What Is Traweeh Prayers In Islam?
“Traweeh”
derives from the Arabic Word "rawha," which signifies spiritual
refreshment. The traweeh prayers are performed throughout the Holy Month of
Ramadan to Bond with Allah and for spiritual refreshment.
At
the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ the
taraweeh prayer was not offered in the same way as it is today.
Traweeh
Prayer is a prayer that is conducted in the month of Ramadan after the
mandatory Isha prayer and consists of 20 Rak’at of prayers divided into two Rak’at
sets.
During
the month of Ramadan, it is one of the most significant prayers for Muslims. The Traweeh recitation is longer than to the
recitation of the five daily prayers.
At
the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ the taraweeh
prayer was not offered
in
the same way as it is today.
Is The Taraweeh Prayer Mentioned In The Qur’an?
No,
the Taraweeh prayer is not addressed by name in the Qur'an, yet it does not
undermine its significance.
Taraweeh
is a specific name given to Ramadan voluntary night worship, Night
worship is mentioned in (Surah Al
Muzimmal Verse No.20), with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Muslim community given the order to stand up in prayer
for most of the night, or one half, or one third of it.
The
Taraweeh prayer is not addressed specifically in the Qur'an. It is, however, a
Sunnah the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that
he performed during Ramadan.
Is The Taraweeh Prayer Mentioned In The Hadith?
Yes,
the Taraweeh prayer is defined by different Hadiths as a voluntary prayer that
the Prophet performed during the month of Ramadan.
One
of the most well-known Hadiths about Taraweeh prayer is
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا
اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ،
أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله
عليه وسلم يَقُولُ لِرَمَضَانَ " مَنْ قَامَهُ إِيمَانًا
وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ ".
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I
heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying regarding Ramadan, "Whoever prayed at
night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward
from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."
Reference: Sahih Al Bukhari 2008
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ،
قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ،
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، رضى الله عنها زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّ رَسُولَ
اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلَّى وَذَلِكَ فِي رَمَضَانَ.
Narrated
`Aisha:
(The Wife of the Prophet)
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to pray (at night) in Ramadan.
Reference:
Sahih Al Bukhari 2011
وَحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ،
حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ،
الْمُنْتَشِرِ عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، -
رضى الله عنه - يَرْفَعُهُ قَالَ سُئِلَ أَىُّ الصَّلاَةِ أَفْضَلُ بَعْدَ
الْمَكْتُوبَةِ وَأَىُّ الصِّيَامِ أَفْضَلُ بَعْدَ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ فَقَالَ
" أَفْضَلُ الصَّلاَةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ الصَّلاَةُ
فِي جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ وَأَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ بَعْدَ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ صِيَامُ
شَهْرِ اللَّهِ الْمُحَرَّمِ " .
Abu Huraira (Allah be
pleased with him) reported that he (the Messenger of Allah) was asked as to
which prayer was most excellent after the prescribed prayer, and which fast was
most excellent after the month of Ramadan. He said:
Prayer offered in the
middle of the night and the most excellent fast after (fasting) in the month of
Ramadan is the fast in God's month al-Muharram.
Reference: Sahih Muslim
1163b
How Many Rak’at of Taraweeh Prayers?
The
number of Rak’at in Taraweeh prayer might differ between Islamic schools of
thought and regions of the world. Yet, the most typical number of Rak’at used
in Taraweeh prayer is 20.
Even
so, many Muslim communities may perform Taraweeh prayer using as few as 8 or 12
Rak’at, while others may perform as many as 36 or more Rak'ahs. The exact
number of Rak’at is not mentioned in the Qur'an, but is based on the Prophet
Muhammad's ﷺ Sunnah.
Is Taraweeh 8 or 20 Rakats?
One
of the Hadiths about how many rak’at Taraweeh prayer is:
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ،
عَنْ سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ،
أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ كَيْفَ كَانَتْ صَلاَةُ رَسُولِ
اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي رَمَضَانَ فَقَالَتْ مَا كَانَ يَزِيدُ فِي
رَمَضَانَ، وَلاَ فِي غَيْرِهَا عَلَى إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً، يُصَلِّي
أَرْبَعًا فَلاَ تَسَلْ عَنْ حُسْنِهِنَّ وَطُولِهِنَّ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي أَرْبَعًا
فَلاَ تَسَلْ عَنْ حُسْنِهِنَّ وَطُولِهِنَّ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي ثَلاَثًا. فَقُلْتُ
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَتَنَامُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُوتِرَ قَالَ " يَا
عَائِشَةُ إِنَّ عَيْنَىَّ تَنَامَانِ وَلاَ يَنَامُ قَلْبِي ".
Narrated Abu Salama bin
`Abdur Rahman:
that he asked `Aisha
"How was the prayer of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in Ramadan?" She
replied, "He did not pray more than eleven rak`at in Ramadan or in any
other month. He used to pray four rak`at ---- let alone their beauty and
length----and then he would pray four ----let alone their beauty and length
---- and then he would pray three rak`at (witr)." She added, "I
asked, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Do you sleep before praying the witr?' He
replied, 'O `Aisha! My eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari
1909
In
Conclusion, Taraweeh prayer is a highly recommended voluntary prayer during
Ramadan, and it is regarded as a unique opportunity for Muslims to connect
closer to Allah and seek His blessings and forgiveness.
FAQs:
How
many rakat is Taraweeh Haram?
Is
Taraweeh Sunnah or nafl Hadith?
Is
Taraweeh 2 or 4 Rakats?