Taraweeh

Introduction

Usually I do not pay attention to these issues of fiqh because Salaf of this ummah differed in this case. , I would like to quote the stance of ahlus sunnah i.e This is the issue of fiqh and we should not be too rigid, Ahlus sunnah are against those few people of subcontinent who claim that 8 rakah are started by scholars of 14^th century, Because Taraweeh is 8 rakah is the stance of many classical scholars for example

Abul Abbas Qurtubee (d 656 h) Rahimullah said

There is difference of opinion among the scholars regarding the Qiyam, Imam Malik said it is 36 rakah.....

وقال كثير من أهل العلم :إحدىٰ عشرة ركعة أخذاً بحديث عائشة

A large number of people of knowledge have said that it is 11 Rakaah and the evidence is the hadeeth of Aisha (Radhi Allahu Anha)".[Al Mufim min Talkhees Kitab Sahih Muslim 2/390]

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The Opinion of The Four Imams

1) Imam Abu Haneefa Rahimullah

Imam Muhammad bin Hasan Shaybani said: “ Abu Haneefah informed us, who said, it was narrated to us by Abu Jafar, who said the Prophet would pray thirteen raka’aahs between Salaatul-Ishaa and the Fajar Prayer, eight raka’aahs being voluntarily, three raka’aahs being Witr, and two raka’aahs (sunnah) of the Fajar Prayer

Abdul Hai Lakhnawi said regarding 8 rakah that it is tahajjud .”[Muwatta Imam Muhammad, On the Issue of performing Salaam concluding with the Witr with the commentary of Abdul Hai Lakhnawi Hanafi]

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The hadeeth of Aisha which states 8+3 Rakaah was Practice of Prophet peace be upon him is also mentioned in Muwatta Muhammad bin Al Hassan As-Shaybaani under the heading

"قيام شهر رمضان و ماء فيه من الفضل”

Shaykh Abdul Hayy Lakhnavi hanafi states in its Haashiya that “قوله قيام شهر رمضان ويسمى التراويح” which means that standing in the month of Ramadhan means Taraweeh .

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Al-Sarkhasi Hanafi said:
فإنها عشرون ركعة سوى الوتر عندنا .

It is twenty rak’ahs, apart from Witr, in our view. [

Al-Mabsoot, 2/145]

2) Imam Malik Rahimullah

Imam Malik said

الذي آخذ به لنفسي في قيام رمضان هو الذي جمع به عمر بن الخطاب الناس إحدىٰ عشرة ركعة وهي صلاة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم و لا أدري من أحدث هذا الركوع الكثير

I choose 11 Rakah of standing in Ramadhan and Umar bin al Khattab Gathered people on this prayer and this is the Prayer of Messenger of Allah peace be upon him, and I don't know from where people innovated these so many more Rak`ah [Kitab Al tahajjud hadeeth no: 890 by Abdul Haq Al Shabeeli (d 581 h)]

Right after that Abdul Haq Shabeeli quoted narration of Ibn al-Qasim from Imam Malik that taraweeh is 36 rakah but that is not authentic see [Kitab al-Duafa Abi Zura al-Razi page no: 534]

This is stance of Imam Malik is quoted by Allamah Ayini Hanafi, he said

وقيل إحدى عشرة ركعة وهو اختيار مالك لنفسه واختيار أبي بكر بن العربي.

“it is said that the taraweeh is 11 rakah. and Imam Malik and Abu Bakar al-Arabi chooses these rakah for themselves” [Umda tul qari 11/126 under the hadeeth 2010]

Qazi Abu Bakr Al-Arbi Al-Maaliki[468 h to 543 h] said:

والصحيح أن يصلي إحدى عشرة ركعة صلاة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وقيامه ، فأما غير ذلك من الأعداد فلا أصل له ولا حدّ فيه

And the correct (view) is that 11 rakaat should be prayed. This was the prayer and Qiyaam of the prophet sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam. Any numbers apart from that has no reality in it and Hadd in it.[عارضة الأحوذي 4/19 ح806]

According to Shaykh Ibne Tamiyah stance of Malaki Madhab is 36 Rakah or 11 or 13 rakah as said by Shaykh in Al-Ikhtiyaaraat, p. 64

3) Imam Shafee Rahimullah

Imam Shafi Rahimullah said that 20 is better and said

أذهب إلى عشرون ركعة قال: وليس في شيء من هنا حد ينتهي إليه؛ لأنه نافلة فإن أطالوا القيام وأقلوا السجود فحسن، وهو أحب إلي، وإن أكثروا الركوع فحسن.

There is no problem in this (prayer) and there is no limit, because this is nafil prayer, If Rakat are less and Qiyam is long then it is good and i like this view, and If There are More Rak`ah even that is good.[Mukhtasir Qayam ul Layl al Maroozi page 222]

4) Imam Ahmad bin Humble Rahimullah

Ishaq bin Mansoor asked him regarding Rakah of Qayam , Imam Ahmad said

قد قيل فيه ألوان نحواً من أربعين ، إنما هو تطو

40 Raka`ah are narrated in this case, this is only nafil prayer[Mukhtasir qiyam al layl page 222]

Imam Tirmidhee in his Sunan said that Imam Ahmad did not set the number of Rakah “ولم يقض فيه بشيء”

In Short

Our approach should be linient because there is difference of opinion, no one has the right to say 8 rakah was started by the scholars of 14th century, below is the difference

1. Traweeh is 11 or 13 rakah and their evidence is the hadeeth of Aisha ra,Jabir ra and the athaar of Umar ra, This is one of the opinion of Imam Malik, Abu Bakar al-Arabi, Abul Abbas Qurtubee and scholars like sh-Al-Bani and Abdul Mannan Noorpuri etc.

2. Taraweeh is 20 rakah and their evidence is the fabricated hadeeth of Prophet peace be upon him, authentic athaar of Sahaba, this is the opinion of Imam Shafiee who even said praying more rakah is also allowed and less rakah is also allowed, This is the opinion of Ibn Qudamah and Hanafi school etc.

3. One can pray as much as you want because the hadeeth says “'The night prayers are Two by two, then when you fear that dawn is about to break, pray Witr with one rak’ah” in this hadeeth Prophet peace be upon him did not set the number of the rakah. This is the opinion of Imam Ahmad, Imam Ibn Tamiyah, sh Abul Aziz Ibn Baz, sh Muhammad bin Saalih Ibn Uthaymeen etc.

Brothers should understand this issue and see all the evidences of all the groups and then conclude. And Allah knows best