24. How Many Rak’aat Of Taraaweeh Should I Pray

BY Asma Bint Shameem

Is Taraaweeh 8 or 20 rak’aat?

ANSWER

Taraaweeh is a Sunnah of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam and it’s proven that the Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam led his family and people in Taraaweeh.

However there’s NO specific hadeeth of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam that gives an EXACT NUMBER of rak’aat to be read in Taraaweeh.

That’s because Taraaweeh is a kind of Night Prayer and there’s no ‘set’ number of rak’aat to be read in the night prayer.

But unfortunately we see some people going to extremes and fighting with each other over the number of rakaat in the Taraaweeh prayer.

They refuse to pray in the masjid that has eight rakaat or twenty rakaat and or just sit in the back if the Imaam is reading more than eight.

Dear brothers and sisters, there's no need to fight, argue or get angry.

It is perfectly okay to read eight rakaat AND it is ALSO OKAY to read twenty.

And it’s also okay to read MORE than that or LESS than that or as MANY as you LIKE.

PROOF

A man came to the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) and asked:

"How are the night prayers done?
He (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"The night prayers are two by two, then when you fear that dawn is about to break, pray Witr with one rak'ah." (al-Bukhaari)

Here we see that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) told the man HOW to do the night prayer but did NOT specify the NUMBER of rakaat.

Yes, the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) himself used to pray eight at night but when the man asked him about it, he did not tell him to pray only eight.
Rather he left the number up to him.
If it was good to pray only 8, surely he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam would have told the man so.

But he didn’t.

This shows that the matter is FLEXIBLE and broad in scope.

A person may pray two, twenty or two hundred rakaat if he likes, and then he can pray Witr.

Imam Ahmad said:

"There is no set number of rak'ahs for qiyaam during Ramadhaan, because the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) did not set a number."

Shaykh Ibn Baaz said:

It is proven that 'Umar Radhi Allaahu anhu told the one whom he appointed among the Sahaabah to pray eleven rak'ahs, and it is also proven that they prayed twenty-three rak'ahs based on his command.

This indicates that the matter is broad in scope and that the matter was flexible according to the Sahaabah. That is also indicated by the words of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) :"The night prayers are two by two." (Majmoo' al-Fataawa)

So where did 20 rak’ah come from?

It is true that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam used to pray not more than eleven or thirteen rak’aat in his night prayer but his standing (while praying) was very long.

Sometimes he would pray the whole of Surah al-Baqarah, Nisaa and Aal- Imraan all in one rak’ah!

And the Sahaabah also used to read a LOT of Qur’aan in their Taraaweeh and their standing was long too.

But when they all started praying Taraaweeh in one Jama’ah, they shortened the standing and increased the number of rak’aat because the people were not used to standing for so long.

And if the Imaam had made the prayer too long, this would be too difficult for the people and that might put them off the prayer and discourage them.

So they made Ijtehaad and increased the number of rak’aat to 20 (some read even 36 and some even more) and made the recitation shorter.
That’s how ‘20’ rak’aat came about.

Any more or less is also allowed.

Ibn Taimiyyah said:
"Whoever thinks that there is a specific number (of rak‘ahs) for qiyaam in Ramadhaan that has been narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and one cannot do more or less than that, is mistaken." (Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (22/272)

So go ahead and pray as many rak'aat as you want.
IT'S ALL GOOD. 

Point to ponder:

When we finish reading Taraaweeh with the Imaam, whether it’s 8 or 20, a lot of us also do read some Nawaafil for tahajjud before Fajr.
Don’t we?

Well, Tahajjud is also a kind of ‘Salaat al-Layl’ just as Taraaweeh is.
They’re both the same.
So we end up praying more than 8 or more than 20 anyway!

Conclusion:
The night prayer is two by two.
Whether you pray 8 or you pray 20 or you pray as many as Allaah wills, it’s all good.

Remember it’s not about the NUMBER of rak’aat.

It’s about the SINCERITY, the KHUSHOO, the HUMILITY, the REPENTANT HEART with which you stand in front of your Rabb, with faith and hoping for a reward from Him, that matters.

Our beloved Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

“Whoever prays at night in Ramadaan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” (al-Bukhaari, Muslim)

And Allaah knows best.