If a person prays some of Taraweeh with the imam then prays Witr and leaves, will it be recorded for him as having prayed qiyaam al-layl?

In the mosque in the neighbourhood where I live, twenty rak‘ahs of Taraweeh are offered, as well as two rak‘ahs of al-shaf‘ and Witr. Now, as ‘Isha’ prayer will be held very late, we were thinking of praying Witr for those who want to leave the prayer early, and on that basis this group will pray the two rak‘ahs of al-shaf‘ and Witr with the qaari’, then they will leave, and the qaari’ will stay and complete the remaining rak‘ahs. Is it permissible to do that? Will those who are going to pray tenrak‘ahs with the (one) rak‘ah of Witr and then leave take the same reward as those who praybehind the other imam and pray twenty-three rak‘ahs in all? I hope you can advise us about this issue because we are thinking of implementing it starting next Ramadan, in sha Allah. May Allah reward you with good forthis advice.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is proven from the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he encouraged praying Taraweeh in congregation and he said:“Whoever stays with the imam until he leaves, (thereward of) qiyaam al-layl will be written for him.”
Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi (806); also narrated by Abu Dawood (1375), al-Nasaa’i (1605), and Ibn Maajah (1327). Also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
This reward will not be attained by anyone but the one who prays with the imam until he has finished all the prayers. The one who only prays some of the prayer and then leaves is not entitledto the reward promised inthis hadeeth, which is thatof spending a night in prayer (qiyaam laylah).
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
If a person prays in Ramadan with someone who prays twenty-three rak‘ahs, but he only prays eleven and does not complete the prayer with the imam, is this action of his in accordance with theSunnah?
He replied: The Sunnah is to complete the prayer with the imam, even if he prays twenty-three rak ‘ahs, because the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever stands (in prayer) with the imam until he finishes, Allah will record for him (the reward of) spending a night in prayer.” According to another report: “… The rest of that night.”
It is better for one who is praying behind an imam to stay with him until he finishes, whether he prayseleven rak‘ahs or thirteen or twenty three or whatever. That is preferable, to follow the imam until he finishes. End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/325
Shaykh Ibn Jibreen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Praying qiyaam in Ramadan is attained by praying part of the night, such as half of it or one third of it, whether that is by praying eleven rak‘ahs or twenty-three. Qiyaam is attained by praying behind the neighbourhood imam until he finishes, even if he finishes within one hour.
Imam Ahmad used to pray with the imam and not leave until he finished, acting in accordance with the hadeeth. And whoever wants to attain this reward has to pray with the imam until he finishesWitr, whether he prays a little or a lot, and whetherthe time taken is long or short. End quote.
Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Jibreen. 24/9
If two imams pray in the mosque, then Taraweeh prayer is the prayer of both the imams, so the one who wants to attain the reward of spending the night in prayer shouldnot leave until the secondimam has completed his prayer and leaves.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim) was asked: What about one who prays Taraweeh with the first imam, then leaves and says: I will have (the reward for) praying qiyaam al-layl according to the text of the hadeethbecause I started with theimam and finished with him?
He replied: As for his saying, “Whoever stands (in prayer) with the imam until he finishes, Allah willrecord for him (the reward of) spending a night in prayer”, that is correct.
But if there are two imams in one mosque, is each one of them regarded as independent of the other or is each of them the deputy of the other?
What would seem to be correct is the second understanding – that eachof them is the deputy of the other and is complementary to him. Based on this, if two imams pray in the mosque, then these two imams are to be regardedas if they are one imam. So the worshipper should stay until the second imam finishes, because we know that prayer behind the second imam is complementary to prayer behind the first one.
Based on this, what we advise our brothers to do is to follow the imams there in the Haram until they are completely finished.
/ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

Three imams reply to the atheists

"Is there any proof that God exists?" was asked, by an atheist, of
Imam Abu Hanifa and he replied,"Forget it! At the moment,I am busy
thinking about this ship. People tell me there is a big ship, it
contains
different goods on board. There is no one to steer it,no one
maintaining it. Yet, this ship keeps going back and forth; it even
traverses big waves on the oceans; it stops at the locations that it
is supposed to stop at; it continues in the direction that it is
supposed to head. This ship has no captain and no one planning its
trips."
The atheist who posed the question interrupted and exclaimed, "What
kind of strange and silly thought is this? How can any intelligent
person think that some thing likethis can occur?"
Imam Abu Hanifa said, "I feel sorry about your state! You cannot
imagineone ship running without some one looking after itsaffairs. Yet
you think that for this whole world, which runs exactly and precisely,
there is no one who looks after it, and no one owns it."
Hearing the reply, the atheist was left speechlessbut he found out
more about Haqq (The Truth) and proclaimed Islam.
Imam Shaa'fi replied to the question in the following way, "The leaves
of Toot (berries) are all but one. Each leaf tastes exactly the same.
Insects, honey bees, cows,goats, and deer live off of it. After eating
these the insects produce silk; bees produce honey; deer give musk (a
special kind of scent), cows and goats deliver off-springs. Is this
not clear evidence that one kind of leaf has so many qualities, and
who created these qualities? It is the Khaliq (Creator) whowe call
Allah (S.W.T.) Who is the Inventor and the Creator."
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal reflected on the question in the following way.
He said, "There is an incredibly strong fort, it has no doors, there
is no way to get in. In fact, there is not even a hole init. From
outside it glows like the moon and from inside it shimmers like gold.
It is sealed from all sides, matter of fact it is air tight. Suddenly
one of its doors breaks down, a living thing with eyes andears, a
beautiful looking animal appears yelling and wandering all over. So is
not there a creator who made it possible for life to take place in
this secured and closed fort? And is not this Creator better than
humans? This Creator has no limit." Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was
referring to an egg which is closed from all sides but Allah (S.W.T.)
The Khaliq (Creator) puts life in it and a chick pops out.

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2e] How the Salaf Observed Ramadhan A Message to Every Muslim On the Occasion of this Blessed Month

2e]
so he would take his lunch along with him (to work) but donate it to
charity on the way. When he returned at night, he would break his fast
with the family and they did not know that he was fasting."
Sufyan Al-Thawri said,"The servant of Allah would do his deeds
secretly, and the devil would persist in tempting him until he
convinces himto do it openly. The devil would then continue to insist
until the person wants to be thanked for the deed. So, it will be
converted from a deed done openly to one done for showing off."
Amusement During Ramadan:
Dear brothers and sisters, Ithink I have prolonged myadmonition to you
to seizethis opportunity. I have taken some of your time, but let us
look together at a very critical phenomenon that we all fall into,
especially during Ramadan. It is the phenomenon of wasting time and
spending it in ways other than obedience to Allah. This indeed means a
lack of awareness and amounts toturning away from the Mercy and Bounty
of Allah Who says,
"But whosoever turns away from My Message, Verily for him is a life
narrowed down, and We shall raise Him up blind on the Day of Judgment.
He will say, 'My Lord, why have You raised me up blind while I had
sight (before)?' Allah will say, 'Thus did you, when our signs came
upon you, forget them; So will you be this day forgotten. And thus do
we recompense him who transgresses and believes not in the signs ofhis
Lord. And the chastisement of the Hereafter is far more grievous and
enduring." [Qur'an 20:124-127]. One feels so much pain in his heart
and is so much dismayed to find Muslim youth filling the sidewalks and
playgrounds during the most virtuous nights of Ramadan.
How so many are the sins and forbidden acts committed during the
nights of Ramadan! Yes, the Muslim must be truly concerned about the
manner in which Muslims spend their time. He must also be disturbed to
find Muslim youth spending their time in ways that arenot pleasing to
Allah. But do not worry. The path to your happiness and that ofyour
Muslim brothers is to call them to apply Islamic teachings (i.e. doing
da 'wah) and to make supplications for them. Yes, da 'wah to those
Muslims who have becomeunaware of their Islamic duties, and guiding
them to the Straight Path. Also, make supplications for them in their
absence that Allah may accept it from you and that they do not become
among those deprived of guidance./

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2d] How the Salaf Observed Ramadhan A Message to Every Muslim On the Occasion of this Blessed Month

2d]
7. Performing Umrah During Ramadan:
It has been established that the Prophet (pbuh) said, "An Umrah
performedin Ramadan is equal in reward to Hajj." [Related by AlBukhari
and Muslim). In another version the Prophet (pbuh) said, "The same
(reward) as performing Hajj with me." So, congratulations to you my
brother (who succeeds)in performing a pilgrimagewith the Prophet
(pbuh).
8. Anticipating Laylat Al-Qadr:
Allah the Almighty says,
"We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power. And
what will explain to you what the Night of Power is? The Night of
Power is better than a thousand months." [Qur'an 97:1-3).
The Prophet (pbuh) said, "He who observes laylat al-Qadr with sincere
faith and hope for the reward ofAllah will have his past sins
forgiven." [Related by AI-Bukhari and Muslim). The Prophet (pbuh) used
to look out for laylat al-Qadr and commanded his Companions also to
look out for it. He used to wake up his family members during the last
ten nights in the hope thatthey would succeed in meeting the blessed
night (in worship).
It is related in Musnad Ahmad from Ubada that the Prophet (pbuh said,
"Whoever stays awake in anticipation of laylat al-Qadr, and succeeds
in getting it, will have all of his sins both past and future
forgiven." [AlNasai reported a similar hadith, while Al-Hafidh Ibn
Hajar said that its chain meets the conditions for authenticity].
It has been reported that some of our predecessors among the
Companions and their successors took acomplete bath and used perfume
during the last ten nights (of Ramadan) inanticipation of laylat
al-Qadr, which has been highly honored by Allah.
So those of you who have wasted their time with nothing beneficial,
make up for what you have missed by observing the night of laylat
al-Qadr, as itis reckoned from your age.Good deeds undertaken in this
night are better than (the deeds of) a thousand months, and whoever is
deprived of its benefits hasindeed been much deprived.
9. Remembering Allah,Supplicating and Seeking Forgiveness
Dear brother, the days andnights of Ramadan are distinguished times,
so seize the opportunity by increasing your remembrance of Allah,
andmaking supplications, especially during the chosen periods when
they are more acceptable to Allah. These include:
*. When breaking the fast, since the fasting person'ssupplications are
not rejected.
*. The last third of the night, when our Lord descends and says, "Is
there anyone asking thatI may give;is there anyone seeking forgiveness
that I may forgive?"
*. Asking for forgiveness at dawn, as Allah says, "And in the hours of
early dawn, they (were found) praying for forgiveness." [Qur'an
51:18].
*. Looking out for the chosen hour on Friday when supplications are
answered. This hour is most likely to be the last hour of Friday
(before sunset).
Finally, dear brothers and sisters:
After this round in the garden of Paradise, under the shade of
righteous deeds, I would like to draw your attention to an important
issue. Do you know what that is? It is sincerity. Yes, sincerity. How
so many are the people who fast but benefit nothing other thanhunger
and thirst from their fast. And how so many are the people who stay
awake in worship but get nothing other than sleeplessness and fatigue.
May Allah save you and mefrom that kind of outcome.Consequently, we
find the Prophet (pbuh) stressing this matter when he said, "(Fasting)
with full faith and hoping for a reward from Allah." The Salaf
therefore used to do their righteous deeds secretly infear of falling
into showingoff.
Hence, we find this great Tabi'i, i.e. from the generation succeeding
the Companions of the Prophet, Ayyoub Al-Sakhtiyani, about whomHamad
Ibn Zayd said,"Sometimes, when studying hadith, Ayyoub would be so
moved and he would turn (away) to blow his nose. Then he would say,
'How severe this cold is! Pretending to be having a cold to hide his
weeping."
It has been reported that Muhammad Ibn Wasi' said,"I have known men
among whom there is one whose head would be placed beside that of his
wife on the same pillow, so that the part of the pillow under his
cheek would become wet from tears without his wife noticing it. I have
also known men, who while in the row for prayer, tears would pour down
their cheeks and the one next tothem would not notice it. Ayyoub
Al-Sakhtiyani used to remain awake for the entire night (in worship)
yet he would hide it. So when morning came, he raised his voice as if
he had woken up that instant.Ibn Adiy related that Dawud Ibn Abi Hind
fastedfor forty years without his family knowing about it. His
occupation was embroidery,

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