How many Rak’ats in Taraweeh Salah?

Question:

How many Rakahs is ‘Taraweeh’ according to Hanafi fiqh? Also, is there any conflict about this within the Hanafi Madhab?

I’ve heard quite a few different numbers, 8 + 3 witr or 20+3 witr. etc.
According to the Hanafi fiqh, what is correct, and are there different opinions of this within the madhab or is it one majority answer?

Answer:

It is the tradition of the majority that Tarawih is twenty rak’ats [Durr al-Mukhtar]. This is the Sunnat which has been proven from the Ahadith and agreed upon by the erudite jurists as well as the Hadith masters.

The Prophet of Allah himself prayed twenty rak’ats before the introduction of the Tarawih congregation. Tabarani in Kabeer and Baihaqi record; Hazrat Ibn Abbas narrates, “The prophet of Allah prayed twenty rak’ats excluding the Witr in Ramadan”.

This tradition remained amongst the companions, they too prayed 20 Rakats Tarawih. Sa’id Bin Yazeed narrates; “people in the time of Umar Farooq would pray twenty rak’ats”. [Baihaqi]

Yazeed Bin Ruman narrats; “people in the time of Umar Farooq would pray twenty three rak’ats” [Muwatta] Baihaqi said that the three rak’ats are of Witr.

Hazrat Ali ordered one individual to make people pray twenty rak’ats. [Sunan e Kubra]

Thus, Mulla Ali Qari states “In the time of Hazrat Umar, Uthman and Ali, the companions performed twenty rak’ats Tarawih. For this reason, there is a consensus [Ijma] upon this amount”. [Sharah Niqaaya]

Thereafter, the tradition remained amongst the Ulema, they too performed 20 Rakats Taraweeh as per the Sunnat. It is stated in Umdatul Qari “Ibn Abdul-Bir states that Tarawih being twenty rak’ats is the ruling of the majority of scholars. It is the opinion of the people of Kufa, Imam Shafa’i and the majority of jurists. Also, this is what has been narrated from Hazrat Ubai Ibn Ka’ab. No companion of the Prophet differs with this opinion”.

Allama Ibn Abidin al-Shami states: “Tarawih is twenty rak’ats; this is the ruling of the majority of the scholars and the common practice of all Muslims from east till west” [Radd al-Muhtar]

Allama Zain al-Din Ibn Nujaim states: “Twenty rak’ats Tarawih is the ruling of the majority of the scholars. This is because it has been reported in the Muwatta of Imam Malik on the authority of Yazid Ibn Ruman that in the blessed era of Umar Faruq, the companions used to perform twenty three rak’ats (twenty rak’ats of Tarawih and three rak’ats of Witr). [al-Bahr al-Ra’iq]

It is stated in Fatawa e Alamghiri (Fatawa Hindiyyah): “Tarawih consists of five Tarweha; each Tarweha is four rak’ats with two salaams. This is also stated in al-Sirajiyyah”.

Therefore, it is established that the companions, Taba’een, Tabe Taba’een, jurists and Hadith masters agree that Tarawih consists of twenty rak’ats – Hence, this is the consensus [Ijma] of all the Muslims.

Regarding eight rak’ats (or 11 with witr), there is no authentic narration which states that Tarawih consists of 8 rak’ats and 3 Witr. It is the innovation of the Ghair Muqallideen who label others innovators, yet they themselves have introduced 8 rak’ats of Tarawih without any basis from the Sunnat. In actual fact, the Ghair Muqallideen are followers of their lust. This is why they pray 8 rak’ats instead of twenty regardless of the countless Ahadith as well as the consensus of the scholars establishing Tarwih as 20 rak’ats.

And Allah knows best.

Answered by: Muhammad Kalim (Preston)

Verified by Mufti Zahid Hussain al-Qadri