Everything you want to know about Taraweeh…Prayers of Ramadan

“ TARAWIH/ TARAWEEH”

[Special night prayer offered in the Holy month of Ramadan]

Q 1: Is “Taraweeh تراویح” prayer Sunnah or Nafl?

Answer: “Taraweeh” is, by
consensus, Sunnat-e-Muakkadah [emphasized, regular Sunnah] for both men and
women. It is impermissible to abandon it. Its Jama’at is Sunnat-e-Kifaayah i.e.,
an obligation which will be fulfilled if offered by some arranging Jama’at in
mosque. One is not sinner if he offered Taraweeh prayer by himself at home notwithstanding
the Jama’at of Taraweeh prayer was held in his neighboring mosque. However, an
elite or leader whose presence in Jama’at draws more people and absence reduces
the number of worshippers. It is not permitted to forgo Jama’at without valid
reason.

Q 2: What is the prescribed time of offering Taraweeh prayer?

Answer: The prescribed
time of offering Taraweeh prayer begins after ‘Ieshaa prayer is over and lasts
till dawn of Fajr. It can be offered before Witr prayer and after Witr as well.

Q 3: How many Rakaats are there in Taraweeh and how to be
offered?

Answer: It is a belief of
the vast majority of Muslims that there are twenty Rakaats of Taraweeh prayer.

Taraweeh is prayed in sets of two Ra’kaat each, in the same way as
you would pray your normal salah.

Twenty Rakaats of Taraweeh are offered with ten
“Salaams” i.e. after completion of every two Rakaats
“Salaam” is said turning the face to the right side and then to the
left. Both Imaam and Muqtadi should recite “Sana ثناء” at the outset of every two Rakaat and also
recite Durood Shareef and Du’aa after Tashah-hud. A break [to sit and rest]
after every four Rakaats equal to the period in which four Rakaats are offered
is “Mustahab” [commendable]. This is called “Tarweeha ترویحۃ”.

There are some narrations of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that would support
the opinion that Taraweeh is twenty Ra’kaat, and some narrations that would
support the opinion that Taraweeh is completed by praying eight Ra’kaat. The
opinion that Taraweeh is twenty Ra’kaat has been narrated by all four Sunni
schools of fiqh.

 Muslims in all Islamic
countries have been and are offering twenty Rakaats of Taraweeh since the time
of Ameerul Mu’mineen Farooque Azam

[Radiyal Laah Anhu].

•        Depending on the opinion
that you follow [or depending on how tired you are] you can choose to pray
eight Ra’kaat or twenty Ra’kaat [or any even number of Ra’kaat], as Taraweeh is
prayed in sets of two Ra’kaat each.

•        You can recite any
part of the Qur’an during your Taraweeh prayers—there is no specific obligation
to recite a specific part of the Qur’an.

•        The most important
thing is that these prayers should be a means to bring you closer to Almighty Allaah,
so you should try to find out the meaning of what you are reciting in your
prayers and make sure that you pray calmly and with full focus.

Q 4: What should be done during “Tarweeha”?

Answer: One may, in Tarweeha,
sit silent or recite Kalimah or the Holy Quraan or Durood Shareef or offer four
Rakaats prayer by himself or recite this Tasbeeh:

سُبْحَانَ ذِي الْمُلْكِ وَالْمَلَكُوتِ سُبْحانَ ذِي
الْعِزَّةِ وَالْعَظَمَةِ وَالْهَيْبَةِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ وَالْكِبْرِياءِ
وَالْجَبَرُوْتِ سُبْحانَ الْمَلِكِ الْحَيِّ الَّذِيْ لا يَنامُ وَلا يَمُوتُ
سُبُّوْحٌ قُدُّوْسٌ رَبُّنا وَرَبُّ المْلائِكَةِ وَالرُّوْحِ اللَّهُمَّ
أَجِرْنا مِنَ النّارِ يا مُجيرُ يا مُجيرُ يا مُجيرُ

“Subhaana Zil Mulki wal-Malakoot. Subhaana Zil-‘Izate wal-‘Azmate wal-Kibri-yaaa-iwal-Jabaroot.
Subhaanal Malikil Haie-yil-Lazee Laa Yanaamu walaa Yamoot. Subbooh un Qudoos un
Rabbunaa wa Rabb ul Malaaa-ikati war-Rooh. Allaah Humaa Ajarna Minnan Naar Yaa
Mujeeru Yaa Mujeeru Yaa Mujeeru

[Glory be to the Owner of the Kingdom and Sovereignty. Glory be to
the Possessor of all Honors, all Grandeur, all Greatness and all Awe.
Glory be to the King Who is ever-living,

Whom neither sleep overtakes nor death. Absolutely Pure and All
Holy is our Sovereign Lord as well as of the Angels and of the
“Ruh” [spirit]. There is none worthy of worship but Allaah alone.

O’ Allaah! we beg Your forgiveness; we beseech You for [our
admittance into] paradise and seek refuge with You from the Hell-fire].

Q 5: Which things, acts are “Makrooh” in Taraweeh?

Answer: The following
things, acts are Makrooh if done in Taraweeh:

To show haste in recitation from the Holy Quraan and in observance
of “Rukn رکن of prayer, to give up “Ta’awuz”,
“Tasmiyah” and “Tasbeeh”, to offer two Rakaats after every
two Rakaats [i.e. not to have respite after every four Rakaats] to sit and rest
after ten Rakaats to offer Nafl prayer with Jama’at after four Rakaats or to
offer Taraweeh prayer in sitting posture without valid reason.

Q 6: How is that for finishing the whole Quraan in Taraweeh
prayer?

Answer: To finish [complete
the recitation of] the whole Quraan serially once in Taraweeh is
Sunnat-e-Muakkadah and twice is excellent and thrice is very excellent provided
that Muqtadis are not burdened. However, the recitation of the whole Quraan
once must not be abandoned due to lethargy of people. There are over six
thousand verses in the Holy Quraan and total Rakaats of Taraweeh will be six
hundred if the holy month of Ramadan is of thirty days. So, it is not difficult
to recite and listen to the Holy Quraan in Taraweeh.

Q 8: How to offer Taraweeh if no Haafiz is available?

Answer: Ten Quraanic
chapters from “Alam Tara Kaiefa” [Surah Feil] to the last one [Surah
Naas] should be recited in ten Rakaats and then the same Surahs be repeated in
the remaining ten Rakaats if no Haafiz is available or the whole Quraan cannot
be recited due to any valid reason. This method is easy to follow and averts
distraction of attention and concentration.

Q 9: Is it lawful or not to hold “Shabeenah”?

Answer: [“Shabeenah”
is a Persian word which means recitation of the whole Quraan in congregational
prayer in particular night[s] of Ramadan]. It has become a practice these days
that one night’s Shabeenah is held in which the whole Quraan is recited with
some people having chit chat in mosque or outside the mosque and even smocking
and enjoying hubble bubble and join one or two Rakaat[s] of Shabeenah as and
when they wish to. Such arrangement is impermissible. Besides, the Huffaaz [pl.of
Haafiz] are either generally tired or do not demonstrate a sense of
responsibility in Shabeenah and recite the Holy Quraan so rapidly that nothing
is understood except “Ya’lamoon” and “Ta’lamoon”. Mostly,
they mince words and letters with the result prayer is not accomplished at all
what to talk of Imaamat and thus they incur sin of incorrect Qiraa-at rather
than earning reward.

Q10: How to recite the Holy Quraan in Taraweeh?

Answer: Qiraa-at in
obligatory prayer should be done slowly and calmly [showing no haste] and in
Taraweeh be done at moderate speed and in Nafl prayer of night may be done with
a slight speed provided that words and letters are pronounced properly i.e. the
stretching proportion of the sound of “Mad” [prolongation mark on
long vowel] fixed by “Qaaries” [the ones who recite the Holy Quraan
in accord with the standard rules] is observed otherwise it is
“Haraam” [unlawful].

There is an express command for reciting the Holy Quraan with
“Tarteel” [clear and distinct recitation]. It is obligatory to recite
the Holy Quraan with correct pronunciation to the best of one’s ability in
obligatory prayer and to recite it incorrectly or so speedily that nothing is
understood except “Ya’lamoon” and “Ta’lamoon” is Haraam.

Q11: Can one who offered ‘Ieshaa prayer by himself join Jama’at
of Taraweeh and Witr or not?

Answer: The one who
offered ‘Ieshaa prayer by himself can offer Taraweeh with Jama’at but should
offer Witr prayer by himself. It is also permissible if he joins Witr Jama’at.
And in case, he offered ‘Ieshaa prayer with Jama’at but offered Taraweeh by
himself, he can offer Witr prayer with Jama’at. Doing this is an excellent act.

Q12: Can omitted, missed Taraweeh prayer be offered later or
not?

Answer: Omitted, missed
Taraweeh prayer cannot be offered later. If offered that will not be
Taraweeh but “Nafl Mustahab” like that of Sunnat prayer of
“Asr” and ‘”Ieshaa”.

Excerpt from the Glorius Islaam