Is it better to pray twenty rak'ahs of tarawih with the imam, or eleven rak'ahs?

Question : The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, which is better, praying tarawih with the imam for eleven rak'ahs, since that is the Sunnah, or praying the full twenty-three rak'ahs with him if the imam prays twenty-three rak'ahs?

Answer : It is better to pray twenty-three rak'ahs with the imam, because conforming to the congregation is better. If you want to know this, look into the jurisprudence of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). The Commander of the Faithful, 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, in the last part of his caliphate, began praying the four-rak'ah prayer in Mina as four rak'ahs instead of the two he used to pray. Yet the Companions who disapproved of his making it four still prayed four rak'ahs with him, saying that disagreement is evil. This indicates that following the imam in matters that do not invalidate the prayer, for the sake of unity of word, is required by the Shari'ah. Therefore, I see that one should follow the imam even if he exceeds eleven rak'ahs, because of the uniting of hearts and the attainment of benefit in the congregation.