On the fourth night, when his Companions gathered for this purpose
he said to them, "I am afraid it will be made obligatory for you." So, in spite
of their desire to join him in this prayer, he did not lead the Salat that
night. How many Rak`ah did he perform in congregation in these three nights is
a pertinent question here. According to Ahadith their total comes to eleven;
eight Rak`ah and three Witr. Thus the Masnun number of Rak`ah of Qiyam Ramadan
is eleven.
4. This Nafl Salat has been interpreted in Ahadith as Qiyam Ramadan. Later on
they were named Tarawih. Tarawih is the plural of Tarwihah. Since the
Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and the successors to the Companions used to
make a lengthy Qiyam in them and they would take rest after performing every
four Rak`ah. This is how these came to be named Tarawih (Rest prayer). (Four
Rak`ah are called Tarwihah).
5. Tarawih are in fact Tahajjud prayers. For the sake of convenience and
benefit of the maximum number of people, it is performed in the month of
Ramadan soon after `Isha' prayer, along with the latter, which is the early
time for Tahajjud prayers.
6. That the Tarawih were performed in congregation is established from the
conduct of the Prophet (PBUH). He led this Salat on 23rd, 25th and 27th of
Ramadan. During his caliphate, `Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) started it
again and ordered Ubayy bin K`ab and Tamim Ad-Dari to perform them in
congregation. He enjoined them to perform eight Rak`ah Tarawih and three Rak`ah
Witr. This practice has been going on ever since.
7. Some people say that performing Tarawih in congregation is a Bid`ah
(innovation in religion) because it was introduced in the reign of `Umar (May
Allah be pleased with him). But this is not correct because it is established
that the Prophet (PBUH) did not continue it out of fear that it will be made
obligatory; otherwise he would have carried on with it. When the fear that this
practice be made obligatory was over, `Umar (May Allah be pleased with him)
gave it the form of a Nafl prayer and revived the mode of performing it
collectively, and thus fulfilled the desire of the Prophet (PBUH). In spite of
all these facts, it is still permissible for one to perform Tarawih
individually in the late hours of the night. Since ordinary people are not
capable of performing it individually, the step taken by `Umar (May Allah be
pleased with him) is perfectly correct. If this had not been done, the majority
of the people will have remained deprived of the
blessings and reward of Qiyam-ul-Lail, which would have been a great
deprivation indeed.
8. Twenty Rak`ah Tarawih is not confirmed from any authentic Hadith, nor its
ascription to `Umar i(May Allah be pleased with him)is proved from any reliable
Muttasil (connected) Hadith. A claim has been made in a Munqati` (disconnected)
narration that in the days of `Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) people used
to perform twenty, thirty-six and forty Rak`ah of Tarawih out of which one can
at best infer the justification for more than eight Rak`ah Nafl prayer. Even
then the Masnun Tarawih will be eight Rak`ah only, and more or less than that
will be Ghair-Masnun.
9. In Tarawih, that is Qiyam Ramadan, lengthy Qiyam is Masnun, but it must be
borne in mind that the Qur'an must be recited according to the principles of
`Ilm-ut-Tajwid with clear and distinct voice at a slow pace. Many of the Qurra
recite so fast that it is hard for one to understand, let alone concentrate on
what is being recited. Such recitation is a means of retribution rather than
reward. A new system is now in vogue: According to this fashion, the whole
Qur'an is finished within a few days and eight to ten parts of it are recited
daily in Tarawih. There are hundreds of thousands people in the audience. After
listening the Qur'an for a few days, these people console themselves that they
have heard the entire Qur'an in Tarawih and are now free to pay full attention
to their business to make the best of the `Eid season. They do not care to know
whether the Qari is reciting the Qur'an or something else.
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