Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Taraweeh prayer for one who is travelling

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Since the rituals of Ramadaan are very special for every Muslim who becomes obviously religiously active. I would like to ask about a traveler’s taraweeh prayer.
Praise be to Allaah.
Taraweeh prayer in Ramadaan is qiyaam al-layl, and Allaah praises those who do it in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
“They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allaah) and praying, with fear and hope]”
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:17].
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed qiyaam in Ramadaan and at other times, and he did not stop praying qiyaam whether he was travelling or not.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: He (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) did not stop praying qiyaam whether he was travelling or not. If he was overcome by sleep or pain, he would pray twelve rak’ahs during the day. End quote fromZaad al-Ma’aad(1/311).
Al-Bukhaari (945) narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to prayqiyaam al-laylatop his camel when he was travelling, no matter what direction it was facing, gesturing to represent the movements of the prayer, apart from the obligatory prayers, and he would pray Witr atop his camel.
And al-Bukhaari narrated that Saalim ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to pray atop his mount at night when he was travelling, and he did not care what direction it was facing. Ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray naafil prayers atop his camel, no matter what direction it was facing, and he would pray Witr like that too, but he did not pray the prescribed prayers like that.
The naafil prayers that the traveller may omit are the regular Sunnah prayers before and after Zuhr and the regular Sunnah prayers of Maghrib and ‘Isha’ only. As for all other regular Sunnah and naafil prayers, they are prescribed for both travellers and non-travellers.
Muslim narrated in hisSaheeh(1112) that Hafs ibn ‘Aasim ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: “I accompanied Ibn ‘Umar on the way to Makkah. He led us in praying two rak’ahs of Zuhr prayer, then he left and we left with him until he came to where his luggage was. He sat down and we sat with him, then he looked towards the place where we had prayed, and he saw some people standing and he asked, ‘What are these people doing?’ I said, ‘They are praying voluntary prayers.’ He said, ‘If I wanted to pray (naafil or Sunnah prayers) after the fard prayer I would have completed my prayer (i.e., not shortened it).’ O son of my brother, I accompanied the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whilst travelling and he did not add anything to these two rak’ahs until Allaah took him (in death); and I accompanied Abu Bakr and he did not add anything to these two rak’ahs until Allaah took him (in death); and I accompanied ‘Umar and he did not add anything to these two rak’ahs until Allaah took him (in death); and I accompanied ‘Uthmaan and he did not add anything to these two rak’ahs until Allaah took him (in death). And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
‘Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow’
[al-Ahzaab 33:21].”
The phrase “If I wanted to pray (naafil or Sunnah prayers) after the fard prayer I would have completed my prayer” means: If I had chosen to pray naafil prayers, then completing my obligatory prayer as four rak’ahs would have been dearer to me, but I do not think I should do either, because the Sunnah is to shorten the prayer and omit the regular Sunnah prayers too.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:
What is your opinion on travellers – is it better for them to pray Taraweeh in Ramadaan or not? (They are shortening their prayers)
They replied:
Praying qiyaam in Ramadaan is Sunnah, and was established by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Hence the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) took that from him and followed him in that, and it has persisted until our own time. It is proven inal-Saheehaynfrom the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Taraweeh for several nights and they prayed with him, then he stayed home and prayed in his house for the rest of the month, and said: “I was afraid that it might be made obligatory for you and you would not be able to do it.” In al-Bukhaari it is narrated that ‘Umar united the people behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b and he led them in praying Taraweeh. And it is proven inal-Saheehaynfrom the hadeeth of Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan that he asked ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her): How did the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) pray?
She said: He did not do more in Ramadaan or at any other time than eleven rak’ahs. He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) traveled in Ramadaan, including when he travelled to conquer Makkah. He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set out on the tenth of Ramadaan in 8 AH. Ibn al-Qayyim said: He (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) did not stop praying qiyaam whether he was travelling or not. If he was overcome by sleep or pain, he would pray twelve rak’ahs during the day. Thus it is clear that if they pray it whilst travelling they will be following the Sunnah. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah(7/206)
To sum up: Praying Taraweeh is mustahabb for the traveller as for the non-traveller, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) persisted in praying qiyaam al-layl whether he was travelling or not.
We ask Allaah to hep us and you to obey Him and attain His pleasure.
And Allaah knows best.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Paying attention to the weak such as the elderly and others in Taraweeh prayers

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Should the imam pay attention to the weak such as the elderly and others in Taraweeh prayers?.
Praise be to Allaah.
This is something which is required in all prayers, in Taraweeh and in the obligatory prayers, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you leads the people in prayer, let him make it brief, because among them are the weak, the young and those who have things they need to do.” So the imam should pay attention to the congregation and be kind to them in the night prayers in Ramadaan and in the last ten days. The people are not all the same; people vary. So he should pay attention to their situations and encourage them to come and attend the prayers. When he makes them too long he makes it difficult for them and puts them off attending. So he should pay attention to that which will encourage them to attend and make them want to come and pray, even if that is by making it short and not lengthy. A prayer in which people are able to focus and feel at ease, even if it is short, is better than a prayer in which they do not focus properly and get bored.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Goingaround to different mosques looking for a beautiful voice

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What is the ruling on going around to different mosques looking for an imam with a beautiful voice, because that makes one more focused in prayer?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It seems – and Allaah knows best – that there is nothing wrong with that, if the purpose is to find something which will help one to focus properly in prayer and be at ease therein, because not every voice is pleasant, so if the aim in going to hear the voice of a particular imam is to encourage one to do good and focus more fully in prayer, there is nothing wrong with that. Rather his action will be appreciated and he will be rewarded for that. A person may focus well behind one imam and not behind another, because of the difference between the two recitations and the two prayers. So if the aim in going to a distant mosque is to listen to his recitation because of his beautiful voice, and to benefit from that and to focus properly in his prayer, and not just for fun, but to benefit and learn, and to focus properly in prayer, there is nothing wrong with that. It is proven in the saheeh hadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The people who will have the greatest reward for prayer will be those who walk the furthest distance to come and pray, then those who walk the next furthest.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (651) and Muslim (662). If his aim is also to increase the number of steps he takes, this is also a good purpose.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * He led his wife and children in praying qiyaam al-layl and did not recite out loud

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I had the intention to spend lailat-ul-qadr praying, but I could not. So I prayed taraweeh at home with my wife and children. Was my salaah correct or not?
My second question: we prayed together and I was the imam. I did not recite Quraan out loud while praying, I recited it silently, please enlighten me, may Allah enlighten you!.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Praying Taraweeh at home is permissible and there is nothing wrong with it, but offering the prayer in congregation in the mosque is better.
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:
The month of Ramadaan has come and it is time to pray Taraweeh. Should I go to the mosque or pray in my house? I am not an imam, rather I am one of the congregation, but I like to recite Qur’aan, and I prefer to recite rather than to listen. If I pray at home, is there any sin on me? I am referring to Taraweeh prayer only.
They replied:
There is no sin on you if you pray in your house because it is naafil. But praying with the imam in the mosque is better, following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), because when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his companions in prayer at night until the end of the first third of the night, one of them said to him: We wish that you would lead us in naafil prayer for the rest of the night. He said: “Whoever prays qiyaam with the imam until he finishes, it is as if he spent the whole night in prayer.” Narrated by Ahmad (5/159) and the authors ofal-Sunanwith a hasan isnaad from the hadeeth of Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him). End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah(7/201-202).
Secondly:
The basic principle concerning Taraweeh prayer is that it is one of the prayers in which Qur’aan is to be recited out loud, because this is proven from the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with him) at the time of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him), when Ubayy ibn Ka’b and others would lead the people in prayer and recite at length.
But reciting out loud in prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud, and reciting silently in prayers in which Qur’aan is recited silently, is something that is recommended in prayer for the imam, but it is not obligatory, as is the view of the majority of scholars among the Maalikis, Shaafa’is and Hanbalis.
It says inal-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah(16/188):
The majority of fuqaha’ are of the view that reciting out loud in prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud, and reciting silently in prayers in which Qur’aan is recited silently, is one of the Sunnahs of prayer. The Hanafis are of the view that it is obligatory to recite out loud in prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud, and to recite silently in prayers in which Qur’aan is recited silently. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inNoor ‘alaal-Darb(al-Salaah/218):
Reciting out loud in prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud is not obligatory, rather it is preferable. If a person recites silently in a prayer in which it is prescribed to recite out loud, the prayer is not invalid, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Essence of the Qur’aan (i.e., al-Faatihah).” And there is no stipulation that this recitation should be done out loud or silently. So if a person recites what he is required to recite, whether it is silent or out loud, he has done what is required. But it is better to follow the Sunnah in prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud, such as the first two rak’ahs of Maghrib and ‘Isha, and Fajr prayer, and Jumu’ah and the Eid prayers, and prayers for rain (istisqa’) and Taraaweeh prayer and so on, where it is customary. If a person deliberately does not recite out loud when he is leading the prayer, his prayer is still valid, but it is lacking. As for the person who is praying alone, if he offers a prayer in which Qur’aan is recited out loud then he has the choice between reciting out loud or silently, so he should decide which will make him focus better, and do that. End quote.
It says inFataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Ifta’(6/392):
It is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite Qur’aan out loud in the two rak’ahs of Fajr, and in the first two rak’ahs of Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayer, so reciting out loud in these prayers is Sunnah, and it is prescribed for his ummah to follow his example because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allaah and the Last Day, and remembers Allaah much” [al-Ahzaab 33:21]. And it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Pray as you have seen me praying.”
So if he recites silently in prayers where Qur’aan should be recited out loud, he is forsaking the Sunnah, but his prayer is not invalidated by that. End quote.
To sum up: your prayer is valid and you do not have to do anything else.
And Allaah knows best.

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