22/06/2015
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TARAWEEH 8 OR 20 RAKAH?
Majority of Scholars says the Sunnah is 8 Rakahs, and they quote the following hadeeth of Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Rahman, who asked Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), “How did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pray during Ramadan?” She said: “He did not pray more than eleven rakahs in Ramadan or at other times. He would pray four, and do not ask how beautiful and long they were, then he would pray four, and do not ask how beautiful and long they were, then he would pray three. I said, O Messenger of Allah, will you sleep before you pray Witr?’ He said, O Aisha, my eyes sleep but my heart does not.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 1909)
People those who follow the Sunnah of 8 Rakahs adopted the above hadeeth partly only to pray 8 Rakaha, but the second part of the hadeeth that is the “beauty and the lengthy recitation” has been abandoned.
The beauty and the length of recitation by the Prophet ﷺ can be seen in the hadeeth of Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him) it says: I prayed with the Prophet ﷺ one night, and he started to recite al-Baqara and I thought: he will bow when he reaches one hundred, but he carried on. Then I thought that he would finish it in the two rakahs, but he carried on. Then I thought he would bow after finishing it, but he started to recite al-Nisa and recited it all, then he started to recite Aal Imran and recited it all, reciting with a slow and measured pace. When he reached a verse that spoke of glorifying Allah, he glorified Allah; when he reached a verse that spoke of asking of Him, he asked of Him; when he reached a verse that spoke of seeking refuge with Him, he sought refuge with Him… (Narrated by Muslim 772).
The present day Taraweeh takes 5+ days to complete the above said 3 Surahs that the Prophet ﷺ recited in one Rakah, still our people feel fatigue with the minimum recitation.
It was narrated that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I did not see the Messenger of Allah ﷺ reciting in any night prayer whilst sitting until he grew old, then he would recite whilst sitting, and when there were thirty or forty verses left of the soorah, he would stand up and recite them, then he would bow. (Narrated by al-Bukhari 1148).
The major portion of recitation is done by the Prophet ﷺ by sitting and he standup and recite further thirty or forty verses, so imagine the number of verses he do recite in one Rakah.
Narrated Al-Mughira: The Prophet ﷺ used to stand (in the prayer) or pray till both his feet or legs swelled. He was asked why (he offered such an unbearable prayer) and he said, "should I not be a thankful slave." (Narrated by Al Bukhari Book #21, Hadith #230)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever prays qiyaam reciting ten verses will not be recorded as one of the negligent. Whoever prays qiyaam reciting one hundred verses will be recorded as one of the devout. Whoever prays qiyaam reciting one thousand verses will be recorded as one of the muqantireen.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1398)
What is meant by this hadeeth is to emphasize the greatness of the reward earned by the one who recites a thousand verses. Al-Tabaraani narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “A qintaar is better than this world and everything in it.” (Saheeh al-Targheeb, 638).
Whoever makes the prayer lengthy may reduce the number of rakahs, as the Prophet ﷺ used to do. Whoever makes the prayer briefer out of compassion towards the people may increase the number of rakahs, as the Sahaabah did at the time of Umar.
Can we compare the present day Taraweeh (8 or 20 Rakah) which will not last more than 2 hours with the prophet’s ﷺ and Sahaba’s Taraweeh prayer?
The Prophet ﷺ used to pray eleven rakahs and make them very lengthy, so much so that it used to take him most of the night. Indeed, one night in which the Prophet ﷺ led his companions in praying Taraaweeh, he did not end his prayer until just before dawn, and the Sahaba feared that they would miss suhoor. The Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) loved to pray behind the Prophet ﷺ and they did not feel that it was too long. The scholars thought that if the imam made the prayer so long, this would be too difficult for the members of the congregation and that might put them off. So they thought that the imam should make the recitation shorter and increase the number of rakahs.
May Allah bless the Ummah who follows Quran and Sunnah without indulging in philosophical discussion about the matter. (Aameen)
Team DPEW