Some hold that the number of rak'ahs in the tarawih prayer throughout Ramadan, from the beginning of the month to the end, is one.
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Fatwa No. ( 19854 )
Q: We are accustomed to praying eleven rak'ahs in the first twenty days of Ramadan. When the last ten days arrive, we pray ten rak'ahs at the beginning of the night and ten at the end of the night, and we conclude with three, making the total we pray in the last ten days twenty-three rak'ahs. Then, one of the students of knowledge claimed that this practice—differentiating between the first twenty and the last ten in terms of number—is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and that the principle is equality in number throughout the month. He said: If you pray eleven at the beginning of the month, pray the same at the end; and if you wish to pray twenty-three at the end, pray twenty-three at the beginning. He also said that it is an innovation to differentiate between the prayer at the beginning of the night and the end of the night within the last ten days itself, by shortening the first ten and lengthening the last, calling the former tarawih and the latter qiyam. We ask you, may Allah reward you, to elaborate on the answer. May Allah benefit you with your knowledge and elevate your status?
A: The tarawih prayer in the month of Ramadan is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah mu'akkadah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed it with his Companions for nights, then he stopped doing it with them out of fear that it would become obligatory upon them. His Companions performed it during his lifetime and after his death (peace and blessings be upon him), and the practice has continued to this day. As for the number of its rak'ahs, no specific limit has been established, and scholars differ on this. Some hold that it is twenty-three, some hold that it is thirty-six, some hold that it is more, and some hold that it is less. The Companions prayed it as twenty-three rak'ahs in the time of 'Umar in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) . The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exceed eleven or thirteen rak'ahs in Ramadan or any other month, and he did not specify a certain number for people in tarawih or night prayer. Rather, he encouraged night prayer and specifically the prayer of Ramadan, saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 37, and he did not specify the number of rak'ahs. This varies according to the manner of the prayer: whoever lengthens the prayer reduces the number of rak'ahs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, and whoever shortens the prayer to be gentle with the people increases the number of rak'ahs, as the Companions did in the time of 'Umar. There is no harm in increasing the number of rak'ahs in the last ten days compared to the first twenty, and dividing them into two parts: a part prayed at the beginning of the night, shortened, as tarawih in the first twenty, and a part prayed at the end of the night, lengthened, as tahajjud. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to strive in the last ten days in a way he did not in other days, and when the last ten days entered, he would gird himself, tighten his waistcloth, keep his night awake, and wake his family, seeking the Night of Decree.
Therefore, the one who says that one should not increase in the last part of the month beyond what was prayed in the first part of the month is contrary to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and contrary to what the righteous predecessors (Salaf) did in lengthening the night prayer in the last part of the month at the end of the night. It is obligatory to follow his Sunnah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him, and to encourage Muslims to pray tarawih and night prayer, not to discourage them from it or cast doubts that diminish their interest in the prayer of Ramadan. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: We are accustomed to praying eleven rak'ahs in the first twenty days of Ramadan. When the last ten days arrive, we pray ten rak'ahs at the beginning of the night and ten at the end of the night, and we conclude with three, making the total we pray in the last ten days twenty-three rak'ahs. Then, one of the students of knowledge claimed that this practice—differentiating between the first twenty and the last ten in terms of number—is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and that the principle is equality in number throughout the month. He said: If you pray eleven at the beginning of the month, pray the same at the end; and if you wish to pray twenty-three at the end, pray twenty-three at the beginning. He also said that it is an innovation to differentiate between the prayer at the beginning of the night and the end of the night within the last ten days itself, by shortening the first ten and lengthening the last, calling the former tarawih and the latter qiyam. We ask you, may Allah reward you, to elaborate on the answer. May Allah benefit you with your knowledge and elevate your status?
A: The tarawih prayer in the month of Ramadan is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah mu'akkadah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed it with his Companions for nights, then he stopped doing it with them out of fear that it would become obligatory upon them. His Companions performed it during his lifetime and after his death (peace and blessings be upon him), and the practice has continued to this day. As for the number of its rak'ahs, no specific limit has been established, and scholars differ on this. Some hold that it is twenty-three, some hold that it is thirty-six, some hold that it is more, and some hold that it is less. The Companions prayed it as twenty-three rak'ahs in the time of 'Umar in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) . The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exceed eleven or thirteen rak'ahs in Ramadan or any other month, and he did not specify a certain number for people in tarawih or night prayer. Rather, he encouraged night prayer and specifically the prayer of Ramadan, saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever establishes prayers during the nights of Ramadan faithfully out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's rewards (not for showing off), all his past sins will be forgiven.
من قام رمضان إيمانًا واحتسابًا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبهTherefore, the one who says that one should not increase in the last part of the month beyond what was prayed in the first part of the month is contrary to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and contrary to what the righteous predecessors (Salaf) did in lengthening the night prayer in the last part of the month at the end of the night. It is obligatory to follow his Sunnah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him, and to encourage Muslims to pray tarawih and night prayer, not to discourage them from it or cast doubts that diminish their interest in the prayer of Ramadan. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.