Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Ruling on saying du’aa’ after each two rak’ahs of Taraweeh

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What is the ruling on saying du’aa’ between one tasleem and the next by saying “Subhaanaka Rabbana wa bi hamdika Allaahumma ighfir lana (Glory and praise be to You our Lord; O Allaah, forgive us)”?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is no basis in the Sunnah for saying du’aa’ between one salaam and the other during Taraweeh prayer by saying “Subhaanaka Rabbana wa bi hamdika Allaahumma ighfir lana(Glory and praise be to You our Lord; O Allaah, forgive us)”, and neither the imam or those praying behind him are obliged to do that, because worship is governed by the principle that nothing is permitted except that which was prescribed by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Constantly doing a particular act of worship at a particular time without any evidence for that comes under the heading of bid’ah or innovation.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.” Agreed upon.
This great dhikr - “Subhaanaka Rabbana wa bi hamdika Allaahumma ighfir li(Glory and praise be to You our Lord; O Allaah, forgive me)” – is something that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say when bowing and prostrating. Al-Bukhaari (784) and Muslim (484) narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say when bowing and prostrating, “Subhaanaka Rabbana wa bi hamdika Allaahumma ighfir li(Glory and praise be to You our Lord; O Allaah, forgive me )” following the command given by the Qur’aan.
What is meant by following the command given by the Qur’aan is that he would do what was enjoined upon him in the Qur’aan, where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“When there comes the Help of Allaah (to you, O Muhammad against your enemies) and the Conquest (of Makkah).
2. And you see that the people enter Allaah’s religion (Islam) in crowds.
3. So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask His forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and Who forgives”
[al-Nasr 110:1-3]
See how the Sunnah has been abandoned in this posture of the prayer, and how the people adhere to innovations!
Another innovation which is done during Taraweeh is when the people say: “Salaat al-qiyaam, athaabakum Allaah ((It is) time for qiyaam prayer, may Allaah reward you)”, and when they say between each two rak’ahs, “Allaahumma salli wa sallim ‘ala sayyidina Muhammad(O Allaah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad) in a loud voice, and they recite Soorat al-Ikhlaas and al-Mu’awwidhatayn between each two rak’ahs, or the imam says “Subhaan Allaah(Glory be to Allaah)”and the congregation behind him responds by saying, “Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdihi, subhaan Allaah il-‘Azeem(Glory and praise be to Allaah, Glory be to Allaah the Almighty).” None of these things were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), hence the Standing Committee issued a fatwa to the effect that they are innovations and bid’ahs.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Makingthe second rak’ah long and the first rak’ah short

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What is the ruling on praying behind an imam who makes the first rak’ah short and makes the second rak’ah long?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The Sunnah in prayer is to make the first rak’ah long and the second short, because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (759) and Muslim (685) from Abu Qataadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite in the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr prayer the Opening of the Book (al-Faatihah) and two soorahs, making the first rak’ah long and the second short, and he made his recitation audible sometimes. In ‘Asr he used to recite the Opening of the Book and two soorahs, making the first rak’ah long. And he used to make the first rak’ah of Fajr prayer long and the second short.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) included this hadeeth in a chapter in hisSaheehentitled, “Chapter on making the first rak’ah long.” In this chapter he reported the hadeeth of Abu Qataadah which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to make the first rak’ah long in Zuhr prayer and the second rak’ah short, and he also did that in Fajr prayer.
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: The phrase “Chapter on making the first rak’ah long” refers to all the prayers, which is apparent from the hadeeth mentioned. End quote fromFath al-Baari, 2/305
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The phrase “he used to make the first rak’ah long in Zuhr prayer and the second rak’ah short” is something concerning which the scholars differed with regard to following the apparent meaning. There are two views among our companions, the more well known of which is that it should not be made lengthy, and the hadeeth is to be understood as meaning that it was made long because of the opening du’aa’ and prayers for refuge with Allaah, or because he sensed that someone was about to join the prayer, and so on, not because of recitation. The second view is that it is mustahabb to make the recitation long in the first rak’ah on purpose. This is the correct view which is in accordance with the Sunnah. End quote fromSharh Muslim, 4/175
Based on this, if the imam makes the second rak’ah longer than the first, and he always does that and makes it a habit, then this is contrary to the Sunnah, and he should be advised to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). But making the first rak’ah long than the second is not obligatory and is not an essential condition of the prayer being valid, rather it is preferable.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Ruling on negligence in performing Witr prayer

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Is it permissible to omit Witr prayer? What are the consequences of omitting it?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Witr prayer is Sunnah mu’akkadah (a confirmed suunah) according to the majority of scholars, and some of the fuqaha’ regarded it as obligatory.
The fact that it is not obligatory is indicated by the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (1891) and Muslim (11) from Talhah ibn ‘Ubayd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: A man came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allaah, what prayers has Allaah enjoined on me?” He said: “The five prayers, unless you do anything voluntarily.” The version narrated by Muslim says: “Five prayers every day and night.” He said: “Do I have to do anything else?’ He said, “No, unless you do it voluntarily.”
Al-Nawawi said:
This indicates that Witr prayer is not obligatory. End quote.
Al-Haafiz said inal-Fath:
This indicates that no prayers during the day and night are obligatory apart from the five prayers; this is contrary to the view of those who say that Witr or the two Sunnah rak’ahs of Fajr are obligatory. End quote.
However it is the most confirmed Sunnah and was enjoined by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in more than one hadeeth.
Muslim (754) narrated from Abu Sa’eed (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Perform Witr before morning comes.”
Abu Dawood (1416) narrated that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people of the Qur’aan, pray Witr, for Allaah is One and loves that which is odd-numbered.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
Hence we should continue to offer Witr prayer regularly, whether travelling or not, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do. Al-Bukhaari (1000) and Muslim (700) narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was on a journey, atop his mount, whichever direction it was facing, gesturing the motions of the night prayer, except the obligatory prayer, and he prayed Witr atop his mount.”
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Witr is not obligatory. This is the view of Maalik and al-Shaafa’i. Abu Haneefah said: it is obligatory. Then he said: Ahmad said: Whoever omits to pray Witr deliberately is a bad man, whose testimony should not be accepted. He wanted to emphasize that it is confirmed because of the ahaadeeth which say that it is enjoined and encouraged. End quote fromal-Mughni, 1/827
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: Is Witr prayer obligatory, and will the one who prays it on some days and not on others be punished for that?
They replied:
Witr prayer is Sunnah mu’akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah) which the believer should adhere to. Whoever prays it on some days and not on others will not be blamed for that, but he should be advised to pray Witr regularly. It is prescribed to pray two rak’ahs during the day instead if a person misses it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do that, as it was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: If sleep or sickness kept him from praying at night, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would pray twelve rak'ahs during the day. Narrated by Muslim in hisSaheeh. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) usually prayed eleven rak’ahs at night, saying the salaam after each two rak'ahs then praying one rak'ah on its own. But if sleep or sickness kept him from doing that, he would pray twelve rak’ahs during the day, as ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) stated. Based on this, if a person usually prays five rak’ahs at night but he sleeps or misses them for any other reason, it is prescribed for him to pray six rak’ahs during the day, saying salaam after each two rak’ahs. If his habit is to pray three rak’ahs, then he should pray four rak'ahs with two salaams, and if his habit is to pray seven rak’ahs, he should pray eight with the salaam after each two rak’ahs.

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Night Prayer, - 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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