Chapter Twelve: The Night Prayer of Ramadan — Tarawih

باب قِيَامِ رَمَضَانَ

بَابُ قِیَامِ رَمَضَانَ — (This chapter concerns the night prayer (qiyām) in the month of Ramaḍān — tarāwīḥ)

عَنْ عُرْوَةَ رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ اَنَّ عَائِشَةَ رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا اَخْبَرَتْهُ اَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَیْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَرَجَ لَیْلَةً "مِنْ جَوْفِ اللَّیْلِ فَصَلّٰی فِی الْمَسْجِدِ وَصَلّٰی رِجَالٌ بِصَلٰوتِهٖ فَاَصْبَحَ النَّاسُ فَتَحَدَّثُوْا فَاجْتَمَعَ اَکْثَرُ مِنْهُمْ فَصَلّٰی فَصَلَّوْا مَعَهٗ فَاَصْبَحَ النَّاسُ فَتَحَدَّثُوْا فَکَثُرَ اَهْلُ الْمَسْجِدِ مِنَ اللَّیْلَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ فَخَرَجَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَیْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ فَصَلّٰی فَصَلَّوْا بِصَلٰوتِهٖ فَلَمَّا کَانَتِ اللَّیْلَةُ الرَّابِعَةُ عَجَزَ الْمَسْجِدُ عَنْ اَهْلِهٖ حَتّٰی خَرَجَ لِصَلٰوةِ الصُّبْحِ فَلَمَّا قَضَی الْفَجْرَ اَقْبَلَ عَلَی النَّاسِ فَتَشَهَّدَ ثُمَّ قَالَ "اَمَّا بَعْدُ فَاِنَّهٗ لَمْ یَخْفَ عَلَیَّ مَکَانُکُمْ وَلٰکِنِّیْ خَشِیْتُ اَنْ تُفْرَضَ عَلَیْکُمْ فَتَعْجِزُوْا عَنْهَا فَتُوُفِّیَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَیْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ وَالْاَمْرُ عَلٰی ذٰلِکَ ـ

(Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

Vocabulary: akhbarathu — she told him; jawf al-layl — the middle of the night; fa-taḥaddathū — so they spoke of it; ʿajaza — became unable, became too narrow; lam yakhfa ʿalayya — is not hidden from me; khashītu — I feared; fa-taʿjizū — then you would not have the strength, you would be unable.

Translation: [It is narrated] from Ḥaḍrat ʿUrwa (may Allah be pleased with him) that ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) told him that one night the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out in the middle part of the night and prayed in the mosque, and some people also prayed with him. In the morning people spoke of it. So (on the second night) more people than that gathered. He prayed, and they too prayed with him. In the morning people again spoke of it, so on the third night the people became more numerous. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out; he prayed, and all of them prayed with him. Then, when the fourth night came, the mosque became too narrow for the worshippers — until he came out for the morning prayer. When the prayer was over he turned towards the people and, after the tashahhud (اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لَّا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ …), said: "Ammā baʿd (now then): your being here was not hidden from me, but I feared lest it become obligatory upon you and you become unable to do it (unable to keep it up)." Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, and the practice remained on this. (Al-Bukhārī and Muslim reported it.)

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا اَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَیْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ کَانَ یُصَلِّیْ فِیْ رَمَضَانَ عِشْرِیْنَ رَکْعَةً وَالْوِتْرَ رواه الطبرانی والبیهقی و فیه ابو شَیْبَةَ وَهُوَ ضَعِیْفٌ وَیَزِیْدُ بْنُ رُوْمَانَ اَنَّهٗ قَالَ کَانَ النَّاسُ یَقُوْمُوْنَ فِیْ زَمَانِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ فِیْ رَمَضَانَ بِثَلَاثٍ وَّ عِشْرِیْنَ رَکْعَةً ـ

(Reported by Mālik.)

Translation: [It is narrated] from Ḥaḍrat ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray twenty rakʿas and the witr in the month of Ramaḍān. Al-Ṭabarānī and al-Bayhaqī reported it, and in this report there is also Abū Shayba, who is weak. And [it is narrated] also from Ḥaḍrat Yazīd ibn Rūmān; he said that in the time of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) people used to pray twenty-three (23) rakʿas while performing the night prayer (qiyām) of Ramaḍān. (Mālik reported it.)

عَنْ نَافِعِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ کَانَ ابْنُ اَبِیْ مُلَیْکَةَ یُصَلِّیْ بِنَا فِیْ رَمَضَانَ عِشْرِیْنَ رَکْعَةً ـ

(Reported by Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shayba, and its chain is sound — al-Nīmawī.)

Translation: [It is narrated] from Ḥaḍrat Nāfiʿ ibn ʿUmar; he said that Ibn Abī Mulayka used to lead us in praying twenty rakʿas in Ramaḍān. (Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shayba reported it, and its chain is sound — al-Nīmawī.)

عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ جَاءَ اُبَیُّ بْنُ کَعْبٍ رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ اِلٰی رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَیْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ فَقَالَ یَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ! اِنَّهٗ کَانَ مِنِّی اللَّیْلَةَ شَیْءٌ یعونی رَمَضَانَ قَالَ "وَمَا ذٰلِکَ یَا اُبَیُّ!" قَالَ نِسْوَةٌ فِیْ دَارِیْ قُلْنَ اِنَّا لَا نَقْرَاُ الْقُرْاٰنَ فَنُصَلِّیْ بِصَلٰوتِکَ قَالَ فَصَلَّیْتُ بِهِنَّ ثَمَانَ رَکَعَاتٍ وَ اَوْتَرْتُ فَکَانَتْ سُنَّةُ الرِّضَا وَلَمْ یَقُلْ شَیْئًا ـ ☆ [reading uncertain]

(Reported by Abū Yaʿlā; and al-Bayhaqī said its chain is ḥasan (good) — al-Nīmawī.) [reading uncertain]

☆ قال الشعرانی فی کشف الغمة ـ وکانوا یصلونها ـ فی اوّل زمان عمر رضی الله عنه ـ بثلاث عشر رکعة ـ وکان القاری یقرء بالمئین من الایات حتی کان الناس یعتمدون علی العِصیّ من طول القیام وکان امامهم ابی بن کعب وتمیم الداری رضی الله عنهما ثم ان عمر رضی الله عنه امر فصلینا ثلثا و عشرین رکعة ثلث وتر ـ واستقر الامر علی ذلک فی الامصار ـ وقال القسطلانی وقد عدّوا ما وقع فی زمن عمر رضی الله عنه کالاجماع ـ

Translation: al-Shaʿrānī said in "Kashf al-Ghumma" that in the early period of ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) people used to pray thirteen (13) rakʿas, and the reciter (qāriʾ) used to recite long passages of verses (al-miʾīn, the longer sūras) — so much so that because of the long standing the people began to lean on sticks. Their imāms were Ubayy ibn Kaʿb and Tamīm al-Dārī (may Allah be pleased with them both). Then ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the order, and we prayed twenty-three (23) rakʿas, of which three were witr; and in all regions and cities the practice became settled on this. And al-Qasṭallānī said that everyone counted what took place in the time of ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) as a consensus (ijmāʿ).

Vocabulary: yaʿūnunī — helps me; niswa — women; thamāna — eight; "sunnat al-riḍā" — the sunna of approval (that is, a sunna such that it was mentioned before the Prophet ﷺ, and he made no objection to it and remained silent).

Translation: [It is narrated] from Ḥaḍrat Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh (may Allah be pleased with him); he said that Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, "O Messenger of Allah, it so happened that during the night there was something which helps me in Ramaḍān." He said, "What is that, O Ubayy?" He said, "There are women in my house. [They said:] 'We do not recite the Qurʾān; we will just pray along with your prayer.'" And he said, "So I prayed eight rakʿas with those women and prayed the witr." So this became the "sunnat al-riḍā" (sunna of approval); he said nothing. (Abū Yaʿlā reported it, and al-Bayhaqī said its chain is "ḥasan" — al-Nīmawī.) [reading uncertain] do not recite"); rendered following the Arabic sense | میں قرآن نہیں پڑھتا بس آپ کی نماز کے ساتھ ہم نماز پڑھتے ہیں]