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Statement from the Iftaa` Department regarding Tarawih Prayer
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 09-07-2023

 

Statement from the Iftaa` Department regarding Tarawih Prayer

 

 Tarawih Prayer is Twenty Rakhas

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

There are many questions regarding the number of Rakhas in Tarawih prayer.

 

Tarawih prayer is a Sunnah, and the four Sunni schools of thought are agreed that it is twenty Rakhas. In fact, the Malikis believe that it is thirty-six Rakhas. Based on this, whoever prays eight Rakhas has fulfilled some of this Sunnah, and will be rewarded accordingly. It is well-known that Tarawih prayer is the night prayer in Ramadan {Qiyam}. Abu Hurairah narrated that The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Whoever prays during the night in Ramadan out of sincere faith and seeking its reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven." The Imams of the Sunni schools of thought have conveyed how it is performed starting from the righteous predecessors to the era of the noble companions {May Allah be pleased with them}. In Sunan al-Bayhaqi, from al-Sa'ib ibn Yazid, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: "During the era of Umar ibn al-Khattab, they used to offer twenty Rakhas during Ramadan as Qiyam. He said: They used to recite [the Quran] in groups of two hundred."

 

This is the practice in the Two Holy Mosques and the ancient Islamic cities. Whoever is able to perform it (Twenty Rakhas) completely has performed the complete Sunnah, and whoever is not able to perform it has performed some of it, and will be rewarded for what he has prayed, but he does not have the right to prevent or prohibit others from completing it. This is because prohibition is only for doing evil while prayer is the best of the deeds of the believers. The Prophet (PBUH) said: (Prayer is the best deed, so whoever can do more, let him do more. Narrated by al-Tabarani, and Allah the Almighty said: (Seest thou one who forbids- A votary when he (turns) to pray?)  {Al-Alaq, 9-10}.

 

May Allah guide us all to His obedience and help us to do so. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

 

Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you all.

 

General Iftaa` Department

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What should a praying person who doubts having offered one, or two prostrations in the third Rakah (unit of prayer) do?

Whoever has doubts about their prayer should consider what is less i.e. the above person should offer another Sajda (prostration) and complete his/her prayer, then offer Sujood As-Sahw (prostration of forgetfulness). And Allah Knows Best.

Is It Permissible to Divorce One's Wife for not Praying

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
You should do your best to save her from hellfire by making her observe daily prayers on their prescribed times, even if this means giving her a generous incentive. However, if she insisted on her position, then it is permissible for you to divorce her. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

Should I pick up the newspapers thrown at the street because they definitely contain sacred names?

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) says: "Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you." Part of this is protecting whatever contains the name of Allah. Therefore, if you see a paper containing Allah's name thrown in the street, then you should grab it and similar papers, then burn them in a clean place. Doing so is permissible because Othman (May Allah be pleased with him) has burnt copies of the Quran which didn`t match the main Mus-haf. However, you aren`t required to collect every paper in the street. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

Who is "the poor" entitled to receive Zakah (obligatory charity)?

The poor is the one who has neither money nor a source of living, or has either of them, but it isn`t sufficient such as being in need for a hundred/JDs, and having an income of forty/JDs only.