You mentioned that the wisdom behind the varying times of prayer is to avoid boredom and fatigue. What do you say about the Tarawih prayer in the month of Ramadan, which exceeds twenty rak'ahs?
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The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : You mentioned that the word, or that the wisdom behind the varying times of prayer is to avoid boredom and fatigue. What do you say about the Tarawih prayer in the month of Ramadan, which exceeds twenty rak'ahs?
The Shaykh : We say regarding it that the Tarawih prayer is a recommended practice (sunnah). If a person wishes, he may leave it off. So if he becomes tired, for example, he is free to leave and rest. But if it were an obligatory prayer, he would be compelled to perform it in the manner in which it was established. This is the difference between the two. For this reason, a person in his prayer may perform Tahajjud and lengthen his bowing, prostration, and recitation, because it is a voluntary prayer; whenever he wishes, he may cut it short, conclude it, and return to his place of rest.
The questioner : Your Eminence, the Shaykh.
The Shaykh : As for the questioner's statement that the standing prayer of Ramadan is twenty rak'ahs, the correct view is that the standing prayer of Ramadan is eleven or thirteen rak'ahs. This is the best, as indicated by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It is established in Sahih al-Bukhari and others that a group of people asked Aisha how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray in Ramadan. She said:Sahih al-Bukhari 3569 Then she explained the description of these rak'ahs: he would pray four, so do not ask about their beauty and length; then he would pray four, so do not ask about their beauty and length; then he would pray three.
The questioner : What is the ruling on the prayer of one who is unable to recite al-Fatihah?
The Shaykh : Nevertheless, if he exceeds eleven or thirteen, he is not to be censured, because this is reported from the Salaf that they used to increase beyond that. It is not befitting for a person to lag behind the imam on the pretext that he has exceeded eleven, because that would be an anomaly among his Muslim brothers, and they have not done anything forbidden such that he would say, "I do not agree with them." Rather, they did something that the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them and be pleased with them) did. Some of them would exceed twenty-three, some would limit it to that, some would decrease from it, and some would not exceed eleven rak'ahs. So if a person is alone or is an imam, there is no doubt that the best is to adhere to eleven or thirteen and not increase. But if he is following someone else, it is better that he remain with the imam, even if he prays twenty-three or more, because unity and agreement are beloved to the Shari'ah. For this reason, we say: if you are among those who see it as recommended to sit during the standing for the second or fourth rak'ah, and the imam does not see that and does not sit, the best is that you do not sit, but rather follow your imam, because following the imam is more important. Indeed, an obligatory act may be dropped for the follower by following his imam. Did you see if he entered with the imam in the second rak'ah of the Zuhr prayer? The first tashahhud would be dropped from him because it coincides with what? If he entered with the imam in the second rak'ah of Zuhr, the first tashahhud is dropped from him because it coincides with the third rak'ah for the imam, and the imam will stand and also increase in the first rak'ah, increasing the tashahhud which is the second for the imam. All of this is for the sake of following the imam. This indicates that following the imam is a matter of importance, and it is not befitting for a person to leave in order to say, "I am preserving the eleven rak'ahs." We say: pray with your imam and count on the reward. This is not a reprehensible matter such that you would say, "I do not approve of it and I do not agree with it."
The Shaykh : We say regarding it that the Tarawih prayer is a recommended practice (sunnah). If a person wishes, he may leave it off. So if he becomes tired, for example, he is free to leave and rest. But if it were an obligatory prayer, he would be compelled to perform it in the manner in which it was established. This is the difference between the two. For this reason, a person in his prayer may perform Tahajjud and lengthen his bowing, prostration, and recitation, because it is a voluntary prayer; whenever he wishes, he may cut it short, conclude it, and return to his place of rest.
The questioner : Your Eminence, the Shaykh.
The Shaykh : As for the questioner's statement that the standing prayer of Ramadan is twenty rak'ahs, the correct view is that the standing prayer of Ramadan is eleven or thirteen rak'ahs. This is the best, as indicated by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It is established in Sahih al-Bukhari and others that a group of people asked Aisha how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray in Ramadan. She said:
He used not to pray more than eleven rak`at whether in Ramadan or in any other month
كان لا يزيد في رمضان ولا غيره على إحدى عشرة ركعةThe questioner : What is the ruling on the prayer of one who is unable to recite al-Fatihah?
The Shaykh : Nevertheless, if he exceeds eleven or thirteen, he is not to be censured, because this is reported from the Salaf that they used to increase beyond that. It is not befitting for a person to lag behind the imam on the pretext that he has exceeded eleven, because that would be an anomaly among his Muslim brothers, and they have not done anything forbidden such that he would say, "I do not agree with them." Rather, they did something that the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them and be pleased with them) did. Some of them would exceed twenty-three, some would limit it to that, some would decrease from it, and some would not exceed eleven rak'ahs. So if a person is alone or is an imam, there is no doubt that the best is to adhere to eleven or thirteen and not increase. But if he is following someone else, it is better that he remain with the imam, even if he prays twenty-three or more, because unity and agreement are beloved to the Shari'ah. For this reason, we say: if you are among those who see it as recommended to sit during the standing for the second or fourth rak'ah, and the imam does not see that and does not sit, the best is that you do not sit, but rather follow your imam, because following the imam is more important. Indeed, an obligatory act may be dropped for the follower by following his imam. Did you see if he entered with the imam in the second rak'ah of the Zuhr prayer? The first tashahhud would be dropped from him because it coincides with what? If he entered with the imam in the second rak'ah of Zuhr, the first tashahhud is dropped from him because it coincides with the third rak'ah for the imam, and the imam will stand and also increase in the first rak'ah, increasing the tashahhud which is the second for the imam. All of this is for the sake of following the imam. This indicates that following the imam is a matter of importance, and it is not befitting for a person to leave in order to say, "I am preserving the eleven rak'ahs." We say: pray with your imam and count on the reward. This is not a reprehensible matter such that you would say, "I do not approve of it and I do not agree with it."