Tarawih-Tahajjud* [[-- Episode 2 --]]

 *Tarawih-Tahajjud*

[[-- Episode 2 --]]
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How many Rakaat should one perform in Taraweeh?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

We do not think that the Muslims should be so sensitive with regard to issues that are the matter of scholarly differences or make them the cause of division and fitnah among the Muslims.

On this,

Two groups have gone to extremes with regard to the number of raka'ats:

(1) The first group denounced everyone who prays more than 11 rak’ahs and said that doing so was bid’ah.

(2) The second group denounced those who do only 11 rak’ahs and said that they are going against scholarly consensus (ijmaa’).

*Let us listen to what Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (r.a) said:*

"Here we say that we should not go to extremes or be negligent. Some people go to extremes in adhering to the number mentioned in the Sunnah, and say that it is not permissible to do more than the number mentioned in the Sunnah, and they aggressively denounce those who do more than that, saying that they are sinners.

This is undoubtedly wrong. How can they be sinners, when the Prophet (pbuh), upon being asked about night prayers, said that they are to be done two by two, and he did not specify any particular number?

Of course, the one who asked him about the night prayer did not know the number, because if he did not know how to do it, it is even more likely that he did not know the number. And he was not one of those who served the Prophet (pbuh) so that we might say that he knew what happened inside his house. Now, since the Prophet told him how to do it but did not say how many times, then, it may be understood that the matter is broad in scope, and that a person may pray one hundred rak’ahs then pray Witr with one rak’ah.

And with regard to the words of the Prophet (pbuh), *“Pray as you have seen me praying,”* this does not apply in absolute terms even for these people. Hence they do not say that a person should pray Witr with five rak’ahs sometimes and with seven rak’ahs sometimes and with nine rak’ahs sometimes. If we understand it in absolute terms, then, we would have to pray Witr with five rak’ahs sometimes and with seven rak’ahs sometimes and with nine rak’ahs sometimes. But what is meant by the hadeeth is pray as you have seen me praying with regard to how to pray not how many rak’ahs, unless there is a text to state what the number is. 

Whatever the case,

A person should not be strict with people with regard to a matter that is broad in scope.

Now,

We have no doubt that these people who go extreme may have good intentions and they are doing their best to come to the right conclusion, but that does not mean that they are correct."

To be continued...