.:: Tarawih Salah - 8 or 20 rakats? ::.
There is a growing misconception among present-day Muslims (especially the younger generation) that the Tarawih salah which is performed during the month of Ramadan constitutes eight rakats only. This is
however incorrect because: 1. It is in conflict with the Sunnah 2. It is in conflict with the Ijma [consensus] of the Sahabah (radiAllahu anhum) 3. It is in conflict with the Ijma (consensus) of the four madhahib. The sunnah in this regard Although many, Ulema (eg. Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah, Allamah Subki and Qadi Shawkani) are of the opinion that RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) never fixed the exact number of rakats for the Tarawih salah,
we are convinced that the Sunnah is twenty rakats because the twenty rakat Tarawih was introduced by Hadrat Umar (radiAllahu anhu) and RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had commanded us to follow the
Khulafa-e-Rashdin (especially Hadrat Abu Bakr and Hadrat Umar (radiAllahu anhum)). RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "Hold firmly on to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Khulafa-e-Rashidin."
"Follow the two after me (i.e. Hadrat Abu Bakr and Hadrat Umar. Allamah Badrud-Din Aini, writes that we understand from the above Hadith that those who follow Hadrat Abū Bakr and Hadrat Umar (radiAllahu anhu) will be rewarded and those who do not follow them will be punished. The ijma (consensus) of the Sahaba (ra)
The twenty rakat Tarawih that was introduced by Hadrat Umar (radiAllahu anhu) was unanimously accepted by all the Sahabah (radiAllahu anhum) without any objection. In other words, they had ijma [consensus] in this regard. Many ayat
of the Qur'an and ahadith of RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)denote the Shari authority (hujjiyyah) of Ijma'. Among those are: "And whoever opposes the Rasul after the guidance (of Allah) has been manifested unto him, and follows other than the believers way. We appoint for him that unto which he himself has turned, and we
expose him unto Jahannam - a hopeless journey's end." "My Ummah will never unite upon batil (falsehood., deception). In addition to the above, it should also be borne in mind that consensus of the Sahabah (radiAllahu anhum) represents the highest and most authoritative form of ijma'. A closer look at the madhahib
While Imam Hanifah, Imam Shafi' and Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal (rahimahullah) agree that the Tarawih Salah comprises of twenty rakats, there are two narrations from Imam Malik According to one narration he too agrees
that the Tarawih Salah comprises of twenty rakats. Ibn Qasim has however narrated from Imam Malik, that he preferred thirty-six rakats and three rakats witr thereafter. (Most Maliki textbooks however
mention the twenty rakat narration only). This however does not mean that Imam Malik rejected the ijma' of the Sahabah (radiAllahu anhum) The standard practice n Madinah at that time was thirty-six rakats and the reason for performing thirty-six rakats was
that the people of Makkah would perform tawaf after every four rakats of Tarawih. Because tawaf can only be performed in Makkah, the people of Madinah would perform an additional four rakats nafl salah
after every four rakats of Tarawih. Considering the above and the fact that these additional sixteen rakats (4x4) were regarded as nafl (and not Sunnah mu'akkadah as in Tarawih) and were performed individually. we may conclude that Imarn
Malik and the other Fuqaha of Madinah also agreed that the actual Tarawih comprises of twenty rakats only. Note 1
According to Sheikh Atiyyah Muhammad Salim, from the fourth Hijri century, only twenty rakats Tarawih were performed in Madinah. Thereafter in the 8th century when Imam Zain-ud-Din AI-Iraqi was appointed
the Imam of Masjid-un-Nabawi the people would return to the Masjid later during the night to perform the additional sixteen rakats. The famous historian As-Sa'ud writes that this practice continued until
the late ninth and early tenth Hijri century. Note 2
It is not permissible to oppose the consensus of the four madhahib. This is understood from the fact that RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had commended us to follow the Sawad-al-A'zam (vast
majority). Since all the other true madhahib do not any longer exist, these four madhahib represent the Sawad-al-A'zam. Note 3
Many Ulema (eg. Abu Ja'far Tahawl, Abu Isa Tirmidhi, Ibn Rushd Qurtabi, Ibn Qudamah Maqdisi, etc.) have discussed the divergent opinions of the Fuqaha [jurists] in various topics. None of them have ever
mentioned a single Faqih [jurist] who held the opinion that the Tarawih salah had eight rakats only. The narration of hadrat A'isha (ra)
Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah), has recorded a narration from Hadrat A'isha (radiAllahu anha), in which she says: "RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) would never read more than eleven rakats - neither in Ramadan nor in any other month. He would perform four rakats and do not ask of their beauty and length.
He would thereafter perform another four rakats and do not ask of their beauty and length. He would thereafter perform three rakats." Hadrat A'isha (radiAllahu anha) says that she (once) asked RasulAllah
(salAllahu alayhi wasalam) whether he slept before performing the witr salah. RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) replied: "O A'isha! My eyes sleep but not my heart." This Hadith is often cited in substantiation of the claim that RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)performed only eight rakats in the Tarawih Salah. It is however incorrect to make such a deduction from
this Hadith because this Hadith is discussing the Tahajjud Salah and 'h Salah and not the Tarawih The words "nor in any other month" are a clear indication that this Hadith is not regarding the
Tarawih Salah. (Tarawih is not Performed in any other month besides Ramadan.) There is a Hadith in which Hadrat A'isha (radiAllahu anha) narrates that during the last ten days of Ramadan. RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) would stay awake throughout the night and he would exert himself in
ibadah. It is possible that upon hearing this narration from Hadrat A'isha (radiAllahu anha) some people would think that compared to the rest of the Year, RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) read more rakats of
Tahajjud Salah in Ramadan. In order to dispel such doubts, Hadrat A'isha (radiAllahu anha) explained that RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)'s Tahajjud Salah always comprised of eleven lengthy Rakats
irrespective of whether it was Ramadan or any other month. Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah), has quoted the above mentioned Hadith of Hadrat A'isha (radiAllahu anha) in the following chapters of his Al-Jami As-Sahih: Imam Bukhari's (rahimulah) not including this Hadith in the chapter on Tarawih indicates that he too understood that this Hadith discussed the Tahajjud salah and not the Tarawih Salah. In fact, none of the
Muhaddithin [scholars of Hadith] have included this Hadith in the chapter on Tarawih. Imam Muhammad Al-Marwazi (rahimahullah) has in his book "Qiyam-ul-Layl" dedicated a separate chapter to discuss the
number of rakats of the Tarawlh salah. Despite quoting a number of Ahadith in this chapter, he has not in the slightest manner indicated to this Hadith of Hadrat A'isha (radiAllahu anha) Is Tahajjud and Tarawih the same?
Proponents of the eight rakat Tarawih reject the above explanation saying that Tahajjud and Tarawih is the same salah. This claim Is also incorrect because there is a vast difference between the two.
Among the various differences between the Tahajjud and Tarawih salah is: NOTE: Neither Imam Bukhari and Imam Marwazi nor any other Muhaddith regarded Tahajjud and Tarawih as the same! Weak substantiation
There is a Hadith that is attributed to Hadrat Jabir (radiAllahu anhu) in which he narrates that once during the month of Ramadan RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) led them in eight rakats (of Tarawih) and
thereafter the Witr salah. The following night they gathered in the Masjid hoping that RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) would once again lead them in salah as he had done the previous night. They
however continued waiting for RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) till the morning. In the morning RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) explained to them the reason for not joining them. He said that
he had feared that Witr would be made compulsory, upon them. This Hadith is however extremely, weak and can never form the basis for any Shar'i ruling. The person claiming that he is narrating this Hadith from Hadrat Jabir (radiAllahu anhu). is Eesa bin Jariyah. He is an
extremely unreliable narrator. Imam Nasa'i and Imam Abu Dawud (rahimahullah) have both called him "Munkar-ul-Hadith" - one whose narrations are Munkar. A munkar narration is the narration of an
untrustworthy narrator that contradicts the narration of a group of trustworthy narrators. Imam Nasa'i (rahimahullah)) has also called him "Matrūk". Matruk literally means left alone but in this context
it means that Eesa bin Jariyah is an unreliable narrator. The Muhaddithin normally use the word Matrūk (and many other words) to show the unreliability of a narrator. Muhammad bin Humaid Ar-Razi, another narrator in this Hadith's chain of transmisson [sanad] is also very weak. Some Muhaddithin (eg. Imam Abu Zur'ah) have declared him a liar. The narration of hadrat Sa'ib bn Yazid (ra)
Imam Malik (rahimahullah) has recorded a narration from Hadrat Sa'ib bin Yazid (radiAllahu anhu) that Hadrat Umar (radiAllahu anhu) had commanded Hadrat Ubay bin Ka'b and Hadrat Tamim Dari (radiAllahu anhu) to lead the people in eleven rakats of salah
(eight rakats Tarawih and three rakats Witr). It is often claimed on the basis of this narration that Hadrat Umar (radiAllahu anhu) had commanded the performance of only eight rakats Tarawih and not twenty. However, a thorough study of the chains of transmission (asanid) of this narration reveals that three people have narrated from Hadrat Sa'ib bin Yazld (radiAllahu anhu) They are: i) Harith bin Abdir Rahman ii) Yazid bin Khusayfah iii) Muhammed bin Yusuf Harith bin Abdir Rahman and Yazid bin Khusayfah have narrated twenty rakats from Hadrat Sa'ib (radiAllahu anhu) Yazid bin Khusayfah also has three students namely Ibn Abi Dhib, Muhammed bin Ja'far and Imam Malik. All
three have narrated twenty rakats from Yazid. Muhanimed bin Yusuf also has three students. They are: While Imam Malik narrates eleven rakats from Muhammed bin Yusuf, Ibn Ishaq narrates thirteen rakats and Da'ud bin Qays narrates twenty one rakats. When a Hadith is transmitted in different manners so that the contents of each transmission differ and it is not possible to give preference to any particular transmission, the Muhaddithin call it
Mudtarib. The Mudtarib Hadith is regarded as unsound and insufficient evidence for the deduction of any Shar'i ruling. Muhammed bin Yusuf's narration is an ideal example of a Mudtarib Hadith. On the contrary, the narrations of Harith bin Abdir Rahman and Yazid bin Khusayfah are authentic and supported by many other narrations in the books of Hadith. Hafiz ibn Taymiyya's opinion
Some of Ibn Taymiyya's writings imply that he was of the opinion that eight rakats, twenty rakats, thirty rakats, thirty-six and forty rakats are all sunnah. It is clear from the preceding discussion that
we do not agree with him. Nevertheless, he also explains that the more virtuous (and preferred) practice differs according to the condition of the Muslims. If the Muslims are able to perform eight very
lengthy rakats as was the practice of RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), the performance of eight rakats would be better. However, if they are unable to perform such lengthy rakats it would be better
for them to perform twenty rakats. NOTE: The length of RasulAllah's (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)'s salah (that he performed at night) may be estimated from the following: Considering the worldly commitments of modern day, Muslims and their physical weakness, it is obvious that none of them can manage such lengthy rakats. Therefore, even according to Ibn Taymiyya's opinion,
twenty rakats is best for them. Conclusion
In view of the preceding discussion we conclude that: The Sunnah Taraiwih consists of twenty rakats and not eight. The performance of only eight rakats in Tarawih cannot be established from any sound Shar'i evidence/proof. Bibliography
Ahsan-ul Fatawa Mufti Rasheed Ahmed Ludhianwi References
Fatawa ibn Taymiyya V.2 Pg. 46 Masabih P.44 Nayl-ul Awtar V.1 Pg. 46
AAp Ke-Masa'il Aur Un Ka Hal Moulana Muhammad Yusuf Ludhranwi
Dars-e-Tinnidhi Mufti Muhammad Taqi Uthman
Fatawa Rahimiyya Mufti Abdur Rahim Lajpuri
At Tarawih Shaikh Atiyva Muhamrnad Salim
Is Tarawih Twenty Rakats? Published by Madrasah Arabia Islamia
Abu Da'ud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Maj'ah, Ahmed - Mishkat.
Binayah Sharh Hidayah.
Dars Tirmidhi - quoting Allamah Habib-ur-Rahman A'zmi, Suyuti, Nawawi and Nawab Sideeq Hasen Khan.
Surah Nisa Ayah 115.
Sunan Ibn Majah 283 / Tirmidhi V.2 Pg.49.
Al-Manar Ma'Nur-ul-Anwar Pg. 226.
AAp Ke Masail Aur Un Ka Hal Pg. 54.
Ibid.
Rakat-e-Tarawih Pg. 60-61 (Moulana Habib-ur-Rahman A'zmi) Dars Tirmidhi V.2 Pg.653.
At-Tarawih. Sheikh Atiyya Muhammed Salim Pg. 60, 67, 69.
Ibn Majah - Mishkat Pg. 30 Al-Aqd-Al-Jayyid Pg. 37.
Bukhari V.1 Pg. 135, 152, 269, 503.
Ahsan-ul Fatawa V.530. Fatawa - Raheemiyya V. 1 Pg. 331 Dars Tirmidhi Pg. 663 V.2.
Ahsan-ul- Fatawa V. 3 Pg. 530.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ahsan-ul Fatawa V.532.
Qiyam-ul Layl Pg. 90.
Fatawa Rahimiyya V.1 Pg. 335: Although Abu Zur'ah and Ibn Hibban have commented positively regarding Eesa bin Jariyah, the Muhaddithin still declare him unreliable because their principle is that when a
narrator is declared reliable by some scholars and unreliable by others, the opinion of those who regard him unreliable will be given preference.
Fatawa Rahimiyya V.1 Pg. 335
Mu'atta Imam Malik Pg. 98.
AAp Ke' Masa'il Aur Un Ka Hal V.3 Pg. 39-41.
Dars - Tirmidhi V.2 Pg. 654 Footnotes (continued from Pg. 653).
Ibid.
Bukhari Ma'al Fath V.3 Pg. 12/V. 8 Pg. 449.
Tirmidhi (Chapter on the Qiyam of Ramadan) V. 1 Pg. 99 Faruqi Kutub Khana - Pakistan.
Ahmed - Maj'ma'uz Zawa'id V. 3 Pg. 172.
Dars Tirmidhi V.2 Pg. 655.