.:: Tarawih Salah - 8 or 20 rakats? ::.

Moulana Muhammad Karolia

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 Abû 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:
• The chapter regarding Nabi's (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)'s salah during the
nights of Ramadan and other months.
• The chapter regarding the virtue of salah during Ramadan.
• The chapter that Nabi (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)'s eyes would sleep but not
his heart.
• The chapter on Witr salah.
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:
• Tahajjud was introduced in Makkah and Tarzawih in Madinah,
• Tarawih is performed immediately after the Esha salah whilst Tahajjud is
performed much later at night (in the last third of the night).
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 "Matrûk". 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 Matrûk (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:
• Imam Malik
• Ibn Ishaq
• Da'ud bin Qays
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:
• He would perform salah until his feet would swell.
• He would continue performing salah until half the night had passed.
• He sometimes continued performing salah until the Sehri time had almost
expired.
• Hadrat Abu Dharr (radiAllahu anhu) narrates that one night he performed
salah with RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). He says: "I stood in salah
with him (i.e. RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)) until I began resting my
head on the wall due to the length of his salah.
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
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

References
Fatawa ibn Taymiyya V.2 Pg. 46 Masabih P.44 Nayl-ul Awtar V.1 Pg. 46
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.

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