TARAWIH: 8 OR 20 RAKA’AT

Prepared by Mawlânâ Feizel Chothia

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For 14 centuries the Ummah, without any exception whatsoever, has performed
20 raka’ât of Tarâwîh in the Holy Month of Ramadân. This has been the
uninterrupted practice of Muslims from the era of Rasûlullâh , throughout the
glorious epochs of the Sahâbah , Tâbi‘ûn and distinguished ‘Ulamâ’ until the
20th century when a sect called the Wahhâbî ( who also designate themselves as
Salafî or Ahl al-Hadîth ) popularized the notion of 8 raka’ât Tarâwîh.

If we, for a moment, presume 8 raka’ât Tarâwîh to be correct, then it implies that
the entire Ummah was languishing in misguidance for 14 centuries and
performing 20 raka’ât without any Shar‘î proof. Nonetheless it can be
conclusively established that in no Masjid nor community, from the time of
Rasûlullâh  till a little more than a century ago, when colonialism reared its evil
head, sowing the seeds of dissension over Muslim lands, had 8 raka’ât Tarâwîh
ever been the norm or practice. If 8 raka’ât had been the Madhhab of any scholar
or community then the great Muhaddithîn (masters of Hadîth narration) and
scholars of History would indeed have mentioned it in their books. However,
none of the Sihah Sittah (ie. the 6 canonical works of Hadîth) , nor any other
books of Islamic history, have mentioned any single scholar or community ever
practicing 8 raka’ât of Tarâwîh.

In this short treatise an effort will be made to clarify beyond any shadow of doubt
, that Tarâwîh Salâh is indeed, and has always been, 20 raka’ât. May Allâh
Ta‘âlâ accept this humble effort and guide us all. ’Âmîn.

INCORRECT CLAIMS : THE FIRST CLAIM

It is claimed that ‘Â’ishah  has narrated a hadîth specifying 8 raka‘ât. First, it

should be noted that this hadîth narrated by ‘Â’ishah  regarding 11 raka’ât (ie.
8 raka‘ât + 3 raka‘ât Witr) is not at all related to Tarâwîh according to the Fuqahâ’
and Muhaddithîn, but in fact concerns the number of raka’ât of TAHAJJUD
prayer. The hadîth in question is as follows :

Abû Salmah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmân narrates that he asked ‘Â’ishah , “ What was
the prayer of Allâh’s Messenger  in Ramadân like ? ” She replied that, “ He did
not exceed 11 raka’ât in Ramadân nor in any other month . He used to perform

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4 raka’ât and do not ask me about their beauty and their length. Thereafter he
used to perform 4 raka’ât and do not ask me about their beauty and their length.
Then he used to perform 3 raka’ât (Witr).” She added, “O Messenger of Allâh !
Do you sleep before performing Witr ? ” He replied, “ O ‘Â’ishah ! My eyes sleep
but not my heart. ” (Bukhârî, 3/230, English edn.)

This Hadîth could be construed to imply that Rasûlullâh  used to perform 8

raka’ât Tarâwîh and 3 raka’ât witr. This claim is incorrect for the following
reasons :

1) In this Hadîth the words “…nor in any other month…” (ie. in other months
besides Ramadân he used to perform 11 raka’ât as well) shows clearly that this
question to ‘Â’ishah  concerned a salâh other than Tarâwîh (which is only
performed during Ramadân) - this being the Tahajjud Salâh which he performed
in all the 12 months of the year. ‘Â’ishah  has reported the following hadîth too :
“ During the last ten nights of Ramadân Rasûlullâh  used to fasten his loin cloth,
remain awake the whole night and awaken his family also. ” Upon hearing this
the inquirer thought that he (Rasûlullâh ) increased his Tahajjud Salâh in
Ramadân. ‘Â’ishah  replied that, “…Rasûlullâh’s  habit was of 11 lengthy
raka’ât.” (Bukhârî, 1/271, English edn.)
This clearly indicates that the aforementioned hadîth concerns Tahajjud Salâh
and not Tarâwîh.

2) An important fact that should also be noted is that the Imâm’s of Hadîth have
placed the hadîth of ‘Â’ishah  under the section of Tahajjud Salâh, which
indicates their belief that the hadîth refers to Tahajjud only. The Imâm al-
Muhaddithîn , Imâm al-Bukhârî, has placed the hadîth of ‘Â’ishah  under many
sections in his Sahîh, viz. :
The chapter on Tahajjud
The chapter on the Prophet’s  worship at night in Ramadân and other
months.
The chapter on the virtues of worship in Ramadân.
The chapter on the Prophet’s  eyes sleeping and not his heart.
The chapter on Witr. (Bukhârî,2/15:248, 3/230:128, 2/16:60, etc.
English edn.)

This means that Imâm Bukhârî believed that the prayer mentioned by ‘Â’ishah 
was that of Tahajjud only, and since the Tahajjud prayer is also performed in
Ramadân, Imâm Bukhârî also quoted the same hadîth under ‘The chapter on the
Virtues of Worship in Ramadân’. Muftî Abd al-Rahîm Lâjfûrî said about ‘Â’ishah’s
 hadîth, “ …if this hadîth might have been quoted in some book under the
devotions of Ramadân along with the Tarâwîh then know that like the
Tarâwîh prayer, the Tahajjud too is a prayer of Ramadân, and because of
this affinity, it can be mentioned along with the Tarâwîh (as Imam Bukhârî
did). Hence, it cannot be made thereby a categorical argument. ” (Fatâwâ
Rahîmiyyah, vol.1, p.275). Imâm Muslim has also placed the hadîth of ‘Â’ishah

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 under the section of Tahajjud Salâh (Sahih Muslim 1/1607, pg. 356, English
ed'n). Also Imâm Mâlik has placed ‘Â’ishah’s  hadîth under ‘ The Book of
Tahajjud ’ (Al-Muwatta’, 7, section 7.2, no. 9, pg. 5, English ed'n). Imâm Abû
Dâwûd has also placed the same hadîth under the chapter on ‘ The number of
Raka‘ât of Tahajjud ’ (Abû Dâwûd, 1/13,36, pg. 351, English ed’n.). Imâm’s
Tirmidhî and Nisâ’î too placed ‘Â’ishah’s  hadîth under the ‘ Tahajjud ’ section
(Tirmidhî, vol. 1, pg. 58 and Nisâ’î, vol. 1, pg. 154). Even one of the most
prominent Imâms of the Salafî sect, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah placed the
aforementioned hadîth in the section of Tahajjud prayers in his book ‘ Zâd al-
Ma‘âd ’ (vol. 1, pg. 86). Moreover, Hâfiz al-Hadîth, Imâm Qurtubî’s (d. 671/1273)
statement regarding this hadîth should not be overlooked, that, “ …many a man
of knowledge considers the aforesaid hadîth mudtarib (i.e. confounded)... ” (vide:
Imâm ‘Aynî, Sharh Sahîh al-Bukhârî, vol. 2, pg. 187).

In short, the aforesaid report is in no way a proof for 8 raka‘ât of Tarâwîh. In

contrast to this the Sahâbah’s Consensus (Ijmâ‘ al-Sahâbah) has been declared
over the 20 raka‘ât practice of the Holy Prophet . Furthermore, all the
Mujtahidîn (ie. Jurists), including Imâms Abû Hanîfah, Shâfi‘î, Ahmad ibn Hanbal
and Mâlik, have unanimously concurred upon it, as will be shown.

3) Had this been Tarâwîh Salâh, ‘Â’ishah  would have stood in the ladies row,
way behind the men. The men would have observed the Tarâwîh Salâh being
performed first and they would have been more acquainted with it and
consequently there would exist numerous ahâdîth about it. The fact that the men
did not know about it and came to inquire from ‘Â’ishah  who alone reports this
practice indicates that the hadîth referred to Tahajjud Salâh which was being
performed in the privacy of his  home and not Tarâwîh in congregation as is
incorrectly assumed.

4) At the end of this hadîth, ‘Â’ishah  inquired from the Prophet  whether he
slept before Witr or not and he replied that his “…eyes sleep but not his heart…”.
There is absolutely no mention in any hadîth that Rasûlullâh  performed
Tarâwîh and then slept while the Sahabah  remained waiting. However he
used to perform Tahajjud Salâh at home and sometimes slept before Witr.

5) It was the practice of all the Muhaddithîn to perform 20 raka‘ât of Tarâwîh

Salâh in Ramadân, including Imâm Bukhârî himself (Muqaddamah Fath al-
Bârî bi Sharh Sahîh al- Bukhârî, Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalânî). If it were true that the
hadîth of ‘Â’ishah , which was reported by these great Muhaddithîn, referred to
Tarâwîh then why would they practice 20 raka‘ât of Tarâwîh in contradiction to
the very ahâdîth which they report in their books ?

These proofs clearly indicate that the hadîth of ‘Â’ishah  refers to Tahajjud.
Nowhere is there the slightest indication of Tarâwîh Salâh.

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 THE SECOND CLAIM

To substantiate the claim that ‘Umar  gave the command of 8 raka‘ât, the
following hadîth from the ‘ Muwatta’ ’ of Imâm Mâlik has been quoted by the
Salafî sect :

Yahyâ ibn Yahyâ al-Laythî related from his teacher Imâm Mâlik who related from
Muhammad ibn Yusuf who said that Sâ’ib ibn Yazîd said, “ ‘Umar ibn Khattâb
 ordered Ubayy ibn Ka‘b and Tamîm al-Dârî  to perform 11 raka‘ât of salâh at
night with the people. The reciter of the Qur’ân would recite the Mi‘în (a group of
medium sized sûrah’s) until we leant over on our staffs from having stood for
such a long time in prayer. And we did not leave (the prayer) until the approach
of dawn. ” (Al-Muwatta’, 6.2/4, p.48, English ed’n.)

If we analyse the chain of narrators (Isnâd) of this hadîth, we notice that

Muhammad ibn Yûsuf narrates from Sâ’ib ibn Yazid. Muhammad ibn Yûsuf
has 5 students and the narration of each student differs from the next (i.e. the
text of the hadîth is different from each student). The five students are:
1) Imâm Mâlik
2) Yahyâ ibn Qattân
3) ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Muhammad
4) Ibn Ishâq
5) ‘Abd al-Razzâq

Their narrations are as follows :

(1) Imâm Mâlik says that, “…‘Umar  ordered Ubayy ibn Ka‘b and Tamîm al-
Dârî to perform 11 raka‘ât...” (What practice occurred thereafter is not
mentioned, nor is Ramadân mentioned).

(2) Yahyâ ibn Qattân says that, “ …‘Umar  made the people gather with Ubayy
ibn Ka‘b  and Tamîm al-Dârî  and both of them began performing 11
raka‘ât...” (Hadrah ‘Umar's command is not mentioned nor is any mention of
Ramadân made).

(3) ‘Abd al-‘Azîz ibn Muhammad says that, “…we used to perform 11 raka‘at in
the era of ‘Umar ...” (Neither is the command mentioned, nor is Ubayy ibn Ka‘b
 or Ramadân mentioned).

(4) Ibn Ishâq says that, “…we used to perform 13 raka‘ât in Ramadân during the
era of ‘Umar ...” (The command of ‘Umar  is not mentioned and instead of 11
raka‘at, 13 are mentioned).

(5) ‘Abd al-Razzâq says that, “…‘Umar  gave the command of 21 raka‘ât...”
(Here 21 raka‘ât are mentioned instead of 11).

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Besides the narration of Imâm Mâlik , 11 raka‘ât can not be catagorically
established from the other narrations. Due to this difference the narrator Ibn
Ishâq gave preference to 13 while Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr al-Mâlikî preferred 21 (from
the narration of Abd al-Razzâq). Therefore this narration is Mudtarib with
regards to the number of raka‘ât and hence unacceptable (A Mudtarib hadîth is
that which is transmitted in different manners, so that the contents of each
transmission differs from the other, and it is not possible to give preference to
any particular transmission).
The above was an analysis of Muhammad ibn Yûsuf’s narration via Sâ’ib ibn
Yazîd. Now let us examine the narration of Yazîd ibn Khasîfah via Sâ’ib ibn
Yazîd which is mentioned in the ‘ Sunan al-Kubrâ ’ of al-Bayhaqî :

Abû Dhi'b narrates from Yazîd ibn Khasîfah who reports from Sâ’ib ibn Yazîd
that, “ The people (ie. Sahâbah ) used to perform 20 raka‘ât in the month of
Ramadân during the era of ‘Umar . ” (Sunan al-Kubrâ,v.2,p. 496)

Imâm Nawawî, Irâqî and Suyûtî (all three great Masters of the science of Hadîth
criticism and classification) amongst others have accepted the authenticity of this
hadîth. (Tuhfah al-Akhyâr, p. 192 and Irshâd al-Sârî, p. 74 by Imâm al-
Qastallânî)

Muhammad ibn Ja‘far (another narrator in the chain) has quoted the very same
statement from Yazîd ibn Khasîfah as Abû Dhi’b had. This narration is
mentioned in ‘ Ma‘rifah al-Sunan ’ of al-Bayhaqî. ‘Allâmah Subkî and Mullâ ‘Alî
al-Qârî have stated in ‘ Sharh Minhâj ’ and ‘ Sharh Muwatta’ ’ respectively that
the chain of narrators of this hadîth are correct. (Tuhfah al-Ahwazî, vol.2, p. 75)

From the above narration we can clearly see that both the students of Yazîd ibn
Khasîfah unanimously narrate the fact that during ‘Umar's  era 20 raka‘ât was
the standard practice. On the contrary, the 5 students of Muhammad ibn Yusuf
quote Sâ’ib ibn Yazîd differently. In such a situation the correct approach is to
rely on the narration of Yazîd ibn Khasîfah. However, the Salafî sect have
incorrectly discarded this narration and adopted the doubtful one of Muhammad
ibn Yûsuf, which has differing versions. This goes against the principles of the
science of hadîth.

THE THIRD CLAIM

Another hadîth that is used by the propagandists of eight raka‘ât Tarâwîh has
been related by Jâbir ibn ‘Abd-Allâh :

“ The Prophet  led the people in Salâh during Ramadân with 8 raka‘ât and the
Witr. We gathered in the Masjid the following night hoping that he would come
again. We remained waiting till the next morning (until he came out). The Prophet

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  said, ‘ I feared that the Witr may became incumbent on you’. ” (related by Ibn
Nasr al-Marwazî in Qiyâm al-Layl, p. 90, al-Tabarânî and Ibn Hibbân)

The shortcoming of this hadîth is that its chain of authorities (Isnâd) is not
trustworthy. Please examine the statements of the Imâms of this science
concerning the narrators in this chain. One of the narrators is Ibn Hâmid Râzî,
about whom the opinions of the great and august critics of Hadîth are as follows :

1) “ He is weak.” - Hâfiz al-Dhahabî

2) “ He narrates many disowned (munkar) ahâdîth.” – Ya‘qûb
ibn Shaybah.
3) “ He is objectionable.” - Imâm Bukhârî
4) “ He is a liar.” Abû Zur‘ah
5) “ I testify that he is a liar.” - Ishâq Khawsaj
6) “ He narrates ahâdîth about everything; I have not seen a man
bolder than him vis-a-vis Allâh.” - Sâlih Jazrah
7) “ By Allâh! He is a liar.” - Ibn Kharash
8) “ He is not reliable.”-Imâm Nisâ’î

Now, about the second narrator, Ya‘qûb ibn ‘Abd-Allâh Ash‘arî al-Qummî:
1) “ He is not strong.” - Dâraqutnî
About the third narrator, ‘Îsâ ibn Jâriyyah :
1) “ He has had disowned (munkar) ahâdîth.” - Ibn Ma‘în
2) “ His ahâdîth are disavowed.” - Nisâ’î
3) “ His ahâdîth are rejected (matrûk).” - Nisâ’î
4) “ His ahâdîth are disavowed.” - Abû Dâwûd
5) “ He is counted among the weak.” - Hâfiz al-Dhahabî
(Mîzân al-I‘tidâl vol. 3 & 2, pp.49-50, 324 & 311)

Hâfiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalânî has reported a similar narration to the above hadîth
in his ‘Bulûgh al-Marâm min Adillah al-Ahkâm’ (no. 396, p. 159) on the authority
of Hâfiz Ibn Hibbân :

“ Jâbir ibn ‘Abd-Allâh  narrated that Allâh’s Apostle  prayed during the night in
Ramadân. The people waited for him on the next day, but he did not come out,
and he said, ‘ I feared that the Witr might be enjoined on you’. ” Note the above-
mentioned narration does not even state how many raka‘ât were performed by
the Prophet . Thus, the above two ahâdîth can not be used as justifiable proof
in favour of 8 raka‘ât of Tarâwîh.

AHÂDÎTH AND ÂTHÂR CONFIRMING 20 RAKA‘ÂT

1) Imâm Mâlik has quoted a hadîth which describes the performance of 20 raka‘ât
of Tarâwîh in Ramadân :

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Yahyâ related to me from Mâlik that Yazîd ibn Rumân said, “ The people
(Sahâbah) used to pass the night in prayer during Ramadân for 23 raka‘ât (ie. 20
raka‘ât of Tarâwîh followed by 3 raka‘ât of Witr) in the time of ‘Umar ibn al-
Khattâb.” (vide: al-Muwatta’, 6.2, No. 5, p. 48, Eng ed'n)
This hadîth has been given a full Isnâd (chain) by Imâm Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr al-Mâlikî
(d. 463/1071) and Shaykh Muhammad Habîb-Allâh ibn Mayâbî al-Shânqitî in his ‘
Idâ’a al-Hâlik ’ and declared sound by Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalânî and Al-Suyûtî in his
‘ Tanwîr al-Hawâlik ’. It has also been verified by Imâm Nawawî (see Fath al-
Qadîr, vol.1, p. 407 and Nasb al-Râyah vol.1, p. 294 by Hâfiz al-Zayla’î).

2) Ibn ‘Abbâs  has reported that the Holy Prophet  performed 20 raka‘ât
of Tarâwîh. He said, “ Verily, the Holy Prophet  in the month of Ramadan used
to perform 20 raka‘ât and the witr prayer (afterwards) without congregation. ”
(narrated in Al-Sunan al-Bayhaqî, vol.2, p. 496; Musannaf Ibn Abî Shaybah;
Kabîrî of Imâm Al-Tabarânî; Ibn ‘Âdî in his Musnad; and by Imâm Baghawî
in his Majmû‘ al-Sahâbah)

This hadîth is supported by many other narrations coming from great

Companions like ‘Uthmân , Alî , Ibn Mas‘ûd , as well as their Successors
(Tâbi‘în). Further, it has been declared sound by great Fuqahâ’ and Muhaddithîn
like Imâm Al-Shâfi‘î , Ibn al-Humâm, Imâm Tirmidhî and Suyûtî . (Al-Sakhâwî,
Fath al-Mugîth; ‘Abd al-Rashîd Nu‘mânî, Mâ Tamassu Ilayhi al-Hâjah, p. 18;
Suyûtî, Al-Ta‘âqubât, folio 20; Fath al-Qadîr, vol. 3, pg. 349).

3) The Hâfiz of Hadîth, Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalânî (d. 852/1449) has reproduced
from Imâm Râfi‘î [rh]:
“ For two nights the Holy Prophet  led 20 raka‘ât of prayer each night. On the
third night the people gathered but the Holy Prophet  did not come out. The
next morning he explained to the people, ‘ It so occurred to me that it would be
made obligatory for you, and you would not be able to discharge this obligation’. ”

After reproducing this tradition Hâfiz Ibn Hajar said : “ All the Muhaddithîn are
unanimous about the soundness of this report. ” (Talkhîs al-Habîr fî Takhrîj
Ahâdîth al-Râfi‘î al-Kabîr, vol. 1, p. 119,)

4) Abû Dhi'b narrates from Yazîd ibn Khasîfah who reports from Sâ’ib ibn
Yazîd that, “ The people (ie. Sahâbah ) used to perform 20 raka‘at in the
month of Ramadân during the era of ‘Umar . ” (Sunan al-Kubrâ of al-
Bayhaqî, vol. 2, pg. 496)

5) “ Hadrah ‘Umar bin Khattâb  commanded that 20 raka‘ât tarâwîh be

performed for the people.” (reported by Abû Bakr ibn Shaybah in his
Musannaf vol. 1, p. 483; Âthâr al-Sunan vol. 1, p. 58.)

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6) “ Hadrah Ubay bin Ka‘b  used to lead the prayers by performing 20
raka‘ât Tarâwîh and 3 raka‘ât Witr.” (Âthâr al-Sunan vol. 1, p. 58)

7) Shaytar bin Shakl, who was a student of ‘Alî , reports that, “ He (‘Alî )
used to lead the prayer performing 20 raka‘ât in Ramadân and he used to
perform 3 raka‘ât of Witr.” (Sunan al-Bayhaqî, vol. 2, p. 496)

8) ‘Abd al-Rahmân Sulamî narrates that, “ Hadrah ‘Alî  called the Qurrâ’
(reciters of the Qur’ân) in Ramadân and commanded one of them to perform 20
raka‘ât while Hadrah ‘Alî  himself used to lead the Witr salaat.” (Sunan al-
Bayhaqî, vol. 2, p. 496)

9) A‘mash says that, “ ‘Abd-Allâh bin Mas‘ûd  used to perform 20 raka‘ât

Tarâwîh and 3 raka‘ât Witr.” (Muhammad bin Nasr Marwazî, Qiyâm al-Layl,
p.91.)

10) Imâm Tirmidhî said, “ ‘Umar , ‘Alî  and all the Companions  as well
as Sufyân al-Thawrî, Ibn al-Mubârak and Imâm al-Shafi‘î all adhered to 20
raka‘ât of Tarâwîh. Imâm Shâfi‘î has stated that he had seen the people of
Makkah performing 20 raka‘ât.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhî, vol.1, p. 99).

11) Imâm Atâ ibn Abî Rabâh the august Successor (Tabi‘î) and Muftî of
Makkah in his time said, “ I have seen the Sahâbah  (Companions) and other
people in Makkah performing 23 raka‘ât, including the Witr.” This report is Hasan
(good). (Musannaf Ibn Abî Shaybah, p. 406; Fath al-Bârî of Hâfiz Ibn Hajar
al-‘Asqalânî, vol.4, p. 219; Qiyâm al-Layl by Imâm Ibn Nasr al-Marwazî, p.
91)

12) Imâm al-A‘zam Abû Hanîfah (d. 150 AH). It was stated in ‘Fayd al-Bârî
Sharh Sahîh al-Bukhârî ’ by Shaykh Anwar Shâh Kashmîrî, “ Imâm Abû Yûsuf
asked Imâm Abû Hanîfah , ‘ Did Hadrah ‘Umar  have any authority from the
Holy Prophet  for 20 raka‘at of Tarâwîh ?’ The Imâm replied, ‘Hadrah ‘Umar 
was not one to invent on his own; certainly he had proof for this. ” (also found in
Marâqi al-Falâh, p. 81, by Imâm al-Shurunbulâlî and Bahr al-Râ’iq vol. 2, p.
66 by Imâm ibn Nujaym al-Misrî).

13) Shaykh al-Islâm, Imâm Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr al-Qurtubî says that, “ 20
raka‘ât Tarâwîh and 3 raka‘ât Witr is the most authentic narration.” (Masâbîh)

14) Imâm Ghazâlî writes, “ Tarâwîh is 20 raka‘ât; its method is well known
and it is Sunnah Mu’akkadah.” (Ihyâ’ ‘Ulûm al-Dîn, vol. 1, p.256)

15) Sayyid ‘Abd al-Qâdir Jaylânî writes, “ Tarâwîh Salâh is a Sunnah of the
Prophet  and it is 20 raka‘ât.” (Ghunyah al-Tâlibîn, p.464.)

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16) Imâm Muhy al-Dîn Nawawî, the commentator of Sahîh Muslim, writes, “
Remember that Tarâwîh is a unanimously accepted Sunnah of the Muslims. It is
20 raka‘ât.” (Kitâb al-Adhkâr, p83.)

17) Imâm Muwaffaq al-Dîn Ibn Qudâmah al-Maqdisî (d. 620/1223), the
Imâm of the Hanbalî’s, in his time said in his book ‘ Al-Mughnî ’, “ There has
been the Companion's consensus (Ijmâ‘ al-Sahâbah) on 20 raka‘ât of Tarâwîh.”
(al-Mughnî, vol.1, p 803)

18) ‘Allâmah Anwar Shâh Kashmîrî (d. 1352 AH) stated in his published
lecture, ‘ Tirmidhî al-Ma‘rûf bi ‘Arf al-Shazzî ’, “ Not even one of the the four
Imâms believes in less than 20 raka‘ât of Tarâwîh; the practice and belief of the
Companions  was this too. Imâm Mâlik believes in more than 20 raka‘ât; he is
positive that they are 36. According to Imâm Mâlik’s [rh] practice only 20 raka‘ât
of Tarâwîh will be said in congregation and 16 raka‘ât individually. The
general practice and method of the people of Madînah was that during the brief
rest (ie. the interval after every 4 raka‘ât), when the Imam sat down after 4
raka‘ât, they used to perform 4 more raka‘ât individually, reason being, that the
men who performed the Tarâwîh in the sacred Masjid in Makkah used to
circumambulate (Tawâf) the Ka‘bah during this brief recess. The people of
Madînah, naturally, could not circumambulate the Ka‘bah and instead, they used
to perform 16 raka‘ât more (in total) during these brief recesses.” (Tirmidhî al-
Ma‘rûf bi ‘Arf al-Shazzî, vol. 1, p. 329)

19) Imâm al-‘Aynî (d. 855/1451) wrote in his ‘Sharh al-Bukhârî, “ The number
of raka‘at in the Tarâwîh is 20. Imâm Shâfi‘î and Imâm Ahmad assert the same
thing. Their proof is the report which Bayhaqi has, with genuine authority,
narrated from Sâ’ib ibn Yazîd. The great Companions  , including ‘Umar ,
‘Uthmân  and ‘Alî t, as also the revered Successors (Tabi‘în), used to perform
20 raka‘ât.’ Then he said, “ The most excellent and the most advisable course to
conform to is that of the Holy Prophet  and his Companions .” (‘Umdah al-
Qârî Sharh Sahîh al-Bukhârî, v.7, p. 178)

20) Hafiz Taqî al-Dîn Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah al-Hanbalî (d. 728/1328) has
said in his ‘ Fatâwâ Ibn Taymiyya ’ (vol.1, p. 191), “ It has been proven without
doubt that Ubayy ibn Ka‘b  used to lead the Companions , during Ramadân,
for 20 raka‘ât and 3 raka‘ât of Witr. Hence it is the principle (maslak) of the
‘Ulamâ’ that this is the Sunnah, because Ubayy ibn Ka‘b  led 20 raka‘ât of
prayer in the presence of the Muhâjirîn  and the Ansâr  and not a single
Companion  repudiated it! ” (Fatâwâ Ibn Taymiyya,v.1,p. 191)

So please ask yourselves : ‘ Who are the ‘Salafî or so called modern day Ahl al-
Hadîth?’ Are they the people who conform to the way of the Holy Prophet , his
Companions  and their Successors, which includes the four Mujtahid Imâms ?

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Al-Albânî, the foremost scholar of the Salafî sect, has said that, “ If anyone
performs more than 11 raka‘ât of Tarâwîh then he or she is committing a Bid‘ah
(an evil innovation)! ” We seek refuge in Allâh from such an abhorrent statement,
since this means that the foremost scholars and Imâms of Islam have been
committing gross innovations (Allâh forbid ! ). Al-Albânî seems to be implying that
the venerable Companions , the Successors , the four great Mujtahid Imâms as
well as the leading scholars of Hadîth and Fiqh of the past 1400 years have ‘
concocted ’ the practice of 20 raka‘ât Tarâwîh. It is blatantly evident that the
pseudo ‘ Salafî’s ’ do not adhere to the path of the original and true Salaf al-
Sâlihîn (the Pious Predecessors of the first three generations of Islam) by their
shameless declaration of the practice of 20 raka‘ât to be a Bid‘ah, even though it
is beyond all doubt that the tradition of the Pious Predecessors has always been
20 raka‘ât. May Allâh grant us all correct understanding and protect us from
misguidance and error. Âmîn.

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