There is an imam in our mosque who reads only one page in the tarawih prayer and prays eleven rak'ahs of tarawih for the entire month.

The questioner : Ahmad al-Shahri from al-Nammas has this message. He says: "May the Shaykh be respected, there is an imam in our mosque who reads only one page in the tarawih prayer and prays eleven rak'ahs of tarawih for the entire month of Ramadan. He reads one-third of the Qur'an, meaning he divides the Qur'an over three Ramadans. The 'Isha' prayer along with the tarawih prayer takes him approximately half an hour. However, some of the worshippers consider reading one page in each rak'ah to be unbearable, either due to old age or laziness. It is known that the imam indicates at the beginning of Ramadan that those who cannot stand should sit, but those few people refused to sit, and their excuse for that is that the other worshippers would belittle them. What is your opinion on this? May you be rewarded. Also, we ask about the extent of this imam's recitation, so we ask you to provide us with information. May Allah reward you with good."

The Shaykh : This imam's recitation in the tarawih prayer, one page in each rak'ah, is not long; rather, it is moderate, if not closer to short. This suits most of the worshippers. If it is estimated that there is one or two men among them who cannot bear it, the matter is broad, praise be to Allah, in voluntary prayer. They can pray sitting down. If they pray sitting down because standing is difficult for them, they have prayed sitting down for an excuse. And whoever prays sitting down for an excuse is written for him the reward of the one who stands. So I see that the imam should continue with this recitation as it is, and I do not see in it a lengthening that is prohibited. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.