Is it obligatory for the imam to complete the recitation of the Noble Qur'an in the tarawih prayer? And if he is unable to do so and the month is nearing its end, what is the ruling?
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The questioner : Is it obligatory for the imam in the tarawih prayer to complete the recitation of the Qur'an? And if he is unable to complete it and the month is nearing its end, what is the ruling?
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory for the imam in the tarawih prayer in Ramadan to complete the recitation of the Qur'an, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Muzzammil 73:20] However, if he completes it so that the congregation behind him can listen to the Book of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, from its beginning to its end, that is better. And if he does not do so, there is no blame on him.
The important thing is that he strives to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in that he does not exceed eleven or thirteen rak'ahs, with deliberation and tranquility, and by allowing people the opportunity to make supplication in prostration and during the tashahhud. This is contrary to what many imams do today; you find one hurrying with extreme speed that disrupts the tranquility for those behind him, and then he does not allow them to supplicate to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, neither in prostration nor in the tashahhud.
Sometimes you think that the imam did not recite anything but the first tashahhud up to the phrase "and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger," and then he says the taslim. This is certainly an error, because the imam is a trustee and a person of authority over those behind him, so it is not permissible for him to do this to them. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) mentioned that it is disliked for the imam to hurry with a speed that prevents the ma'mum from doing what is recommended. Accordingly, if he hurries with a speed that prevents the ma'mum from doing what is obligatory, that is forbidden for him.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory for the imam in the tarawih prayer in Ramadan to complete the recitation of the Qur'an, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
so recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an
فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِThe important thing is that he strives to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in that he does not exceed eleven or thirteen rak'ahs, with deliberation and tranquility, and by allowing people the opportunity to make supplication in prostration and during the tashahhud. This is contrary to what many imams do today; you find one hurrying with extreme speed that disrupts the tranquility for those behind him, and then he does not allow them to supplicate to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, neither in prostration nor in the tashahhud.
Sometimes you think that the imam did not recite anything but the first tashahhud up to the phrase "and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger," and then he says the taslim. This is certainly an error, because the imam is a trustee and a person of authority over those behind him, so it is not permissible for him to do this to them. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) mentioned that it is disliked for the imam to hurry with a speed that prevents the ma'mum from doing what is recommended. Accordingly, if he hurries with a speed that prevents the ma'mum from doing what is obligatory, that is forbidden for him.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.