What is the decisive ruling regarding the number of rak'ahs in the tarawih prayer?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: O my Shaykh, regarding the tarawih prayer, the four Imams say that it is forty rak'ahs and twenty rak'ahs, some say thirteen rak'ahs, some say eleven rak'ahs, and some say thirty-six rak'ahs.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, yes.
The questioner: So what...
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, yes.
The questioner: So what is the decisive ruling in this matter, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: So what is the difference...
The questioner: The decisive ruling...
The Shaykh: The decisive ruling...
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : The Sunnah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Do you know the Sunnah or do you not know it?
The questioner: The Sunnah, O my Shaykh, is eight rak'ahs; some say so, and some say ten.
The Shaykh: Fine, and the witr?
The questioner: With the witr, it becomes thirteen and eleven.
The Shaykh: Fine, what about more than thirteen?
The questioner: I have not read [of it].
The Shaykh: You do not read, meaning you do not know?
The questioner : No, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Nor do I know.
The questioner: Is it not permissible for us to pray more than thirteen?
The Shaykh: We told you that the decisive ruling is the Sunnah. Since you know the Sunnah, has the decisive ruling been established in the Sunnah or not?
The questioner: It has, O Shaykh.
The student: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh: And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings... The cup is a bit... Welcome.
The questioner: And the Sunnah of 'Umar, O my Shaykh?
The Shaykh: No.
The student : Be patient.
The Shaykh: No, do not rush. You asked for the decisive ruling among those many contradictory opinions.
The questioner : Yes, my Shaykh.
The Shaykh: So we answered you that the decisive ruling is the Sunnah. Did you accept this answer?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Fine, and the Sunnah did not come with more than thirteen, correct?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: So is the decisive ruling concluded?
The questioner : It is finished.
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner: We want an addition.
The Shaykh: An addition to what?
The questioner: To the decisive ruling.
The Shaykh: It will not be an addition to the decisive ruling; it will be contradictory, it will be separate.
The questioner: For the sake of knowledge, O my Shaykh, is the story of 'Umar authentic?
The Shaykh: What did the story of 'Umar say?
The questioner: Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali, when he prayed twenty, Abu al-Aswad...
The Shaykh: ... One sits like this, one mixes Eastern and Western, between 'Umar and Abu al-Aswad. What is the story of 'Umar?
The questioner: That he ordered the prayer to be twenty rak'ahs.
The Shaykh: He ordered the prayer to be twenty rak'ahs.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Do you have knowledge of a narration other than this one that he ordered the prayer to be eight rak'ahs and the witr three, making eleven? Do you have knowledge?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: So how do you reconcile this with that?
The questioner: And Ibn Taymiyyah, O Shaykh, did not give an opinion...
The Shaykh: Yes, yes, yes. What is this mixing, Eastern and Western? Now you were with 'Umar, you have not finished with him or even started, you moved to Abu al-Aswad, we went back to 'Umar, we moved to Ibn Taymiyyah. It will be like this later.
The questioner: No, O Shaykh, but the problem is...
The Shaykh: May Allah guide you. What is the problem?
The questioner: The problem is that everyone, O Shaykh, states their opinions.
The Shaykh: There is no power nor strength except in Allah. Did you not state all the opinions that you stated?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: What you stated, is the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah outside of them?
The questioner : No, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: So what do you want with Ibn Taymiyyah? But it appears you are not convinced that the Sunnah is the decisive ruling.
The questioner: No, Shaykh, how could I not be convinced? Subhan Allah.
The Shaykh: If you were convinced, you would have saved time and given your turn to someone else.
The questioner: Now I agree.
The Shaykh: You agree to what?
The questioner: To eleven rak'ahs.
The Shaykh: Fine. If you agree, we will return and tell you that the authentic narration is eleven, while thirteen is counted as thirteen because of the two rak'ahs of the Sunnah of Fajr. With the two rak'ahs of the Sunnah of Fajr, it becomes thirteen. As for the text that, as the scholars say, is the comprehensive and exclusive proof, it is the statement of 'A'ishah in the narration agreed upon by the two Shaykhs:Sunan Abi Dawud 1341Sahih (Al-Albani) rak'ah. If it comes in some narrations as thirteen and two rak'ahs, they are not from the standing prayer that was his constant and eternal habit; rather, they are eleven. In some narrations, it is understood that the two rak'ahs are the Sunnah of Fajr. In some, it is taken that those two rak'ahs were how he would begin the night prayer with two light rak'ahs. So the important thing is that the regular, organized Sunnah is eleven rak'ahs, because she says, she does not say "he used to pray eleven," she says: Sahih al-Bukhari 2013 negation and affirmation. She affirmed eleven and negated anything more than that. Therefore, this text is such that falsehood does not come to it from before or from behind, and it is obligatory for the student of knowledge to stop at it. Then, those opinions that you mentioned, it is sufficient that they are contradictory. The one who tells you the Sunnah is twenty negates that the Sunnah is thirty-six or forty rak'ahs, and we do not have an authentic hadith that the Sunnah is twenty. So we take what is established in the Sunnah, we take the certainty that is guaranteed. And then, the issue is one of how, not just how many? The issue is one of how, not just how many. So these groups who differed in the number stopped at the number, at the how many, and you do not hear from them any research into the how. How much recitation is in these forty rak'ahs they want to pray? How much bowing is in them? How much tranquility is between them? They do not research these matters, just forty rak'ahs, thirty-six rak'ahs, twenty rak'ahs. So the Messenger - may peace and blessings be upon him - first, he did not pray this number. Second: he prayed with long recitation, long bowing, and long prostration. So if the Muslim wants to imitate the Messenger - may peace be upon him - he does not increase in the quantity and decrease in the quality, but rather he tries to approach the prayer of the Messenger - may peace be upon him - in both quantity and quality. Meaning, if one wants to pray the tarawih prayer of forty rak'ahs in half an hour, let him pray ten rak'ahs in half an hour. Those will be, meaning, closer to being accepted by Allah - Mighty and Majestic - than reciting this poetry, praying forty rak'ahs in half an hour. No, I will pray eleven rak'ahs in half an hour, and so on. So the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. This is a summary of the speech. Yes...
The student : ... .
The Shaykh: That is enough... without... Yes.
The questioner: O my Shaykh, regarding the tarawih prayer, the four Imams say that it is forty rak'ahs and twenty rak'ahs, some say thirteen rak'ahs, some say eleven rak'ahs, and some say thirty-six rak'ahs.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, yes.
The questioner: So what...
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, yes.
The questioner: So what is the decisive ruling in this matter, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: So what is the difference...
The questioner: The decisive ruling...
The Shaykh: The decisive ruling...
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : The Sunnah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Do you know the Sunnah or do you not know it?
The questioner: The Sunnah, O my Shaykh, is eight rak'ahs; some say so, and some say ten.
The Shaykh: Fine, and the witr?
The questioner: With the witr, it becomes thirteen and eleven.
The Shaykh: Fine, what about more than thirteen?
The questioner: I have not read [of it].
The Shaykh: You do not read, meaning you do not know?
The questioner : No, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Nor do I know.
The questioner: Is it not permissible for us to pray more than thirteen?
The Shaykh: We told you that the decisive ruling is the Sunnah. Since you know the Sunnah, has the decisive ruling been established in the Sunnah or not?
The questioner: It has, O Shaykh.
The student: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh: And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings... The cup is a bit... Welcome.
The questioner: And the Sunnah of 'Umar, O my Shaykh?
The Shaykh: No.
The student : Be patient.
The Shaykh: No, do not rush. You asked for the decisive ruling among those many contradictory opinions.
The questioner : Yes, my Shaykh.
The Shaykh: So we answered you that the decisive ruling is the Sunnah. Did you accept this answer?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Fine, and the Sunnah did not come with more than thirteen, correct?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: So is the decisive ruling concluded?
The questioner : It is finished.
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner: We want an addition.
The Shaykh: An addition to what?
The questioner: To the decisive ruling.
The Shaykh: It will not be an addition to the decisive ruling; it will be contradictory, it will be separate.
The questioner: For the sake of knowledge, O my Shaykh, is the story of 'Umar authentic?
The Shaykh: What did the story of 'Umar say?
The questioner: Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali, when he prayed twenty, Abu al-Aswad...
The Shaykh: ... One sits like this, one mixes Eastern and Western, between 'Umar and Abu al-Aswad. What is the story of 'Umar?
The questioner: That he ordered the prayer to be twenty rak'ahs.
The Shaykh: He ordered the prayer to be twenty rak'ahs.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Do you have knowledge of a narration other than this one that he ordered the prayer to be eight rak'ahs and the witr three, making eleven? Do you have knowledge?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: So how do you reconcile this with that?
The questioner: And Ibn Taymiyyah, O Shaykh, did not give an opinion...
The Shaykh: Yes, yes, yes. What is this mixing, Eastern and Western? Now you were with 'Umar, you have not finished with him or even started, you moved to Abu al-Aswad, we went back to 'Umar, we moved to Ibn Taymiyyah. It will be like this later.
The questioner: No, O Shaykh, but the problem is...
The Shaykh: May Allah guide you. What is the problem?
The questioner: The problem is that everyone, O Shaykh, states their opinions.
The Shaykh: There is no power nor strength except in Allah. Did you not state all the opinions that you stated?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: What you stated, is the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah outside of them?
The questioner : No, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: So what do you want with Ibn Taymiyyah? But it appears you are not convinced that the Sunnah is the decisive ruling.
The questioner: No, Shaykh, how could I not be convinced? Subhan Allah.
The Shaykh: If you were convinced, you would have saved time and given your turn to someone else.
The questioner: Now I agree.
The Shaykh: You agree to what?
The questioner: To eleven rak'ahs.
The Shaykh: Fine. If you agree, we will return and tell you that the authentic narration is eleven, while thirteen is counted as thirteen because of the two rak'ahs of the Sunnah of Fajr. With the two rak'ahs of the Sunnah of Fajr, it becomes thirteen. As for the text that, as the scholars say, is the comprehensive and exclusive proof, it is the statement of 'A'ishah in the narration agreed upon by the two Shaykhs:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not pray more than eleven rak'ahs during Ramadhan and other than
ما كان رسول الله يزيد في رمضان ولا في غيره على إحدى عشرةHe did not pray more than eleven rak`at in Ramadan or in any other month
ما كان يزيد في رمضان ولا في غيرهThe student : ... .
The Shaykh: That is enough... without... Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.