The ruling on lengthening the recitation in the Tarawih prayer and the Qunut
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.
The questioner : Honorable Shaykh Muhammad, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : May Allah greet you.
The questioner : Shaykh, I am a person who leads people in prayer during Ramadan, and the people behind me are strong in their ability to pray, but when I recite for them a page of the Qur'an, they say that I am lengthening it for them. Is my action considered lengthening or not?
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you, this depends on two matters. The first matter is whether you are reciting with a recitation that necessitates a page taking two pages or more, or whether your recitation is a rapid recitation, in which case it might be considered lengthening.
The questioner : So what is the standard, Shaykh, for the recitation? Is it a page or half a page?
The Shaykh : The standard is what does not burden the people. That is the standard.
The questioner : Okay, are there guidelines for the burden on the people, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : There is a guideline. If these people, and all of them, desire lightening, the matter, as you know, is voluntary. But if you encourage them, you tell them that every letter of the Qur'an we recite has ten good deeds in it, and the duration is a few nights.
The questioner : Yes, yes. Regarding the Qunut, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Do not make the Qunut a constant practice. Leave out the Qunut, for example, once a week, so that it becomes clear to the general public that the Qunut is not a condition of the Witr prayer. This is because some of the common people think that the Qunut is a condition of the Witr, such that some of them, if the imam does not make the Qunut, they say, "Our imam did not pray the Witr." It is necessary for students of knowledge to leave out the Qunut sometimes so that it becomes clear to people that it is not obligatory.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good, Shaykh. May Allah be pleased with him.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.
The questioner : Honorable Shaykh Muhammad, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : May Allah greet you.
The questioner : Shaykh, I am a person who leads people in prayer during Ramadan, and the people behind me are strong in their ability to pray, but when I recite for them a page of the Qur'an, they say that I am lengthening it for them. Is my action considered lengthening or not?
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you, this depends on two matters. The first matter is whether you are reciting with a recitation that necessitates a page taking two pages or more, or whether your recitation is a rapid recitation, in which case it might be considered lengthening.
The questioner : So what is the standard, Shaykh, for the recitation? Is it a page or half a page?
The Shaykh : The standard is what does not burden the people. That is the standard.
The questioner : Okay, are there guidelines for the burden on the people, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : There is a guideline. If these people, and all of them, desire lightening, the matter, as you know, is voluntary. But if you encourage them, you tell them that every letter of the Qur'an we recite has ten good deeds in it, and the duration is a few nights.
The questioner : Yes, yes. Regarding the Qunut, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Do not make the Qunut a constant practice. Leave out the Qunut, for example, once a week, so that it becomes clear to the general public that the Qunut is not a condition of the Witr prayer. This is because some of the common people think that the Qunut is a condition of the Witr, such that some of them, if the imam does not make the Qunut, they say, "Our imam did not pray the Witr." It is necessary for students of knowledge to leave out the Qunut sometimes so that it becomes clear to people that it is not obligatory.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good, Shaykh. May Allah be pleased with him.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 565- هل قراءة صفحة في صلاة التراويح من الأطالة وهل القنوت من شروط الوتر — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.