What is the ruling on sitting during the tarawih prayer until the imam bows?
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The questioner : Honorable Shaykh. A mistake. Honorable Shaykh. Yes. Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings. Is the prayer valid for those who sit in the tarawih prayer until the imam bows, and then stand up to catch the rak'ah without reciting al-Fatihah? Is their prayer valid?
The Shaykh : Yes, their prayer is valid, because they did not catch the standing, which is the place for reciting al-Fatihah. But they deprived themselves; they deprived themselves of entering with the imam. And I fear that they have invalidated the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)Sunan Ibn Majah 1327Sahih (Darussalam) These people did not stand with the imam.
Secondly, what are they sitting for? It is strange, my brothers. They sit for idle talk; one of them talks to the other with idle words, not with the research of knowledge, nor with the exegesis of the Qur'an, nor with reviewing what they have memorized of the Sunnah. The majority of them sit for idle talk, if it is not forbidden. For this reason, I advise my brothers.
In this matter, I say: You came to the mosque, hoping for the reward of Allah the Exalted by following your imam. So follow the imam; when he says takbir, say it immediately after him. As for depriving yourselves until he bows and then you stand up and bow, and you do not catch al-Fatihah, this is a great deprivation. Also, among the deprivations is what some people do: when they pray ten rak'ahs, they sit while the imam is praying. This is a deviation from the congregation of the Muslims and a departure from the methodology of the righteous Salaf. Because these people claim that they do not want to add to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do, for he did not exceed eleven rak'ahs in Ramadan or otherwise. And they say this imam is adding, so he is contrary to the Sunnah and we will not follow him. It is said: This is contrary to the methodology of the righteous Salaf. The righteous Salaf follow their imam even in something they disapprove of in its origin. Here is 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him); when it was said to him that the Commander of the Faithful, 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, completed the prayer in Mina during the days of Hajj, he said: "Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return." And he mentioned (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and 'Umar Then he interpreted that it was necessary to complete the prayer, so he completed it. The Companions disapproved of that for him, and yet they prayed four rak'ahs with him. Among those who prayed with him was 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud. It was said to him: O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, how do you disapprove of the four rak'ahs for 'Uthman and yet pray four rak'ahs with him? He said: "Disagreement is a condition." This is a word that, if it were weighed against mountains, it would outweigh the mountains. Disagreement is a condition, meaning: So I pray with him in order to avert harm, so that people do not disagree with the imam.
These people, without doubt, intended good, and they will be rewarded for their intention, but they contradicted the path of the Salaf. So my advice to them is to complete the prayer with their imam, even if he prays three hundred rak'ahs. And do not leave until he leaves, so that by doing so they catch the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Jami` at-Tirmidhi 806Sahih (Darussalam) It is written for him the standing of the night.
Someone might say that the imams in the Sacred Mosque are multiple; one prays ten rak'ahs and the second prays ten rak'ahs with the witr. It is said: The second is a substitute for the first, so it is as if he is the first. Therefore, his prayer is considered a completion of the first prayer. The evidence is that the witr is with the second imam, and this is clear evidence that the second is completing the prayer of the first. Accordingly, we do not leave until the second imam leaves. Yes. Even if he sits and reads the Qur'an until the imam bows, that is a mistake. If he wants good, he enters with the imam from the moment he says takbir. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good,
The Shaykh : Yes, their prayer is valid, because they did not catch the standing, which is the place for reciting al-Fatihah. But they deprived themselves; they deprived themselves of entering with the imam. And I fear that they have invalidated the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)
Whoever stands with the Imam until he finishes
من قام مع الإمام حتى ينصرف فإنSecondly, what are they sitting for? It is strange, my brothers. They sit for idle talk; one of them talks to the other with idle words, not with the research of knowledge, nor with the exegesis of the Qur'an, nor with reviewing what they have memorized of the Sunnah. The majority of them sit for idle talk, if it is not forbidden. For this reason, I advise my brothers.
In this matter, I say: You came to the mosque, hoping for the reward of Allah the Exalted by following your imam. So follow the imam; when he says takbir, say it immediately after him. As for depriving yourselves until he bows and then you stand up and bow, and you do not catch al-Fatihah, this is a great deprivation. Also, among the deprivations is what some people do: when they pray ten rak'ahs, they sit while the imam is praying. This is a deviation from the congregation of the Muslims and a departure from the methodology of the righteous Salaf. Because these people claim that they do not want to add to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do, for he did not exceed eleven rak'ahs in Ramadan or otherwise. And they say this imam is adding, so he is contrary to the Sunnah and we will not follow him. It is said: This is contrary to the methodology of the righteous Salaf. The righteous Salaf follow their imam even in something they disapprove of in its origin. Here is 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him); when it was said to him that the Commander of the Faithful, 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, completed the prayer in Mina during the days of Hajj, he said: "Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return." And he mentioned (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and 'Umar
and Abu Bakr and 'Umar.
وأبا بكر وعمر.They used to shorten the prayer,
كانوا يقصرون الصلاة،These people, without doubt, intended good, and they will be rewarded for their intention, but they contradicted the path of the Salaf. So my advice to them is to complete the prayer with their imam, even if he prays three hundred rak'ahs. And do not leave until he leaves, so that by doing so they catch the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
whoever stands (praying) with the Imam until he finished
من قام مع الإمام حتى ينصرفSomeone might say that the imams in the Sacred Mosque are multiple; one prays ten rak'ahs and the second prays ten rak'ahs with the witr. It is said: The second is a substitute for the first, so it is as if he is the first. Therefore, his prayer is considered a completion of the first prayer. The evidence is that the witr is with the second imam, and this is clear evidence that the second is completing the prayer of the first. Accordingly, we do not leave until the second imam leaves. Yes. Even if he sits and reads the Qur'an until the imam bows, that is a mistake. If he wants good, he enters with the imam from the moment he says takbir. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good,
Source
دروس وفتاوى المسجد الحرام لعام 1419هـ - 27 — binothaimeen.net (53:21)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.