النص المفهرس

Prayer During the Sermon
When the muezzin calls for prayer (adhan] and the imam sits on the pulpit,
the records [of the angels] are wrapped up, and they enter the masjid lis-
tening attentively to the admonition [dhikr] (Majma' al-zawa'id 2:177).
12. In his commentary on Sahih Muslim, Imam Nawawi has stated
that the same (i.e. that no prayer during the sermon) was the practice
of 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali (Sharh Sahih Muslim 1:288).
13. 'Allama Shawkani states that the great hadith master Zayn al-Din
'Iraqi has related the same practice from Muhammad ibn Sirin, Qadi
Shurayh, Ibrahim al-Nakh'ay, Qatada, and Zuhri.
14. Ibn Abi Shayba has also reported this opinion from Said ibn
al-Musayyib, Mujahid, 'Ata', and 'Urwa ibn al-Zubayr.
These narrations highlight and further establish the position of
the Hanafis on the issue of prayer during the Friday sermon. Their
opinion is that it is impermissible to perform salat while the sermon
is in progress.
ANALYZING THE SEEMINGLY CONTRADICTORY HADITHS
1. Jabir + narrates:
Sulayk al-Ghatafani arrived on Friday and sat down while the Messenger
# was delivering the sermon. The Messenger % ordered him to stand and
perform two rak ats and to make them short (Sahih Muslim 1:287).
This hadith is used by those who claim that it is permissible to perform
two rak ats during the sermon. This however is very difficult to accept
due to the following reasons:
(a) This hadith cannot stand as evidence for prayer being permissible
at the time of the sermon, because it speaks of a lone and isolated
incident. It was only once that the Messenger an ordered somebody
to rise and perform two rak ats during the sermon, In fact, there are
a number of narrations which state that the Messenger # ordered
people to sit down during the sermon.
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FIQH AL-IMAM
There is one hadith about a desert Arab [a rabi] who had come to
Allah's Messenger # to complain about drought, then had appeared
a week later to complain about heavy floods. This person arrived
during the Friday sermon, but the Messenger # did not command
him to perform two rak'ats, Anas & narrates:
A person entered [the masjid] on a Friday from the door opposite the
pulpit upon which the Messenger as was delivering the sermon. He faced
the Messenger 4% and said, "O Messenger of Allah, properties have been
destroyed and the pathways blocked. Pray to Allah that he send us rain."
The narrator says that the Messenger & raised his hands and prayed, "O
Allah, grant us rain." It began to rain, and, by Allah, we did not see the
sun for a week. Thereafter, the person arrived through the same door the
following Friday while the Messenger # was delivering the sermon. He
faced the Messenger # and said, "O Messenger of Allah, property have
been destroyed and the pathways blocked. Pray to Allah to stop the rain"
(Sabih al-Bukhari 1:137).
Another narration tells us that the Messenger 5% once observed a
person during the sermon who was hurrying over people's shoulders.
The Messenger s told him:
Sit, for you have inconvenienced [the people] (Sunan al-Nasal 207, Abi
Dawud).
It is quite clear that the Messenger $ did not order him to perform
any prayer, but told him to sit down quickly. In another narration
of Jabir %, it states:
[On one occasion] the Messenger @ positioned himself on the pulpit
and said, "Be seated." Ibn Mas'ud & [who had just entered] sat down
instantly by the door of the masjid. When the Messenger i saw him he
said, "Come forth, O"Abdullah ibn Mas'ud" (Sunan Abi Dawud 156).
Again, the Messenger 46 did not order him to perform prayer, but
instead told him to come forth and sit. A hadith in Sahih Muslim
states:
'Umar & was once delivering the sermon when 'Uthman & arrived. 'Umar
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Prayer During the Sermon
admonished him for not having performing the ritual bath [ghus/], but
did not order him to perform any prayer (Sahih Muslim 1:280).
None of these incidents indicate a command for prayer while the
sermon is in progress, In fact, they instruct that one should sit down
while the imam is delivering the sermon, which proves that the one
occasion on which the Messenger # ordered Sulayk al-Ghatafani
to stand and pray was due to another reason. The hadith of Sulayk
4 therefore cannot be used to prove the desirability of prayer during
the Friday sermon, The full account of Sulayk al-Ghatafani's incident
is as follows:
Once, while the Messenger 4 was sitting on the pulpit waiting to begin
the sermon, a Companion named Sulayk ibn Hudba al-Ghatafani # who
had on very torn and worn clothing entered the masjid. The Messenger $6,
after seeing his poverty-stricken state, ordered him to stand and pray. He
did this so the other Companions could also observe his condition. The
Messenger Es remained silent until he had finished his prayer; then, after
seeing that the other Companions had taken a look at him, he encouraged
them to contribute to him, which they did with open hearts.
One can clearly see that this was a very special circumstance, in which
the Messenger % ordered Sulayk % to stand up and pray so that his
condition would become known to the Companions. Consequently,
this command cannot be classified as generally applicable as it was
issued only once to this particular Companion.
(b) The above explanation should be sufficient to understand the
true nature of the incident. Another explanation mentioned by some
scholars is that the Messenger @ gave the order to pray before com-
mencing the sermon and then waited silently until the Companion
had completed his prayer. The Messenger # did not recite or say
anything while Sulayk % prayed, as is understood from a hadith in
Sahih Muslim:
Sulayk al-Ghatafani 4w entered the masjid on Friday while the Messenger
46 was sitting on the pulpit [and had not yet stood for the sermon]"
(Sahih Muslim 1:287).
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FIQH AL-IMAM
It is a proven fact that the Messenger of Allah # would deliver bis
sermons standing. Hence, for him to be sitting down (as the narration
states) means that he had not yet begun the sermon; so Sulayk's prayer
was not performed during the Messenger's 45 sermon but before it.
This point is further substantiated by Imam Nasa'i's inclusion of this
narration under a chapter entitled, "Chapter on Prayer Before the
Sermon." This clearly indicates that according to Imam Nasa'i, this
incident took place before the sermon had begun.
(c) There are some narrations, however, which indicate that the
Messenger #% had already begun the sermon when Sulayk 4% entered.
The meaning of these narrations is that he was just about to begin
the sermon when Sulayk % walked in.
(d) There are also other narrations which mention that Allah's
Messenger 4% interrupted his sermon and remained silent until Sulayk
finished his prayer. The narration in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba contains
the following words:
The Messenger #8, when ordering the Companion to perform two rak ars;
discontinued his sermon until he had finished the two rak ass (Musannaf
Ibn Abi Shayba 2:110),
and the narration of Daraqutni contains the following words:
Anas narrates that a person from the Qays tribe entered while the
Messenger @ was delivering the sermon. The Messenger 48 told him to
stand up and perform two rak'ats and discontinued the sermon until the
person completed his prayer (Sunan al-Daraquini 2:15 U).
This means that the Companion had completed his salat and was
no longer engaged in it while the Messenger was delivering his
sermon.
(e) Yet another explanation for this incident is that, since the
Messenger & had interrupted his sermon and begun to converse
with him, the prohibition of talking or praying was lifted and Sulayk
had to no longer adhere to the command "remain silent and listen."
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Prayer During the Sermon
Therefore, for him to perform two rak ats while the Messenger
remained silent (and waited for him) was permissible. Ibn al-'Arabi
has offered this explanation and considered it most accurate.
(f) Ir has been already mentioned that the Messenger # ordered
Sulayk & to rise and perform the prayer so as to expose his poverty-
stricken state in front of the Companions. In this regard, a narration
in Sunan al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasa'i from Abu Sa'id ( states:
A person entered the masjid in a shabby state (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1:93 U.
al-Nasat 1:208 U).
(g) Another point that should not be overlooked here is that for the
two rak'ats to be considered tabiyyat al-masjid, they must be offered
immediately upon entering the masjid and prior to sitting down.
However, we find in some versions of this narration that Sulayk + had
sat down upon his arrival, after which the Messenger & had instructed
him to stand and pray. The narration in Sahih Muslim states: "Stand
up and pray," (Sabih Muslim 1:287) and another narration states:
Sulayk sat down without praying, and the Messenger @ asked him if he
had performed two nak ats? He replied that he had not, so the Messenger
ordered him to stand up and perform two rak ats (Sahib Muslim 1:287).
This proves that he was ordered to stand up and pray in order to reveal
his condition to the other Companions.
When the above points are taken into consideration, it makes it
quite difficult to claim that tahiyyat al-masjid was permitted at the
time of the sermon. The incident of Sulayk & was a unique and iso-
lated one, and not one instructing the whole Umma to pray at that
time, especially when there are other narrations that clearly prohibit
its performance.
2. Another seemingly contradictory narration is as follows:
Jabir & narrates that once while the Messenger of Allah # was delivering
the sermon he said, "When you [enter the masjid] and find the imam
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FIQH AL-IMAM
delivering the sermon ... " or [he said] "[ ... ] and find that the imam
has arrived [for the sermon], you should perform two rak'ans" (Sahib
al-Bukbari 1:56).
This is another narration that is used to establish the desirability of
tahiyyat al-masjid at the time of the sermon. The same words are nar-
rated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih as part of the narration of Sulayk
al-Gharafani 4% (Sahih Muslim 1:287).
It can be said that this narration is in contradiction with the com-
mand of the Holy Qur'an and many other rigorously authenticated
hadiths that have already been mentioned above. Many explanations
have been offered in order to remove the conflict between this hadith
and the hadiths of prohibition. One explanation is that the phrase,
"delivering his sermon," in the narration, actually means, "about to
begin the sermon" (i.e. the imam was sitting waiting to begin the
sermon). This is one way of reconciling the narrations so that no
contradiction remains.
Otherwise, the second way to deal with this issue is to leave it as
an independent rigorously authenticated narration in conflict with
the other rigorously authenticated narrations of prohibition; and
determine, in the light of the principles of hadith [usul al-hadith].
which of the narrations are more superior and stronger. The result of
such an analysis would be that the hadiths of prohibition presented
by the Hanafis are stronger for a number of reasons:
(a) The narrations used by the Hanafis are of a prohibitive nature (i.e.
they prohibit the prayer at a particular time), whereas this narration
(hadith 2) is of a permissive nature. One of the principles of hadith
[usul al-hadith] is that when there is a conflict between hadiths, a
hadith prohibiting something is considered superior to one that
permits it. Therefore, since the hadiths presented by the Hanafis are
of a prohibitive nature, they are considered superior to those hadiths
which are of a permissive nature (i.c. hadith 2).
(b) The narrations of prohibition presented by the Hanafis are more
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Prayer During the Sermon
in harmony with the implications of the above mentioned Qur'anic
verses, which prohibit anything that would distract a person from
listening to the sermon.
(c) The narrations presented by the Hanafis are substantiated by the
practice of many of the Companions and Followers (may Allah be
pleased with them all), as has been previously detailed; whereas this
narration, if taken as an independent narration, is only supported by
the lone narration of Sulayk 4%.
(e) There is greater caution in acting upon the hadiths prohibiting
tahiyyat al-masjid at the time of the sermon than upon those permit-
ting it, since tahiyyat al-masjid is not considered an obligatory prayer
in any opinion. While holding it permissible, neglecting it would not
be considered a sin. However, if one were to pray during the sermon
while holding the view that it is prohibited, he would be considered
sinful for going against what is believed to be a prohibition.
CONCLUSION
Many narrations state that the Messenger # had discontinued his
sermon while Sulayk + performed his prayer. What would happen
today if many people began to arrive late, and worse still, all at differ-
ent times (as is to be observed nowadays in the masjids)? How many
times and for how long would the imam remain silent, and when
would he be able to complete the sermon?
The Hanafis have taken all these aspects into consideration in
forming their opinion. They have adhered to the hadiths of prohibi-
tion and have answered and explained all the seemingly conflicting
narrations. Their view has also been fully substantiated by the state-
ments of various Companions and Followers. Therefore, we can safely
conclude that after raking all the above points into consideration, it
will be prohibited to perform two rak ats of tahiyyat al-masjid after
the imam has started his sermon.
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11
The Number of Rak'ats in Tarawih
FOR ABOUT twelve hundred and fifty years, until the 20th century, there
was little controversy surrounding the issue of how many rak'ats are
to be performed for tarawih. There was a general consensus among
Muslim scholars that tarawib is no less than twenty rak ats, and some
scholars were even of the opinion that it was more than twenty rak ats.
Until recently, there was also no mention of any masjid in which less
than twenty rak ats were performed or of any scholar holding such
a view. It has only been in the last hundred years that some people
have begun insisting that the tarawih prayer consists of only eight
rak'ats. The practice of the Companions [sahaba], Followers [tabi'in],
and other scholars (may Allah be pleased with them) who proceeded
them has always been of performing twenty rak ats.
A consensus [ijma ] was reached among the Companions at the
time of the Leader of the Faithful [Amir al-muminin] 'Umar ibn al-
Khattab > that tarawih was twenty rak ats. He had appointed Ubay
ibn Ka'b 4% to lead the people in twenty rak'ats, as is understood
from authentic reports. He was not met with any refutation or argu-
ment concerning this agreement; neither from the Companions who
had performed tarawib with the Messenger , nor from any of the
wives of the Messenger . If it had been a practice he had innovated
himself, it would have most certainly been rejected and refuted by
the Companions and household of the Messenger . This chapter
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FIQH AL-IMAM
discusses the issue in detail, and establishes that the correct number
of rak ats for tarawib is indeed twenty.
OPINIONS OF THE SCHOLARS
Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi'i, and Imam Ahmad are unanimous
that twenty rak ats are to be performed for tarawih during Ramadan.
"There are different opinions recorded from Imam Malik: one states
twenty rak ats; another is of thirty-six rak ats, about which Imam Malik
said, "This is our former opinion;" and a third view is of thirty-eight
rak'ats. There is also an opinion which states forty-one rak ats (Bidayat
al-mujtahid 1:210). 'Allama 'Ayni has mentioned the second view of
thirty-six rak'ats to be Imam Malik's more popular opinion.
What becomes clear at this point is that none of the four prominent
imamis held a view of tarawih being less than twenty rak ats. Twenty is
the minimum number mentioned, and the reason for Imam Malik's
view of thirty six rak ats is that it was the practice of the people of
the noble city of Makka to perform tawaf [circumambulation] of the
Ka'ba after every four rak'ats of tarawih. During the pause between
each four rak'ats of tarawih, the people of the illuminated city of
Madina would observe an extra four rak ats of prayer in place of the
tawaf \see al-Mughni 2:167].
Therefore, since tarawih was performed as twenty rak ats, consist-
ing of five sets of four rak ats (each set called a "tarwiha"), the people
of Madina would perform an extra four rak ats after every tarwiha,
bringing the total number of extra rak ats to sixteen. Sixteen extra
rak'ats plus the twenty rak ats of tarawih make thirty-six rak ats. Hence,
the actual number of rak'ats of tarawih was twenty even according
to Imam Malik.
Tarawih During the First Generations
For centuries, ever since tarawib came to be observed in congregation.
no less than twenty rak ats were performed by the Muslims throughout
the Islamic world. Nafi', a prominent tabi'i states, "I never found
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The Rak'ats of Tarawih
any one performing less than thirty-nine rak'ats (three of which were
witr)." Nafi' remained in Madina for most of his life and passed away
in 117 A.H. (Fath al-Bari 4:254 U). At that time, the number of rak'ats
observed for tarawib in Madina were thirty six (twenty rak ats tarawih
and sixteen supererogatory [naff) rak'ats).
Thereafter, Imam Shafi'i stares, "I observed the people performing
thirty-nine rak ats in Madina [which include three witr], and twenty
three rak'ats in Makka." Imam Shafi i was born in 150 A.H. and passed
away in 204 A.H. Hence, this report accounts for the second century
of Islam. Furthermore, Ibn 'Abd al-Barr states, "Twenty rak'ats was
the opinion followed by the majority of scholars, including those
of Kufa, Imam Shafi'i, and most other jurists." This specifies that,
throughout the earlier period of Islam, the minimum number of
rak ats performed in tarawih was twenty.
Sufyan al-Thawri (died 161 A.H.) and Imam Abu Hanifa (died 150
A.H.) of Kufa both held the opinion of twenty rak'ats. Imam Ahmad
ibn Hanbal of Baghdad (died 235 A.H.) held the same opinion as did
Dawud al-Zahiri (died 270 A.H.). 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak (died 18t
A.H.), one of the prominent scholars of Khurasan, also held the view
of twenty rak ats (Bidayat al-mujtahid 1:210).
From the above, one can comfortably conclude that the predomi-
nant view of the scholars from Makka to Khurasan and beyond was
of tarawib being twenty rak ats. There is not a single opinion of eight
rak ats to be found during this extensive period, neither from the great
Imams nor from any other jurist.
The mass of people who follow the Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, and
Hanbali schools of thought, and who constitute the majority of the
Umma, have until today adopted the view of twenty rak ats for tarawih.
In the two sanctified sites of Islam-Makka and Madina-twenty
rak ats are performed in congregation for tarawih until today. It was
nor until approximately a century and a half ago, that the first argu-
ments were made, after the consensus reached by 'Umar ; claiming
that tarawib was only eight rak ats and not twenty.
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FIQH AL-IMAM
Imam Tirmidhi, well known for recording in his Sunan the various
opinions held by different scholars in jurisprudential [fighi] issues,
does not mention so much as even a weak opinion of tarawih being
eight rak'ats when discussing the issue. If there had been an opinion
of eight rak ats concurrent among the earlier scholars, he would not
have failed to mention it. [See Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1:166]
ABSENCE OF AUTHENTIC NARRATIONS CONCERNING
THE NUMBER OF RAK'ATS IN TARAWIH
Another point to be taken into consideration in this issue is that many
scholars state that there are no authentic [sahih] and direct [marfil]
chains of narration (from the Messenger ) mentioning the exact
number of rak ats performed by him in tarawih.
1. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiya writes:
Whoever assumes that there is a fixed number of rak'ats reported from
the Messenger of Allah ss concerning tarawih, and does not accept any
greater or lesser number, has erred (Majmu' al-fatawa 46 U, Mirqat al-
mafatih 3:381).
2. 'Allama Subki writes:
Let it be known that it has not been narrated as to how many rak'ats the
Messenger of Allah # performed during those nights [in congregation],
whether they were twenty or less (Tubfar al-akhyar 16 U).
3. 'Allama Suyuti says,
The scholars have differed on the number of rak ats [in tarawib]. Ifit [the
number] had been established through the practice of the Messenger of
Allah , they would not have differed [regarding it] (al-Masabih 42 U).
4. 'Allama Shawkani writes:
What has been understood from the hadiths in this chapter is the validity
of the nightly prayers of Ramadan, and that they can be performed either
in congregation or individually. However, to confine the prayer known
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The Rak'ats of Tarawih
as tarawib to a stipulated number of rak'als ... is not understood from
the Sunna (Nayl al-awtar 3:53 U).
5. Mawlana Wahid al-Zaman stares:
There is no fixed number [of rak'ats) for the prayer in the nights of
Ramadan, i.e. tarawih (Nazl al-abrar 1:126 U).
The scholarly statements mentioned above clearly establish that
there are no authentic narrations stating that Allah's Messenger
performed a fixed number of rak ats for tarawih. Hence, this strikes
down the claim that the Messenger # only performed eight rak'ats
and that to perform anything besides eight is a "reprehensible innova-
tion" \bid'al, as claimed by some.
There are however a handful of weak reports which inform us of
the number of rak ats performed by the Messenger # in tarawib. For
instance, there is a narration of Ibn Abbas & which states that the
Messenger # performed twenty rak'ats. Although the hadith schol-
ars have classified this narration to be weak, it could still be used as
evidence, because it is supported by the consensus of Companions
and the practice of the whole Umma, generation after generation, for
more than twelve hundred years.
Other weak reports from the Messenger 4 on this issue that are not
substantially supported by the practice and statements of the pious
predecessors, will be rejected. One must understand though that even
if the narration of Ibn 'Abbas & is rejected, the scholarly consensus
[ijma'] reached by 'Umar de-which established that tarawih was
twenty rak ats-would be sufficient evidence to prove that tarawih
is indeed twenty rak ats.
The reason why there are no authentic and direct reports from the
Messenger 4 concerning the number of rak'ats in tarawih, is that the
Messenger & performed the prayer in congregation for a few days
only, after which he performed tarawih in the confines of his home.
Hence, many of the Companions did not observe him performing the
prayer. Thereafter, the prayer continued to be performed individually
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FIQH AL-IMAM
or in small groups until the time of "Umar de, when he appointed
an imam to lead everyone in twenty rak'ats. Thus, it came to be per-
formed as twenty rak ats in a large congregation. The few Companions
fortunate enough to have observed it with Allah's Messenger #8 in
congregation did not voice any objection to the decision of 'Umar 4%.
If the Messenger # had performed more or less than twenty rak ats
on any of the nights during Ramadan, these Companions would
surely have refuted 'Umar's % decision for establishing tarawih as
twenty rak ats.
THE HADITHS ON THIS ISSUE
Since it has been established that there are no authenticated hadiths
from the Messenger ) regarding the number of rak'ars in tarawih,
all that remains in terms of proof for tarawih being twenty rak'ats is
the agreement of scholars with 'Umar's & decision; for once this is
established, the Umma must follow it wholeheartedly as it is incum-
bent on Muslims to follow the rulings of the Companions ..
1. 'Irbad ibn Sariya % narrates [that the Messenger 28 said]:
Keep to my Sunna and the Sunna of the guided Caliphs who followed
the right way [al-khulafa' al-rashidin al-mahdiyyin]. Hold fast to it, and
cleave onto it with your teeth (Sunan Abi Dawid 2:287, al-Tirmidhi
2:97, Ibn Maja 5).
First, the Messenger of Allah # very strongly instructed, "Keep
to my Sunna and the Sunna of the guided Caliphs who followed the
right way." This means that the rightly guided Caliphs must also be
followed in their rulings, just as the Messenger @ is to be followed.
'Umar 40, being the second rightly guided Caliph, is the one who put
forth the verdict that tarawih was to be performed as twenty rak ats,
which the Companions unanimously agreed upon. Due to the above
hadith, his decisions will have to be accepted just as if it had come
from the Messenger > himself.
Second, it should also be remembered that the amount of rak ats
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The Rak'ats of Tarawib
stipulated by. 'Umar @ could have only been acquired from the
Messenger % himself. This is obviously assumed because the number
of rak ats for any prayer cannot be determined through one's own
preference, but rather must be set by Allah & through His Messenger
46. For 'Umar 4 to have ruled on this matter and not have received
any objections from the Companion regarding it, indicates that the
number of rak'ats performed by the Messenger #8 in tarawih was
twenty. Ibn Abbas's 4 narration (mentioned earlier) confirms that
the Messenger # performed twenty rak ats.
"Umar de determined the number of rak'ats of tarawih to be twenty
and appointed Ubay ibn Ka'b > to lead the people in congregation.
This then remained the practice of the Muslim Umma throughout
the caliphate of 'Uthman and Ali &, and then on and on for twelve
hundred years. Hence, it will be necessary to follow suit. Some of the
following hadiths mention this in more detail.
z. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Abd al-Qari relates:
One night during Ramadan, he went out to the masjid with 'Umar ibn
al-Khattab . People were scattered around in groups. One person was
praying alone, whereas another was leading a group of people in prayer.
'Umar % remarked, "IfI could have them all congregate behind one imam
it would be better." He then made a firm commitment to do so and had
them all pray behind Ubay ibn Ka'b 4%.
Abd al-Rahman states that he went out with him again on another
night and found the people congregated behind their imam. Upon see-
ing this, 'Umar + remarked, "How great an innovation this is" [ni'mat
al-bid'am hadhihi, i.e. a practice that has been revived]" (Sahih al-Bukhari
1:269, Muwatta Imam Malik 42).
The Messenger # had performed the tarawih in congregation for
a few days and then discontinued it for fear of it turning into an
obligation on the Umma. It then remained like this throughout the
caliphate of Abu Bakr &, who remained occupied with the many
issues that arose in his time. Thereafter, "Umar e revived the practice
and had everyone perform twenty rak ats tarawih behind one imam.
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FIQH AL-IMAM
He called it a good practice saying that if it was an innovation, that it
was indeed a good one. This practice was then continued throughout
the generations.
Hadith I above makes it clear that a reprehensible innovation
cannot be attributed to 'Umar de or any of the other three Caliphs.
Regarding 'Umar's «» statement of the practice being such a "wonder-
ful innovation," 'Allama Tibi writes:
'Umar 4 was referring to the praiseworthy deed of encouraging the prayer
and reestablishing the congregation after it had not been observed during
the caliphate of Abu Bakr , even though it had been observed for a
few days in the time of the Messenger 4 in this manner. However, the
Messenger & had discontinued it for fear of it becoming an obligation
(fard] on his Umma. 'Umar de was aware of this and established this
procedure as a sunna for time to come [i.e. as a sunna mil'akkada, not a
fard]. Hence, for him is the reward of this tradition and the reward of all
who observe it until the Day of Judgment. (Fath al-Mulhim 2:319)
This clarifies that 'Umar's # practice was in line with that of the
Messenger of Allah 4. Because Abu Bakr , for most of his caliphate,
remained occupied with the important task of dealing with the apos-
tates and those who either claimed prophethood after the Messenger's
$ death or demanded certain radical changes in the religion, many
issues that were under debare in his time were clarified during the
time of 'Umar .
3. Yazid ibn Khusayfa narrates Sa'ib ibn Yazid as saying:
They would perform twenty rak'ats tarwih during the month of Ramadan
in the time of 'Umar -es, and they would recite the chapters containing a
hundred or so verses [mi'in); and during the time of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan
they would lean on their staff's from standing [for so long]" (Sunan
al-Bayhagi 2:496).
The narrators of this hadith have all been rigorously approved as
'Allama Nimawi confirms in his Athar al-sunan. This hadith is clear
evidence that twenty rak ats were observed during the time of 'Umar
as well as during the time of 'Uthman s.
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The Rak'ats of Tarawih
4. Yazid ibn Ruman relates:
The people would perform twenty-three rak'ats during Ramadan in the
time of 'Umar db. (Sunan al-Bayhaqi 2:496, Muwatta Imam Malik 1:71)
Although this is a rigorously authenticated hadith, it is mursal, or one
with a broken chain. However, this does not alter its effectiveness for
a number of reasons:
(a) By consensus of the hadith scholars, mursal narrations can be
used as evidence.
(b) This is a hadith narrated by Imam Malik, and it is an established
fact that the mursal narrations of Imam Malik in his Muwatta rank
alongside his mawsul narrations [i.e. those with unbroken chains].
(c) There are many other mursal and mawsul narrations which
strengthen this one; for instance, hadith 2 above.
(d) Shah Waliyullah writes that Imam Shafi'i said:
The most authentic book after the Qur'an is the Muwatta of Imam
Malik, and the hadith scholars are unanimous that all its narrations are
authentic according to the judgment of [Imam] Malik, and all its muersal
narrations reach the Messenger es in some way or another (Hujjatullah
al-baligha 1:106 U).
5. Yahya ibn Sa'id narrares rhat
'Umar ibn al-Khattab - appointed an imam to lead them in twenty rak ats
(Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba 2:393).
6. "Abd al-'Aziz ibn Rafi narrates that
Ubay ibn Ka'b + would lead the congregation in twenty rak aus tarawih
in Madina during Ramadan, followed by three [rak ais] witr (Musannaf
Ibn Abi Shayba 2:393).
7. Ata' reports:
I found the people observing twenty-three rak'ans, which included wit
(Musimaf Ibn Abi Shayba 2:393).
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FIQH AL-IMAM
8. Abu Khusayb narrates:
Suwayd ibn Ghafala would lead them in prayer during the month of
Ramadan. He would perform five tarwihas [sets of four rak ats)-twenty
rak'ats [in all] (Sunan al-Bayhaqi 2:496).
9. Nafi' ibn 'Umar narrates that
Ibn Abi Mulayka would lead them in twenty rak'ats prayer during
Ramadan (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba 2:393).
10. Said ibn 'Ubayd narrates that
'Ali ibn Rabi'a would lead them in five tarwibas [i.e. twenty rak ats] and
three witr during Ramadan. (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba 2:393)
11. Ibn 'Abbas & relates:
The Messenger It would perform twenty rak ats during Ramadan and
three rak als witr. (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba 2:394)
This hadith may be weak since a narrator in its chain, Abu Shayba
Ibrahim ibn 'Uthman, has received some criticism. However, as
mentioned earlier, since the Umma has adopted the same number
of rak'ats for the greater part of history, it will not be totally rejected
but rather used as supplementary evidence.
12, It has been narrated from Shutayr ibn Shakl (a companion of
"Ali de) that
he would lead them during the month of Ramadan in twenty rak'as
[tarawih] and three rak ats witr. (Sunan al-Bayhaqi 4:496)
13. Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi says,
The people would perform twenty rak'ats in the month of Ramadan
during the caliphate of 'Umar 4%. They would lengthen the recitation
and perform three rak'ats witr (Qiyam al-lay! 91 U).
14. A'mash reports that 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud % would perform
twenty rak ats [tarawih] and three rak ats witr (Qiyam al-layl 91 U).
All of these reports mention the rak ats of tarawih as being twenty
and no less,
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The Rak ats of Tarawib
THE OPINIONS OF VARIOUS JURISTS AND SCHOLARS
1. The author of Bidayat al-mujtabid, Ibn Rushd, writes:
Imam Malik (in one of his opinions), along with Imam Abu Hanifa,
Shafi'i, Ahmad, and Dawud al-Zahiri, has preferred that the tarawih
performed in the month of Ramadan be twenty rak ats excluding witr.
Ibn al-Qasim reports from Malik that he preferred thirty-six rak'ats
with three rak ats witr [according to another of his opinions] (Bidayat
al-mujtabid 210).
2. The great hadith master Imam Tirmidhi presents a detailed report
on the various opinions surrounding this issue:
The knowledgeable people have disputed over the number of rak'ais to
be performed for tarawih during Ramadan. Some say forty-one rak'ats
including witr: this is the opinion of the people of Madina and such is
their practice. However, the opinion of the majority is that tarawih is
twenty rak ats, and this opinion is more in agreement with the narrations
of'Ali, 'Umar , and the other Companions of the Messenger 4%, and it
is also the opinion of Sufyan al-Thawri, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, and
Imam Shafi i. In fact, Imam Shafi'i states, "I found the people of my
city, Makka, performing twenty rak ats. "Imam Ahmad states, "There are
various reports to be found concerning tarawib, but no exact number is
confirmed." Ishaq states, "We prefer forty-one rak ats, according to what
has been narrated from Ubay ibn Ka'b ." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1:166)
In such a detailed analysis of the opinions, there is not even a mention
of tarawih being eight rak'ats, even as a weak opinion.
3. In his commentary on Sahib al-Bukhari, 'Allama Qastalani
writes:
Imam Bayhagi has reconciled the various narrations and concluded
that initially the Companions performed eleven rak ats for tarawib,
after which they performed twenty with three rak ats with The scholars
accepted the agreement on twenty rak'ats during the time of 'Umar de
as a consensus.
4. In the Maliki figh text, al-Anwar al-sati'a, it states:
189

FIQH AL-IMAM
We say that twenty rak ats of tarawih following the 'Isha prayer is an
emphasized [mu'akkada] sunna during the month of Ramadan, with
salams to be made on every second rak'a [i.e, to be performed in two
rak'a units].
5. Ibn Qudama writes:
It is reported from 'Ali > that he appointed an imam to lead the people
in twenty rak ats tarawih during Ramadan (al-Mughni).
This narration proves that the practice of twenty rak ats continued on
into the time of 'Ali .
6. The great Shafi i scholar Imam Nawawi writes:
The number of rak'ats in tarawih remained twenty, since this was con-
stantly accepted century after century.
7. It is reported in the Mirqat al-mafatih that Hafiz Ibn Hajar said:
The Companions reached a unanimous verdict that tarawih was twenty
rak ats (Mirqat al-mafatih 3:382).
8. Ibn Taymiya states:
This is the opinion most Muslims follow [i.e. of tarawib being twenty
rak'ats] (A'zami in his Rak'atte tarawih 92).
9. Shaykh Mansur ibn Idris al-Hanbali writes:
Tarawih is twenty rak ats during Ramadan.
10. Asad ibn Amr reports that Imam Abu Yusuf said:
I asked Abu Hanifa regarding tarawih and concerning 'Umar's + role in it.
He informed me that tarawih is an emphasized sunne. It is not something
'Umar % established through his own preference or innovated, but he
established it based on some evidence or information he possessed from
the Messenger % (I'ld' al-sunan 46 U).
11. Imam Ghazali writes:
Tarawih is twenty rak ats, its method is well known, and it is an empha-
sized sunna (Ilya''ulum al-din 1:139).
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The Rak ats of Tarawih
12. Sayyid Abd al-Qadir Jilani writes:
Tarawih is a sunna of the Messenger of Allah @ and is twenty rak ats
(Ghunyat al-talibin 567 U).
13. Imam Nawawi says,
Let it be known that tarawih is a sunna by agreement of all the Muslims,
and it is twenty rak'ats (Kitab al-Adhkar 83).
14. Ibn Taymiya says,
It has been established that Ubay ibn Ka'b 4% would lead the people in
twenty rak ats of tarawih throughout the month of Ramadan, after which
he would perform three rak ats of wity. Hence, most scholars have taken
twenty rak ats to be sunna, as Ubay ibn Ka'b ++ performed this number
of rak ats amidst the Emigrants [muhajirin] and Helpers | ansar] and none
refuted him (Fatawa Ibn Taymiya 23:112 U).
Other Important Points to be Noted
First, it has to be fully comprehended that the amount of rak ats for
any prayer is not something which can be made up and established
through one's own intellect and reasoning. It has to come from Allah
38 and His Messenger . Hence, the scholars state that whenever
anything of this nature (i.e. that which is not established through
human reasoning alone) is reported by a Companion, it will be con-
sidered as being directly acquired from Allah's Messenger %.
According to the agreement of the hadith scholars, all the
Companions are considered trustworthy and legally upright ['adul],
It cannot be believed that they would introduce a new concept into
the religion which is contrary to the principles of the Shari'a. Hence,
even though there are no marfu [directly related from the Messenger
>] hadiths to be found concerning the number of rak'ats in tarawih.
the decision of 'Umar of tarawih being twenty rak'ats is accepted.
It is believed, as explained by Imam Abu Hanifa [see hadith 10 above],
that the number was acquired from the Messenger of Allah and
not something 'Umar & established through his own desire.
191