Taraaweeh prayers, - Dought&clear, - * Can theperson prayingbehind the imam read something from the Mushaf other than what the imam is reciting?

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I pray behind the imam in Taraweeh prayers, but after saying ameen and reciting al-Faatihah, I read from the Mushaf that is in my hand, for my own completion of the Qur’aan, then I follow the imam in the rest of the prayer. Is it permissible for me to read from the Mushaf after al-Faatihah, knowing that I am reading a different soorah than the imam?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
What the person praying behind the imam should do is to recite al-Faatihah then listen attentively to the recitation of his imam. It is not permissible for him to recite anything more than al-Faatihah, whether he recites it from memory or from the Mushaf.
Allaah has commanded worshippers and others to listen attentively when the Qur’aan is recited to them. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy”
[al-A’raaf 7:204]
A similar command was issued by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It was narrated that Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The imam has been appointed to be followed, so when he says takbeer, then say takbeer, and when he recites, then listen attentively.” Narrated by Muslim, 404.
No exception is made from that apart from the recitation of al-Faatihah only.
It was narrated that ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: We were behind the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Fajr prayer, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited and the recitation became difficult for him. When he had finished he said: “Perhaps you were reciting behind your imam?” We said: Yes, that is so, O Messenger of Allaah. He said: “Do not do that, except for the Opening of the Book (al-Faatihah), for there is no prayer for the one who does not recite it.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 823; classed as saheeh by Shaykh Ibn Baaz in hisFataawa, 11/221.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is not permissible for the one who is praying behind the imam in a prayer in which Qur’aan is recited out loud to recite anything more than al-Faatihah, rather after that he must remain silent and listen attentively to the recitation of the imam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Perhaps you were reciting behind your imam?” We said: Yes, that is so, O Messenger of Allaah. He said: “Do not do that, except for the Opening of the Book (al-Faatihah), for there is no prayer for the one who does not recite it.” And because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy”, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When he recites, then listen attentively.”
With regard to the exception that is made with regard to al-Faatihah only, that is because of the hadeeth quoted above, and because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book.” Saheeh – agreed upon. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 11/234
Secondly: In the answer to question no. 52876, it says that the person who is praying behind the imam should not hold the Mushaf behind his imam, and that holding it is contrary to the Sunnah. This applies if he is following the recitation of his imam. But if he is carrying the Mushaf and reading something other than what his imam is reciting, then this is haraam, as stated above, because it is not permissible for the person who is praying behind the imam in a prayer in which Qur’aan is recited out loud to recite anything more than al-Faatihah. And Allaah knows best.

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Taraaweeh prayers, - Dought&clear, - * Should he pray behindthose who pray Witr with three rak’ahs and two tashahhuds and one salaam, and they recite qunoot before bowing?

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In the Islamic centre where I pray, they follow the Hanafi madhhab, and they pray witr with three rak’ahs, separated by a tashahhud in the second rak’ah, after which they do not say salaam, rather they stand up for the third rak’ah, and after reciting al-Faatihah and another soorah, they say takbeer but they do not bow, rather they recite du’aa’ al-tahajjud silently, then they say takbeer and bow. Is this valid? If not, what should we do?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
What the imam and the worshippers did, praying Witr with three rak’ahs, two tashahhuds and one salaam, and reciting qunoot before bowing, are issues concerning which there is a well-known scholarly difference of opinion between the Hanafis and the majority of scholars. There is something makrooh about praying Witr in this manner. Praying Witr with three rak’ahs may be done in two ways, both of which are Islamically acceptable. They are as follows:
1 – Praying the three rak’ahs one after another, with one tashahhud and one tasleem.
2 – Praying two rak’ahs then saying the salaam, then praying one rak’ah on its own.
You will find a detailed discussion of both ways, along with the evidence for them, in the answer to question no. 46544.
As for praying three rak’ahs with two tashahhuds and one salaam, it is narrated that this is not allowed and at the very least it is makrooh. We have quoted the fatwas of scholars forbidding this in the answers to questions no. 72246and 26844.
With regard to reciting qunoot before bowing, there is evidence for this in the saheeh Sunnah. Those who say that qunoot should be recited after bowing also have evidence. There is no reason for denouncing, let alone disputing, let alone doing what is worse than that, namely refusing to pray behind that imam.
The issue of qunoot in Witr has been discussed in the answer to question no. 14093.
Secondly:
There is nothing wrong with praying behind them, even if they pray in the manner that you have described, because what they are doing is following a mujtahid imam, so there is no justification for refusing to pray behind them or causing division amongst them, especially since you are living in a kaafir land and whatever troubles arise among you will reflect badly on Islam.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The scholars differed concerning a situation where the imam does not do what the person praying behind him believes to be obligatory, such as not reciting the Basmalah when the person praying behind him believes that this is obligatory, or he has touched his private part without doing wudoo’ afterwards, when the person praying behind him believes wudoo’ to be obligatory in that case, or he prays wearing the skins of dead animals that have been tanned, when the person praying behind him thinks that tanning does not purify, or he has been treated by means of cupping and did not do wudoo’ afterwards, and the person praying behind him thinks that wudoo’ must be done after cupping. The definitively correct view is that the prayer of the one praying behind the imam is valid even if the imam follows the wrong view with regard to a disputed issue, because it is proven inal-Saheehthat the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They lead in you in prayer, and if they do right, it is for you and for them, and if they do wrong, it is for you and against them.”
Similarly, if the worshipper follows an imam who does qunoot in Fajr or Witr, he should pray qunoot with him, whether that is before bowing or after, and if he does not do qunoot, he should not do qunoot with him. If the imam thinks that it is mustahabb to do a certain thing in prayer but the one who is praying behind him does not think that is the case and he (the imam) decides not to do it for the sake of harmony and unity, that is better.
An example of that is Witr, concerning which there are three views among the scholars:
1 – That it should be three rak’ahs one after another, like Maghrib, as was the view of some of the people of Iraq.
2 – That it should only be one rak’ah performed separately from whatever comes before, as was the view of some of the people of the Hijaz.
3 – That both are permissible, as is the apparent view of al-Shaafa’i, Ahmad and others. This is correct view, although they preferred that it should be done separately from whatever came before.
If the imam thinks that it should be done separately, and the congregation thinks that Witr should be done like Maghrib, and he agrees to do that so as to create harmony, that is better, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Aa’ishah: “Were it not that your people have only recently left Jaahiliyyah behind, I would have razed the Ka’bah to the ground and rebuilt it with two doors, one through which the people might enter and one through which they might exit.” But he decided not to do that which was better, lest it put the people off. End quote.
Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 2/476
And Allaah knows best.

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Taraaweeh prayers, - Dought&clear, - * Is Witr prayer different from the night prayer?

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Is there a difference between Witr prayer and the night prayer?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Witr prayer is part of the night prayer, but there is still a difference between them.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Witr is part of the night prayer, and it is Sunnah and it is the end of the night prayer, one rak’ah with which one concludes the night prayers at the end of the night, or in the middle of the night, or at the beginning of the night after ‘Isha’ prayer. You pray whatever you can, then you conclude it with one rak’ah. End quote.
Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/309
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The Sunnah – both in word and in deed – distinguishes between the night prayers and witr prayer. The scholars also distinguished between them with regard to the ruling and the way in which they are done.
With regard to differentiation made in the Sunnah, according to the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): How are the night prayers done? He said: “Two by two, then when you fear that dawn is about to break, pray Witr with one rak’ah.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari. Seeal-Fath, 3/20.
With regard to the way in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) differentiated between them in his actions, according to the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her): The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray when I was lying down across his bed. When he wanted to pray Witr, he would wake me up and I would pray Witr. Narrated by al-Bukhaari. Seeal-Fath, 2/487. Also narrated by Muslim (1/51) with the wording: “He used to offer his prayers at night when I was lying in front of him.” Then when only Witr was left, he would wake her up and she would pray witr. And Muslim also narrated (1/508) that she said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray thirteen rak’ahs at night, five of which were witr, in which he would not sit except at the end. And he narrated from her (1/513) that when Sa’d ibn Hishaam said to her: “Tell me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),” she said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray nine rak'ahs during which he would not sit except in the eighth rak’ah, when he would remember Allaah and praise Him and call upon Him, then he would get up without saying the salaam, then he would stand and pray the ninth rak’ah, then he would sit and remember Allaah (dhikr) and praise Him and call upon Him, then he would say a tasleem that we could hear.”
With regard to the way in which the scholars differentiated between the ruling on witr and the night prayers, the scholars differed as to whether Witr is obligatory. Abu Haneefah was of the view that it is obligatory, and this was narrated from Ahmed inal-Insaafandal-Furoo’. Ahmad said: Whoever fails to pray Witr deliberately is a bad man whose testimony should not be accepted.
The well known view in our madhhab is that witr is Sunnah. This is the view of Maalik and al-Shaafa’i.
With regard to the night prayers, there is no such scholarly dispute. InFathal-Baari(3/27) it says: I have not seen anyone narrate the view that it is obligatory except for some of the Taabi’een. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: Some of the Taabi’een held an odd view and said that qiyaam al-layl is obligatory, even if it is done only for the length of time that it takes to milk a sheep. But the view of the majority of scholars is that it is recommended. End quote.
With regard to the scholars’ differentiating between the ways in which witr and the night prayers are done, our Hanbali fuqaha’ have clearly stated that they are done differently. They said: The night prayers are done two by two, and they said concerning witr: witr may be prayed with five, or seven, rak’ahs, in which one does not sit except in the last one. If a person prays witr with nine rak’ahs, he should sit immediately after the eighth rak’ah and recite the tashahhud, then he should stand up before saying the salaam and do the ninth rak’ah, then he should say the tashahhud and the salaam. This is what was stated by the author ofZaad al-Mustaqni’. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 13/262-264.
Thus it is clear that witr prayer is part of the night prayers, but it differs from them in some minor details such as how it is done.
And Allaah knows best.

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Taraaweeh prayers, - Dought&clear, - * Is it permissible to pray Witr with nine rak’ahs, two tashahhuds and one salaam?

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What is the ruling on praying Taraweeh in congregation in the mosque, with nine rak’ahs and a tashahhud after the eighth rak’ah, and another tashahhud after the ninth rak’ah, followed by the salaam? Some people say that this is bid’ah (an innovation).
I hope that you can tell me the ruling with the evidence, supported by the comments of earlier and later scholars.
Praise be to Allaah.
The best way of praying Taraweeh is to pray eleven rak'ahs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do during Ramadaan and at other times. He used to pray two by two, then pray Witr with three. If a worshipper does more or less than eleven rak’ahs, there is nothing wrong with that. We have explained that in the answer to question no. 9036.
As for the way of praying Witr that is asked about here, it is one of the ways of praying Witr. It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked about the Witr of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and she said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray nine rak'ahs during which he would not sit except in the eighth rak’ah, when he would remember Allaah and praise Him and call upon Him, then he would get up without saying the salaam, then he would stand and pray the ninth rak’ah, then he would sit and remember Allaah (dhikr) and praise Him and call upon Him, then he would say a tasleem that we could hear.” Narrated by Muslim, 746.
Ibn al-Qayyim said, explaining the various ways in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Witr:
The fifth way is nine rak’ahs in which he would pray eight of them continuously, and did not sit at all except in the eighth, when he sat and remembered Allaah and praised Him and called upon Him, then he got up without saying the salaam, then he prayed the ninth rak’ah, then he sat and recited the tashahhud and said the salaam, then he prayed two rak’ahs sitting down after he said the salaam. End quote.
Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/317
Some people think that these ahaadeeth contradict one another, because it is proven inal-Saheehaynthat the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed at night two by two (rak’ahs), but that is not the case, because this hadeeth was narrated concerning qiyaam al-layl, but the way of praying that we have mentioned and that is mentioned in the question was narrated concerning Witr prayer.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, after quoting the ahaadeeth about the ways in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Witr:
All of these are saheeh ahaadeeth which do not contradict one another. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The night prayers are two by two,” which is a saheeh hadeeth. But at the same time he prayed witr with nine or seven or five rak’ahs. All of his Sunnahs are true and confirm one another. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) answered the one who asked him about the night prayers by saying that they are two by two, and he did not ask him about Witr. As for seven or five or nine or one, this has to do with Witr prayer. Witr refers to the one rak’ah that is offered separately from the prayers that are offered before it, as well as the five, seven or nine are joined to one another, just as Maghrib is the name for three rak’ahs that are joined to one another. If the five or seven are separated with two salaams like the eleven, then Witr is the name given to the rak’ah that is performed separately, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The night prayers are two by two, and when one of you fears that dawn is about to break, let him pray witr with one rak’ah, to make the prayer that he has offered odd-numbered.” So the actions and words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are in agreement, and they confirm one another. End quote.
I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een, 2/424, 425
In the answer to question no. 52875we have explained that Witr prayer is part of the night prayer, but they differ in the way that they are done.
Based on this, Taraweeh prayers cannot be offered as nine rak'ahs joined together with two tashahhuds and one salaam, rather the prayer that is offered in this manner is Witr.
And Allaah knows best.

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