In our town, we celebrate the Night of Decree by standing in prayer a few minutes after the Maghrib prayer, distributing food and rewards in the mosque, and continuing the standing until the dawn breaks.

The questioner : In our town, we celebrate the Night of Decree by standing in prayer a few minutes after the Maghrib prayer, distributing food and rewards in the mosque, and continuing the standing until the dawn breaks. What is the ruling on this practice?

The Shaykh : This practice is incorrect. First, the exact date of the Night of Decree is not known; it is not known whether it is the twenty-seventh, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twenty-ninth, twenty-first, twenty-second, twenty-fourth, twenty-sixth, twenty-eighth, or thirtieth night. It is not known which night it is, for Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has concealed its knowledge from His servants so that their deeds in seeking it would increase, and so that the sincere would be distinguished from the insincere, and the earnest from the unearnest. It is not the twenty-seventh night, but rather it is in the last ten nights, from the twenty-first night to the thirtieth night. Every night is a possibility for it to be the Night of Decree. So specifying it as the twenty-seventh is an error. This is the first point.
Second, gathering in this manner that the questioner mentioned is not from the practice of the righteous Salaf, and what is not from the practice of the righteous Salaf is a religious innovation (bid'ah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against innovations and said: So the Muslims in the last of the Ummah should look at what the first of the Ummah did and follow their example, for they are upon the straight path. And Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The last of this Ummah will not be reformed except by what reformed its first". So my advice to these brothers is that they should not tire themselves with an innovation that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) called misguidance, and that each of them should perform his worship alone from the twenty-first night to the thirtieth, seeking the Night of Decree, and that they should gather with the imam for what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exceed eleven rak'ahs in Ramadan or in any other month, as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who is among the most knowledgeable people regarding the condition of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), said when she was asked how the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Ramadan was? She said: "He did not exceed eleven rak'ahs in Ramadan or in any other month. He would pray four, so do not ask about their beauty and length, then he would pray four, so do not ask about their beauty and length, then he would pray three". And these four and four are prayed as two and two, meaning the first four with two taslims and the second four with two taslims, and it is not as some people imagine that he combines the four with one taslim. For the hadith of Aisha itself was reported in detail from another path that he used to pray two and two, and the summary of her hadith is explained by its detailed version. Also, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And the principle is that his action does not contradict his statement. So we clarify to our brothers, and we believe it is obligatory upon us to clarify, that those who thought that the meaning of the hadith is that he prays four with one taslim, then prays four with one taslim, did not hit the mark in their assumption. Rather, the night prayer is two and two, in Ramadan and in other months. If someone asks: How did she say: "He would pray four, so do not ask about their beauty and length, then he would pray four, so do not ask about their beauty and length"? The answer is: The first four are similar in length in recitation, bowing, prostration, and sitting, and then he rests a little afterwards, as indicated by the conjunction "then", because "then" indicates a pause. Then he prays four, which may be like the first, or less than them, or more, meaning in lengthening, then he rests, then he prays three, which is the witr. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you. The questioner from Algeria asks: Is the person who commits a religious innovation (bid'ah) punished...

The Shaykh : And on this occasion as well.

The questioner : Please, Shaykh.

The Shaykh : I would like to alert my brother imams to an issue that some people may do, which is that he prays the standing prayer (qiyam) with the people in Ramadan, then makes the entire standing prayer a witr, so he prays nine rak'ahs consecutively without sitting except in the eighth, where he recites the tashahhud, then he stands and prays the ninth, recites the tashahhud, and says the taslim, arguing that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do that in his witr. And we support him in that it is necessary to spread the Sunnah, but spreading the Sunnah is as it was reported. Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stand with his companions with this number? If there is a hadith, let him guide us to it, and we will follow and call to it, if Allah wills. But he cannot prove that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with his companions this number with one taslim. And if it is not so, then a person who prays for himself is different from one who prays for others. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rebuked the one who lengthens the prayer for the people and said: It is not hidden from anyone that such a standing prayer is difficult for the people. Who remains for the duration of this standing prayer does not need to break his wudu, meaning to urinate or defecate or otherwise. There may be in the congregation someone who needs this, and there may be in the congregation someone who has work and wants to pray two taslims with the imam and then leave. There may be other things, so this action falls into what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade, which is lengthening. Then, when the people come after he has said the takbir for this witr, what do they intend? Most people will intend that it is tahajjud, not witr, so the person who entered with him misses the intention of witr and remains confused. So I thank every person who loves to apply the Sunnah in his word and deed, and I ask Allah for steadfastness for me and for him in that. But applying the Sunnah in a way other than how it was reported is an error. So we say to our brothers: Whoever prays the witr nine in this manner in his home, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did, has hit the Sunnah. And as for whoever stands with the people in this manner, he has erred from the Sunnah, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) never did it. The intelligent and discerning person knows that this religion is ease and simplicity. How do we make it difficult for the people by stringing together nine rak'ahs and confusing their intentions? And the people remain after this wavering: should we intend witr or intend tahajjud or what? Glory be to Allah. I ask Allah to guide me and my Muslim brothers to follow the guidance and avoid desires, and to guide us to His straight path.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh. May Allah preserve you. Finally, the questioner from Algeria says: O Shaykh.