1] Should Taraweeh prayer be offered individually or in congregation? Is completing the Qur’aan in Ramadaan bid’ah?

1]
I have heard from some people that it is recommended to pray taraweeh
indivually as the prophet preyed it individually except 3 times, is
this true? I also heard that it is a bid'ah to recite the whole Quran
during taraweeh in ramadan as the prophet never did this, is this
true.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is prescribed to offer the night prayers in Ramadaan in
congregation or individually, but it is better to do it in
congregation than to do itindividually. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his companions in offering these
prayers in congregation on several nights.
It is proven in al-Saheehayn that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) led his companions in prayer (Taraweeh) for
several nights, then on the third or fourth night he did not come out
to them. When morning came he said: "Nothing prevented me from coming
out to you except the fact that I feared that it would be made
obligatory for you."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1129. According to the version narrated by
Muslim (761): "But I feared that night prayers would be made
obligatory for you and you would not be able to do them."
Offering Taraweeh prayer in congregation is something that is
established by the Sunnahof the Prophet (peace andblessings of Allaah
be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
stated the reason why he did not persist in offering this prayer in
congregation, which is that he feared that it might be made
obligatory. This reason cased to be applicable after the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, because when he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, the wahy
(revelation) ceased and there was no longer any worry that it might be
made obligatory. Once thereason, which was the fear of it being made
obligatory, disappeared with the cessation of the wahy, then the fact
that itis Sunnah to offer this prayer in congregation resumed.
See al-Sharh al-Mumti' by Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 4/78.
Imam Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This indicates that prayingqiyaam in Ramadaan is one of the Sunnahs of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and is
recommended and encouraged. It was not introduced by 'Umar ibn
al-Khattaab, rather he revived something that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) lovedand approved of.
Nothing stopped him from doing itregularly except the fear that it
might be made obligatory upon his ummah. He (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was kind and compassionate towards his ummah.
'Umar knew from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) that the obligatory duties would not be increased or
decreased after his death (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
so he revived this practice and enjoined it upon the people. That
happened in 14 AH, and 'Umar has the honour of being the one who
revived this Sunnah.
Al-Tamheed, 8/108, 109
After the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) prayed Taraweeh
in small groups and individually, until 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him) united them behind a single imam.
It was narrated that 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn 'Abd al-Qaari' said: I went
out with 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) one
night in Ramadaan to the mosque, and the people were scattered, with
one man praying by himself and another with a group of men following
his prayer. 'Umar said: "I think that if I gather thembehind one
reader, it will be better." Then he decided to unite them behind Ubayy
ibn Ka'b. Then I went out with him on another night, and the people
were praying behind their reader. 'Umarsaid: "What a good innovation
this is. But the prayer that they forget about and sleep is better
than the one they are offering." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1906.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said, when refuting the view of thosewho
quoted 'Umar's words "What a good innovation this is" as meaning that
innovation (bid'ah) is permissible:
With regard to qiyaam in Ramadaan, the Messengerof Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) introduced thisto his ummah, and he
led them in prayer for a number of nights, becauseat his time they
used to pray in congregation and individually. But he did not persist
in leading them in one congregation, lest that be made obligatory for
them.When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
died, sharee'ahwas established (and would not change after that). When
'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) became caliph, he united them
behind one imam,:->

Staying up on Laylat al-Qadr and the ruling on celebrating it

How should we spend thenight of Laylat al-Qadr? Is it by praying,
reading Qur'aan and the Seerah (Prophet's biography), listening to
sermons and lessons and celebrating that in the mosque?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
used to strive hard in worship during the last ten nights of Ramadaan
as he did not do at other times, praying and reading Qur'aan.
Al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased
with her) that when the last ten days of Ramadaan began, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would stay up at night,
wake his family and tie his lower garmenttight. According to Ahmadand
Muslim: he would strive hard in worship during the last ten nights of
Ramadaan as he did not do at other times.
Secondly:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged us to
spend the night of Laylat al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the
hope of reward. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "Whoever spends the night of Laylat al-Qadr in prayer
out of faith and in the hope of reward, will be forgiven his previous
sins."
This was narrated by the group apart from Ibn Maajah. This hadeeth
indicates that it is prescribed to stay up and spend this night in
prayer.
Thirdly:
One of the best du'aa's that can be recited on Laylat al-Qadr is that
which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught
'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). It was narrated by
al-Tirmidhi, who classed it as saheeh, that 'Aa'ishah said: I said: "O
Messenger of Allaah, If I know which night is Laylat al-Qadr, what
should I say?" He said: "Say: Allaahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibb
al-'afwa fa'fu 'anni (O Allaah, You are All-Forgiving and You love
forgiveness so forgive me)."
Fourthly:
With regard to singling out one night of Ramadaan and regarding that
as Laylat al-Qadr, thisrequires evidence. But theodd-numbered nights
during the last ten nights are more likely than others, and the night
of the twenty-seventh is more likely to be Laylat al-Qadr, because of
the ahaadeeth which indicate that.
Fifthly:
With regard to bid'ah (innovation), it is not permissible either in
Ramadaan or at other times. It was proven that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever innovates
anything in this matter of ours [Islam] that is not part of it will
have it rejected." And he said: "Whoever does any actionthat is not
part of this matter of ours will have itrejected."
With regard to the celebrations that are held on some nights of
Ramadaan, we know of no basis for that. The best guidance is the
guidance of Muhammad and the worst of matters are those which are
innovated.
And Allaah is the Source ofstrength. May Allaah send blessings and
peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah,

Is the du’aa’ of Witr obligatory, and what should a person say if he cannot memorize it?

I have noticed that it takes me time to learn a certain dua or surah
by heart .i know that dua -e -qunood is farz in 3 witr prayer of the
isha prayer...i always used to read some other surah instead of this
dua as i didnot know the dua by heart but i recently found out that it
is farz so i triedto learn the dua but it is taking me time...so for
several days i have been doing this that when i do 3 witr , in the
third rakah iread from a book which i pick up from the side table
during the prayer..i still face the qiblah when ipick it up, infact i
do not have to move to pick it up....i want to know if thatis allowed
that u read a surah or dua from a book during the prayer.
Praise be to Allaah.
1 – There is noting wrong with reading the du'aa' of Qunoot from a
piece of paper or a booklet in Witrprayer until one is able to
memorize it, after which you can stop reading it and can recite it
from memory. It is also permissible to recite Qur'aan from the Mus-haf
during naafil prayers for those who have not memorized a lot of
Qur'aan.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked about the ruling on reading Qur'aan from the
Mus-haf in Taraaweeh prayer, and what the evidence is for that from
the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
He replied:
There is nothing wrong with reading from the Mus-haf when praying at
night during Ramadaan because that will enable the believers to hear
all ofthe Qur'aan. And because the evidence of sharee'ah from the
Qur'aan and Sunnah indicates that it is prescribed to recite Qur'aan
in prayer, which includes both reading it from the Mus-haf and
reciting it by heart. It was narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) that she told herfreed slave Dhakwaan to lead her in
praying night prayers during Ramadaan,and he used to read from the
Mus-haf. This was narrated by al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on
him) in his Saheeh, in amu'allaq majzoom report.
Fataawa Islamiyyah, 2/155
2 – It is not obligatory for the du'aa' of Qunoot to bein the words
narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him);
rather it is permissible for the worshipper to say other words or to
add to them. Even if he were to recite verses from the Qur'aan that
include words of supplication, that would be sufficient. Al-Nawawi
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Note that there is no specific
du'aa' for Qunoot according to the preferred point of view. Any du'aa'
that is said will serve as Qunoot, even if one recites a verse or
verses from the Qur'aan that include words of supplication, thiswill
count as Qunoot, but it is better to recite the words that were
narrated in the Sunnah.
Al-Adhkaar al-Nawawiyyah, p. 50
3 – As for what the brother mentions about reciting Qur'aan instead
ofthe du'aa' of Qunoot, there is no doubt that he should not do this,
because the purpose behind Qunoot is du'aa' orsupplication. Hence if
these verses include words of supplication, it ispermissible to recite
themas Qunoot, for example, the verse in which Allaah says
(interpretation of themeaning):
"Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have
guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower"
[Aal 'Imraan 3:8]
4 – With regard to what the brother says about Qunoot being
obligatory, this is not correct, becauseQunoot is Sunnah. Based on
this, if a worshipper omits Qunoot, his prayer is still valid.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about
theruling on reciting the du'aa' of Qunoot in Witr during the nights
of Ramadaan, and whether it is permissible to omit it.
He replied:
Qunoot is Sunnah in Witr and if a person omits it sometimes, there is
nothing wrong with that.
And he was asked about aperson who always recites Qunoot in Witr every
night – was that narrated from our forebears (the salaf)?
He replied:
There is nothing wrong with that, rather it is Sunnah, because when
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught
al-Husayn ibn 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) to say Qunoot in
Witr, he did not tell him to omit it sometimes or todo it all the
time. This indicates that either is permissible. Hence it was narrated
that when Ubayyibn Ka'b (may Allaah be pleased with him) led the
Sahaabah in prayer in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), he used to omit Qunoot some
nights;perhaps that was in order to teach the people that itis not
obligatory. And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Fataawa Islamiyyah, 2/159.

If he missed something at the beginning of Taraweeh, how can he make it up?

If I enter the mosque late for 'Isha' prayer and I missed the 'Isha'
prayer incongregation and I pray iton my own, and I am late in joining
the Taraweeh prayers because of doing 'Isha', and I miss two rak'ahs
of Taraweeh, how should I do these two rak'ahs? Alone or what?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If you miss 'Isha' and you arrive when the imam is praying Taraweeh,
it is better for you to join him with the intention of praying 'Isha'.
When he says the salaam, you should complete your prayer and not pray
aloneor with another jamaa'ah (congregation), so that there will not
be two jamaa'ahs at the same time, which may lead to distraction due
to the intermingling of voices.
Secondly:
As for what you have missed of Taraweeh, if you wish you may do it, so
you may pray two rak'ahs when the imam prays Witr, then pray what you
missed, then pray Witr.
What is meant by prayingtwo rak'ahs when the imam prays Witr is that
you do not say salaam with him when he ends his Witr, rather you
should stand up and pray another rak'ah, then say the salaam.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: If I
join the people when theyare praying Taraweeh andI have missed part of
it, should I make up what I have missed after Witr or what should I
do?
He replied: Do not make up what you have missed after Witr, rather if
you want to make up what you have missed, then pray two rak'ahs when
the imam prays Witr, thenoffer the prayers you missed, then pray Witr.
Here there is an issue to which attention should bedrawn: If you
arrive whenthe imam is praying Taraweeh and you did notpray 'Isha'
yet, what should you do? Should you pray 'Isha' on your own or join
the imam in Taraweeh with the intention of praying 'Isha'?
The answer is that you should join the imam in Taraweeh with the
intention of praying 'Isha'.When the imam says salaam from Taraweeh,
then stand up and make up the rest of 'Isha'. ImamAhmad (may Allaah
have mercy on him) mentionedthe exact same issue, and this was also
the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and this is the
correct view, because the correct view is that it is permissible to
offer an obligatory prayer in congregation behind an imam who is
offering a naafil prayer, based on the evidence of the hadeeth of
Mu'aadh ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said that he
used to pray 'Isha' with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), then he would go back to his people and lead them in
offering that prayer – it was naafil for him and obligatory for them.
End quote from al-Liqa' al-Shahri.
It is better for you to make it up in congregation if you can, but if
that is not possible then there is nothing wrong with you making itup
on your own.
And Allaah knows best.