Ramadaan is an event in which the whole Muslim Ummah participates and
during this month many ofus observe Qiyaam al-Layl , also known as
Taraaweeh (literally, the break between individual prayers), which is
a Sunnahfor both men and women. It is performed after the Isha prayer
up until the end of the night i.e. before the Fajr prayer and prayed
in sets of two rak'aat each.
Taraaweeh has an important place in Ramadaan. To find out why read on:
Its Excellence and Merit from the Qur'aan:
During Ramadaan, we are not only pre-occupied withour daily activities
but are also subjected to hunger and thirst, and so naturallyat the
end of the day we become tired and cherish the prospect of a good
nights rest! However, in the Qur'aan Allah commends those who observe
the night prayer and He exhorts the believers towards it, "Verilythe
rising by night (for Tahajjud prayer) is very hard and most potent and
good for governing (the soul) and most suitable for(understanding) the
Word (of Allaah)" [Soorah al-Muzzammil (73):6]
From the Sunnah
"And whoever stands (in prayer) in Ramadan out of sincere faith and
hoping for a reward (from Allah) then all his previous sins will be
forgiven." [1]
In this Hadeeth the Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam wanted us to
earn this great reward, encouraging us towards taraaweeh. His
statement, "out of sincere faith hoping for a reward.." suggests that
in order to get reward one must purify his niyyah (intention) to
perform this act of worship.
Praying Taraaweeh in Congregation
"It is allowed to pray taraaweeh of the month ofRamadan in a
congregation just as it is allowed to pray them on an individual
basis. The majority of scholars, however prefer to pray them in
congregation." [2]
Aa'ishah reported that: "Allah's Messenger salla allahu alaihe
wa-sallam went out in the middle of the night and prayed in the
mosque, and the people prayed behind him,then in the morning people
spoke about it. Then a large number gathered (the second night), and
he prayed and they prayed behind him, then the people spoke about it
in the morning. On the third night the mosque was crowded, so Allah's
Messenger salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam came out and could not
accommodate the number of people, but he only came out for the
morning. Then when he finished themorning prayer he turned to the
people repeated theShahaadah and said: 'Indeed your presence wasnot
hidden from me, but I feared that it would be made obligatory upon
youand that you would not beable to mange it.' [3] So Allaah's
Messenger salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam passed away and the situation
remained like that."
When Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam was taken by Allaah, the
Sharee'ah had been completed and this fear had ceased (i.e. that
Taraaweeh would be made obligatory) and so it remained prescribed in
congregation - since the reason preventing it had ceased.
Tarteel - recitation in slow, rhythmic tones
It was the practice of the Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam to
recite one verse at a time, pausing after every verse. He used to
recite the Qur'aan in slow, measured, rhythmic tones as Allaah had
instructed him, not raising or hurrying, rather; his was"a recitation
clearly distinguishing each letter,"[4] so much so that he would
recite a soorah in such slow rhythmic tones that it would be longer
than it would seem possible." [5]
The Length and Beauty of the Prayer
There are a number of Ahadeeth which mention how the Prophet would
sometimes exceedingly lengthen his recitation in asingle rak'ah, so it
is not surprising when 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood said: "I prayedwith the
Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam one night and he carried on
standing for so long that I was struck by a wrong idea." He was asked,
"What was this idea?" He said, "I thought Iwould sit down and leave
the Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam" [6]
And in another narration we learn that the Messenger salla allahu
alaihe wa-sallam recited Soorat al-Baqarah (286 verses), an-Nisaa'
(176 verses) and Aal-lmraan (200 verses) all in one standing. [7] Just
imagine that! How long does it take to recite just half of Soorat
al-Baqarah: then allof it, then Soorat an-Nisaa' etc!! And remember
the Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam recited in a 'slow, rhythmic
style' and then he would go into Rukoo' and Sujood. He salla allahu
alaihe wa-sallam used to make his Qiyaam (standing), his Ruku, his
standing after rukoo', his sujood, and his sitting between the two
sajdahs, nearly equal in length. [8] When 'Aa'isha asked why he salla
allahu alaihe wa-sallam offered such an unbearable prayer;which caused
his feet to swell due to the prolongedstanding, he humbly replied:
"Should I not be a thankful servant?"...
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