What should one do if he wants to pray tarawih in the Haram and attain the Sunnah, and you know that the tarawih prayer in the Haram is twenty-three rak'ahs?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : If we want to attain the Sunnah in tarawih during the last ten nights, and you know that the tarawih prayer in the Haram is twenty-three rak'ahs and the standing prayer is eleven rak'ahs, what should we do?
The Shaykh : This question reminded me of a question I had read, and I do not remember that I answered it. Was it not in your first questions that the woman was answered regarding the one in the hotel?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, if it is better for her to pray in her house, or in her home, than to pray in al-Masjid al-Haram, even if this prayer were lawful, how much more so since it is not a lawful prayer in my opinion? In that case, she may pray in her house. And if she must pray in the mosque, we do not prevent her from doing so, but the matter is as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So if she prays, let her restrict herself to the Sunnah, which is eleven rak'ahs.
The questioner : And as for the man?
The Shaykh : Likewise, there is no difference:Sunan Abi Dawud 236.
The questioner : Excuse me, how does the worshipper exit the prayer while the imam is praying, for example, at ten or twelve?
The Shaykh : He prayed ten; what remains regarding the Sunnah?
The questioner : One.
The Shaykh : One. Well, he has the choice: either he goes after the ten rak'ahs to a distant place and completes the rak'ah, or he continues to follow the imam until he begins the eleventh rak'ah. When the imam stands for the second of the two rak'ahs, he intends to separate, sits for the tashahhud and the taslim, and says, "Peace be upon you."
The questioner : The hadith that says if one sits with the imam until he departs in tarawih, the standing of the night is written for him—is the standing of the night written for him here or not?
The Shaykh : And here?
The questioner : In this case, if he exits before the imam departs from tarawih.
The Shaykh : What is the answer? What does the Messenger mean by the imam who follows the Sunnah, or otherwise? What do you think?
The questioner : The one who follows the Sunnah.
The Shaykh : Well, then he does not follow him if he is not one who follows the Sunnah.
The Shaykh : This question reminded me of a question I had read, and I do not remember that I answered it. Was it not in your first questions that the woman was answered regarding the one in the hotel?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, if it is better for her to pray in her house, or in her home, than to pray in al-Masjid al-Haram, even if this prayer were lawful, how much more so since it is not a lawful prayer in my opinion? In that case, she may pray in her house. And if she must pray in the mosque, we do not prevent her from doing so, but the matter is as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
And her prayer in her house is better than her prayer in her mosque.
وصلاتها في بيتها خير من صلاتها في مسجدهاThe questioner : And as for the man?
The Shaykh : Likewise, there is no difference:
Woman are counterpart of men.
إنما النساء شقائق الرجالThe questioner : Excuse me, how does the worshipper exit the prayer while the imam is praying, for example, at ten or twelve?
The Shaykh : He prayed ten; what remains regarding the Sunnah?
The questioner : One.
The Shaykh : One. Well, he has the choice: either he goes after the ten rak'ahs to a distant place and completes the rak'ah, or he continues to follow the imam until he begins the eleventh rak'ah. When the imam stands for the second of the two rak'ahs, he intends to separate, sits for the tashahhud and the taslim, and says, "Peace be upon you."
The questioner : The hadith that says if one sits with the imam until he departs in tarawih, the standing of the night is written for him—is the standing of the night written for him here or not?
The Shaykh : And here?
The questioner : In this case, if he exits before the imam departs from tarawih.
The Shaykh : What is the answer? What does the Messenger mean by the imam who follows the Sunnah, or otherwise? What do you think?
The questioner : The one who follows the Sunnah.
The Shaykh : Well, then he does not follow him if he is not one who follows the Sunnah.