Chapter Twelve: The Night Prayer of Ramadan — Tarawih

باب قِيَامِ رَمَضَانَ

Bab Qiyam Ramadan — Tarawih Prayer and Its Institution

The night prayer of Ramadan — known as Tarawih (from the Arabic for 'resting', because the early Muslims would rest after every four rak'ats) — is one of the most beloved acts of worship in Islam. It is performed after the Isha prayer throughout the month of Ramadan.

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ خَرَجَ لَيْلَةً مِنْ جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّى فِي الْمَسْجِدِ، فَصَلَّى رِجَالٌ بِصَلَاتِهِ، فَأَصْبَحَ النَّاسُ فَتَحَدَّثُوا، فَاجْتَمَعَ أَكْثَرُ مِنْهُمْ فَصَلَّى فَصَلَّوْا مَعَهُ، فَأَصْبَحَ النَّاسُ فَتَحَدَّثُوا، فَكَثُرَ أَهْلُ الْمَسْجِدِ مِنَ اللَّيْلَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ، فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَصَلَّوْا بِصَلَاتِهِ، فَلَمَّا كَانَتِ اللَّيْلَةُ الرَّابِعَةُ عَجَزَ الْمَسْجِدُ عَنْ أَهْلِهِ حَتَّى خَرَجَ لِصَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ، فَلَمَّا قَضَى الْفَجْرَ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فَتَشَهَّدَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَخْفَ عَلَيَّ مَكَانُكُمْ، وَلَٰكِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ تُفْرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَتَعْجِزُوا عَنْهَا

On the authority of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): 'The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, went out one night in the middle of the night and prayed in the mosque. Some men prayed along with him. In the morning the people spoke of it, and a larger number gathered [the second night] and prayed with him. In the morning people spoke of it again, and on the third night the mosque was even more crowded. So the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, came out and they prayed with him. When the fourth night came, the mosque could not contain its people — until he came out only for the Fajr prayer. When he had finished Fajr, he faced the people and, after the testimony of faith, said: "As for what follows — your gathering was not hidden from me, but I feared that it would be made obligatory upon you and you would be unable to perform it."' (Agreed upon: Bukhari and Muslim)

This hadith reveals that the Prophet, peace be upon him, voluntarily discontinued the congregational Tarawih prayer — not because it was disliked, but out of concern that it might be made a fard (obligation) upon the Ummah. After the Prophet's death, when the fear of new obligations being imposed no longer existed, Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) revived the communal Tarawih prayer, appointing Ubayy ibn Ka'b to lead it, and said: 'What an excellent innovation this is!' — meaning an innovation that revives an established Sunnah.

The Tarawih prayer is twenty rak'ats according to the Hanafi, Maliki (in one view), Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools — based on the practice of Umar's era. Some scholars hold that eight rak'ats suffices, based on narrations about the Prophet's personal night prayer. Both positions are within the bounds of the Sunnah.