Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * The virtue of Taraaweeh prayers

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What is the virtue of Taraaweeh prayers?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Taraaweeh prayer is Sunnah mustahabbah (i.e., recommended) according to scholarly consensus, and comes under the heading of qiyaam al-layl (night prayers). It is supported by the evidence of the Qur’aan and Sunnah which encourages qiyaam al-layl and describes its virtues. We have already quoted some of this evidence in Question no. 50070.
Secondly:
Praying qiyaam in Ramadaan is one of the greatest acts of worship by means of which a person can draw closer to his Lord in this month. Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab said: Note that in the month of Ramadaan the believer engages in jihad al-nafs on two fronts: during the day by fasting and during the night by praying qiyaam. Whoever combines these two types of jihad will be given reward without limit.
There are some ahaadeeth which speak specifically about praying qiyaam in Ramadaan and describe the virtue of so doing. For example:
Al-Bukhaari (37) and Muslim (759) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays qiyaam in Ramadaan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”
“Whoever prays qiyaam in Ramadaan” means spends its nights in prayer.
“Out of faith” means, believing in Allaah’s promise of reward.
“And in the hope of reward” means, seeking the reward and with no other intention such as showing off etc.
“Will be forgiven his previous sins”:
Ibn al-Mundhir was certain that this includes both minor and major sins, but al-Nawawi said: What is known among the fuqaha’ is that this applies only to forgiveness of minor sins, not major sins. Some of them said: It may mean that the burden of major sins is reduced, so long as so long as there are no minor sins.
FromFath al-Baari.
Thirdly:
The believer should be keen to strive in worship in the last ten nights of Ramadaan more than at other times, because in these ten nights is Laylat al-Qadr, of which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months”
[al-Qadr 97:3]
Concerning the reward of qiyaam on this night, it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends Laylat al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1768; Muslim, 1268.
Hence the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to strive hard in worship in the last ten nights as he did not do at other times.
Narrated by Muslim, 1175.
Al-Bukhaari (2024) and Muslim (1174) narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “When the last ten days began, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would tie his lower garment (izaar) tight and stay up at night, and wake his family.”
“The last ten days” means the last ten days of Ramadaan.
“tie his lower garment (izaar) tight” - it was said that this is a metaphor for striving hard in worship, or for keeping away from his wives, and it may be that it includes both meanings.
“stay up at night” means staying up and praying and doing other acts of worship.
“and wake his family” means, he would wake them up to pray at night.
Al-Nawawi said:
This hadeeth indicates that it is mustahabb to do more acts of worship during the last ten nights of Ramadaan, and to stay up at night to worship.
Fourthly:
We should be keen to pray qiyaam al-layl in Ramadaan in congregation, and to stay with the imam until he finishes praying. In this way the worshipper will attain the reward for praying the whole night, even if he only spends a short part of the night in prayer. And Allaah is the Owner of great bounty.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The scholars are agreed that it is mustahabb to pray Taraaweeh, but they differed as to whether it is better for a person to pray on his own at home or in congregation in the mosque. Al-Shaafa’i and most of his companions, Abu Haneefah, Ahmad and some of the Maalikis and others said that it is better to pray it in congregation, as ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab and the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) did and as the Muslims continued to do.
Al-Tirmidhi (806) narrated that Abu Dharr said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays qiyaam with the imam until he finishes, will be recorded as having spent the whole night in prayer.”
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
And Allaah knows best.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Praying Taraweeh in the mosque in congregation is better than praying at home

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Is it better to do Taraweeh in congregation in the mosque, or to pray it at home?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Praying Taraweh in congregation in the mosque is better than praying at home.
This is indicated by the Sunnah and the actions of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them).
1 – al-Bukhaari (1129) and Muslim (761) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed one night in the mosque, and the people followed him in prayer. Then he prayed the next night, and many people came. Then they gathered on the third or fourth night, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not come out to them. The next morning he said: “I saw what you did, and nothing kept me from coming out to you except the fact that I feared that it would be made obligatory for you.” And that was in Ramadaan.
This indicates that praying Taraweeh in congregation is prescribed according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he refrained from doing it because he feared that it would be made obligatory for the ummah. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, this reservation was no longer required, because the sharee’ah was established.
2 – al-Tirmidhi (806) narrated that Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays qiyaam – i.e., Taraweeh – with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the whole night in prayer.”
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
3 – al-Bukhaari (2010) narrated that ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Qaari said: I went out with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) to the mosque one night in Ramadaan, and the people were scattered, each man praying by himself. Some men would pray and have groups of people behind them following them. ‘Umar said: “I think that if I unite all these people with one reader, it will be better. Then he resolved to gather them behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b.
al-Haafiz said:
Ibn al-Teen and others said that ‘Umar based this decision on the Prophet’s approval of those who prayed with him on those nights. Although he disliked that for them, that was based on the fear that it might be made obligatory for them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, there was no longer any fear of that happening, and ‘Umar thought, because of the potential division that might arise from people praying separately, and because uniting them behind one reader is more motivating for many people. The majority agreed with ‘Umar’s decision. End quote fromFath al-Baari.
Al-Nawawi said inal-Majmoo’, 3/526:
Praying Taraweeh is Sunnah according to scholarly consensus… It is permissible to offer this prayer alone or in congregation, but which is better? There are two well-known opinions on this matter. The correct view according to the consensus of our companions is that praying it in congregation is better. The second view is that it is better to pray it individually.
Our companions said: The difference of opinion has to do with one who has memorized the Qur’aan; there is no fear that he may become lazy and neglect it if he prays on his own, and the congregation in the mosque is not going to be affected if he stays away. But if one of these factors is absent, then praying in congregation is better, and there is no difference of scholarly opinion on this point.
The author ofal-Shaamilsaid: Abu’l-‘Abbaas and Abu Ishaaq said that praying Taraweeh in congregation is better than praying it individually, because of the consensus of the Sahaabah and the consensus of the scholars of the regions on this point. End quote.
Ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad and Ishaaq favoured praying with the imam during the month of Ramadaan.
It says inTuhfat al-Ahwadhi:
In the book on night prayer (qiyaam): it was said to Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Do you prefer a man to pray with the people in Ramadaan or on his own? He said: He should pray with the people. He said: And I prefer that he should pray with the imam and pray Witr with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a man prays qiyaam with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the rest of the night (in prayer).” Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “He should pray with the people until he prays Witr with them, and he should not leave until the imam leaves. Abu Dawood said: I saw him (Imam Ahmad) – in the month of Ramadaan, praying Witr with his imam, except on one night when I did not attend. Ishaaq (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I said to Ahmad: Is praying qiyaam in Ramadaan in congregation dearer to you or praying on one’s own? He said: I prefer that this prayer should be offered in congregation, so as to revive the Sunnah. And Ishaaq said the same. End quote.
Seeal-Mughni, 1/457.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said inMajaalis Shahr Ramadaan, p. 22:
At first the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray Taraweeh in congregation in the mosque, then he stopped because he feared that it might be made obligatory upon his ummah…
Then he quoted the two ahaadeeth quoted above. Then he said:
No man should keep away from Taraweeh prayer lest he misses out on the reward for it. And he should not leave until the imam finishes Taraweeh and Witr, so that he may attain the reward of spending the whole night in prayer. End quote.
Al-Albaani said inQiyaam Ramadaan: Rather it (praying Taraweeh in congregation) is better than praying it alone, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did it himself and explained its virtue.
Rather he did not lead them in praying it in congregation for the rest of the month because he feared that praying at night during Ramadaan might be made obligatory for them, and they would be unable to do that, as it says in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah which is narrated inal-Saheehaynand elsewhere. This concern no longer applied after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died and Allaah had completed Islam. Hence the reason for not praying in congregation when offering night prayers in Ramadaan was no longer present, and the previous ruling remained in effect, which is that it is prescribed to offer this prayer in congregation. Hence ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) revived it, as it says inSaheeh al-Bukhaariand elsewhere. End quote.
It says inal-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah(27/138):
From the time of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and the Muslims regularly offered Taraweeh prayer in congregation. ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) is the one who united the people in offering the prayer behind a single imam.
Asad ibn ‘Amr ibn Abi Yoosuf said: I asked Abu Haneefah about Taraweeh and what ‘Umar did. He said: Taraweeh is a confirmed Sunnah, and ‘Umar did not base his decision on speculation and he was not introducing bid’ah (an innovation). He did not enjoin it except because of what he knew from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). ‘Umar introduced this and gathered the people behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b and he offered this prayer in congregation, at the time when the Sahaabah – the Muhaajireen and Ansaar – were still alive, and no one among them objected to that, rather they helped him and agreed with him, and also enjoined it. End quote.
And Allaah knows best.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Is it essential for him to stay with the imam until the end of Taraweeh prayer in orderto be rewarded?

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One of the imams stated that it is essential to complete Taraweeh prayer with the imam and not to leave halfway through, because what you have done with him, whether it is two rak’ahs or four, will not count for you. Is this correct?.
Praise be to Allaah.
This view is undoubtedly incorrect. It is not permissible for anyone to attribute to Islam something that is not part of it. Allaah has forbidden us to speak of Him without knowledge, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad): (But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al‑Fawaahish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge”
[al-A’raaf 7:33]
Whoever stands with the imam until he has completed the prayer, it is equivalent to spending the whole night in prayer.
It was narrated that Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever stands with the imaam until he finishes, it is equivalent to spending the whole night in prayer.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 806; Abu Dawood, 1375; al-Nasaa’i, 1605; Ibn Maajah, 1327. Classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaymah (3/337), Ibn Hibbaan (3/340) and al-Albaani inIrwa’ al-Ghaleel, 447.
This reward (the reward of spending the whole night in prayer) is not attained by anyone except the one who stands with the imam for the whole prayer, until he completes it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said.
As for the one who prays as much as he can and then leaves before the imam has completed his prayer, only what he has prayed will be recorded for him, but it will not be recorded as if he spent the entire night in prayer. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it.
8. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it”
[al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]
Perhaps your imam wanted to say that but he expressed it incorrectly, or perhaps you did not really understand what he meant.
And Allaah knows best.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * What ismeant by even-numbered and odd-numberedprayers

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It is well known that the Sunnah mu’akkadah (confirmed Sunnah) prayers include both even-numbered (al-shaf’) and odd-numbered (al-witr). Is there a hadeeth which speaks of the even-numbered prayers?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaf’ in Arabic refers to pairs or even numbers, and is the opposite of witr which means odd-numbered. The proven Sunnah prayers that are to be offered after ‘Isha’ prayer are of three types:
1- The Sunnah prayer after ‘Isha’ – two rak’ahs
2- Qiyaam al-layl, during which one may pray however many rak’ahs one wishes, two by two.
3- Witr – which may be offered with one rak'ah or with three, five, seven or nine.
See the answer to question no. 46544
If a person chooses to pray Witr with three rak'ahs, he may either pray them one after another with one tashahhud, or he may pray two rak’ahs then say the salaam, then pray one rak’ah.
The majority of scholars are of the view that the least proper form of Witr is to pray three rak’ahs, whether one does that joined together or separately. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The least perfect of Witr is to pray two rak’ahs and say the salaam, then perform one rak'ah and say the salaam. It is permissible to do it with one salaam, but with one tashahhud and not two, because if you do it with two tashahhuds it will resemble Maghrib prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade making it resemble Maghrib prayer. End quote fromal-Sharh al-Mumti’, 4/21
Ibn Hibbaan (2435) narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them) that he used to separate between his even-numbered prayer (shaf’) and odd-numbered prayer (witr) with a tasleem, and he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do that. Al-Haafiz said inal-Fath(2/482): its isnaad is qawiy (strong)
This hadeeth indicates that what is meant by al-shaf’ is two rak'ahs before the one rak'ah of witr.
Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his essay on Taraweeh prayer, after describing the various characteristics of Witr prayer that are narrated in the Sunnah:
To sum up: from the above we see that praying Witr in any of these ways is permissible. Praying three rak'ahs with two tashahhuds like Maghrib prayer is not mentioned in any saheeh hadeeth, rather it is makrooh. Hence our view is that one should not sit between the two rak’ahs and the one rak'ah; if a person sits he should say the salaam. This is better. End quote.
Some people think that al-shaf’ refers to the Sunnah prayer that follows ‘Isha’, but that is not correct.
It says inFataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah(7/255):
The Sunnah prayer that comes after ‘Isha’ is two rak’ahs, unlike al-shaf’ and al-witr. End quote.
And Allaah knows best.

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