The Response to Those Who Deny the Tarawih Prayer

Question:
There is a doubt promoted by the people of innovation, which is: what 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) established for all the Muslims in the tarawih prayer, leading them in twenty-one rak'ahs, and his statement (may Allah be pleased with him): "What a good innovation," even though the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is that the tarawih prayer is eleven rak'ahs, and in another narration thirteen. So how did 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) contradict the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and increase the tarawih prayer to twenty-one rak'ahs? And what is better in that: the tarawih prayer of eleven rak'ahs following the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), or twenty-three, as 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) indicated?

Answer:
This has no connection to religious innovation; because 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) only meant by his statement: "What a good innovation" in the linguistic sense; because an innovation, linguistically, is what is done without a prior example, what people do without a prior example; it is called an innovation in language, and his intention was not that this is an innovation in religion. If it were an innovation in religion, he would not have done it. He was the furthest of people from innovations—may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction.
And he only meant that he did it in a manner different from the way the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray in his house, and he feared that the prayer in the mosque would become obligatory upon the people. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with them for several nights, three nights, then he delayed, and said: This indicates that he only left it out of fear that it would become obligatory upon them. So when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, the people were safe from it becoming obligatory; because legislation ceased, revelation ceased, and no legislation remained. For this reason, 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did it and ordered Ubayy to lead the people in prayer. May Allah be pleased with them all and grant them satisfaction.
So it is not an innovation, but rather it is a Sunnah that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) established and performed, and the Companions performed it in his time. They used to pray in groups during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). A man would pray alone, a man with two others, or with three, in groups in the mosque. So 'Umar gathered them under one imam. It is a Sunnah, not an innovation. He only meant it in the linguistic sense, calling it an innovation in the linguistic sense...
As for him praying twenty-three rak'ahs, this is established from him. And this is established from him: he prayed eleven rak'ahs, and it is established from him that he prayed twenty-three rak'ahs. The reason for this is that in the eleven rak'ahs, they would prolong the prayer, and then he saw the lightening of it somewhat, and that it be twenty-three rak'ahs. All of it is Sunnah. This is Sunnah, and this is Sunnah. Because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And he did not specify eleven, or thirteen, or more than that. He said: And he did not say: If one exceeds eleven, let him stop, or thirteen. He said: .
So the night prayer is spacious in its ruling, and for this reason, some of the Salaf used to pray forty rak'ahs, and some used to pray more than that. So there is spaciousness in the night prayer. So when 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) knew this; 'Umar reduced it from twenty-three to eleven; so that the people could be able to perform it with energy, without fatigue. So whoever prays eleven, or thirteen, or twenty-three, or more than that; there is no blame on him. But the best is eleven, or thirteen.
This is the best, because it corresponds to the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the best. But contradicting that is not an innovation, nor is it denial; because what is prescribed in the night prayer is a broad matter—praise be to Allah—and likewise in the daytime.