The Ruling on Praying Tarawih with the Intention of Isha

Q: If a Muslim comes to the mosque and finds the congregation praying Tarawih, and he has not yet prayed Isha, should he pray with them with the intention of Isha?

A: There is no harm in praying with them with the intention of Isha, according to the more correct of the two opinions of the scholars. When the imam concludes the prayer, he should stand up and complete his prayer. This is based on what is established in the two Sahihs from Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he used to pray Isha with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then return to his people and pray that prayer with them, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not disapprove of that. This indicates the permissibility of a person who has an obligatory prayer praying behind a person who is praying a voluntary prayer. Also, in the Sahih, it is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that in some forms of the prayer of fear, he prayed two rak'ahs with one group and then concluded the prayer, then he prayed two rak'ahs with the other group and then concluded the prayer. The first was his obligatory prayer, while the second was a voluntary prayer, and they were people who had an obligatory prayer. And success is from Allah.