What is the stronger position regarding the number of rak'ahs in the night prayer?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Yes. This is a question that has been asked repeatedly, and there has been disagreement over it, as one of the questioners mentions. He asks: What is the stronger position regarding the number of rak'ahs in the Ramadan night prayer and the tahajjud prayer at night?
Answer:
Whoever wants to lengthen the recitation, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did, and lengthen the bowing and prostration, should reduce the number of rak'ahs and pray eleven or thirteen, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did. And whoever wants to lighten the prayer, because people cannot endure the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
Even if the imam can endure this and has the capacity, but those behind him cannot endure it, if he wants to lighten the rak'ahs, he increases the number, as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did during the time of 'Umar, praying twenty-three rak'ahs in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
In the presence of the Muhajireen and the Ansar, and they did not object to this. They prayed twenty-three rak'ahs because they were lightening the burden on the people and increasing the number. This is the correct position in this issue, as established by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). Yes.
As for you saying, "I do not go beyond the limit of ten rak'ahs, but in five minutes or three minutes," this is not the action of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). You say, "I am following the Messenger; I am not going beyond the limit of ten." We say: Fine, may Allah reward you with good, but complete it in three or four minutes. This is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), not the prayer of the Messenger. Yes.
Yes. This is a question that has been asked repeatedly, and there has been disagreement over it, as one of the questioners mentions. He asks: What is the stronger position regarding the number of rak'ahs in the Ramadan night prayer and the tahajjud prayer at night?
Answer:
Whoever wants to lengthen the recitation, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did, and lengthen the bowing and prostration, should reduce the number of rak'ahs and pray eleven or thirteen, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did. And whoever wants to lighten the prayer, because people cannot endure the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
Even if the imam can endure this and has the capacity, but those behind him cannot endure it, if he wants to lighten the rak'ahs, he increases the number, as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did during the time of 'Umar, praying twenty-three rak'ahs in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
In the presence of the Muhajireen and the Ansar, and they did not object to this. They prayed twenty-three rak'ahs because they were lightening the burden on the people and increasing the number. This is the correct position in this issue, as established by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). Yes.
As for you saying, "I do not go beyond the limit of ten rak'ahs, but in five minutes or three minutes," this is not the action of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). You say, "I am following the Messenger; I am not going beyond the limit of ten." We say: Fine, may Allah reward you with good, but complete it in three or four minutes. This is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), not the prayer of the Messenger. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 296- ما الراجح في عدد ركعات قيام الليل؟|الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.