EFFECTIVE RAMADAN ROUTINE

15. 8:00pm Start Praying Ishai & Pray 11 Rakats of Taraweeh till 9:00pm.

TWENTY RAKA'AT OF TARAWIH IS SUNNAH
22nd June 2008

Sheikh Atiyyah Muhammed Salim who is a judge of the supreme court of Madina Munawwarah and an orator and teacher in Masjidun-Nabawi (SAW) has written a book entitled �At-Tarawihu akthara min alfi amin fi masjid-in-Naibi (SAW) in which he has recorded the history of Taraweh for more than a thousand years in Masjidun Nabawi (SAW). He has recorded the historical events dating from the era of Nabi (SAW) right up to 1390 Hijrah. From his writings it is ascertained that during this lengthy period, Taraweh salah was never less than twenty rakaat in Musjidun-Nabawi (SAW). The practice and norm was either twenty rakaat or more (never less than that). After recording the historical facts till page 151 of his book. Sheikh Atiyyah poses a question to the readers. During this lengthy period, were eight rakaat the maximum limit or were less than twenty rakaat ever performed?! For fourteen hundred years, the tarawih salah was between twenty and forty rakaat. It was never heard from am person possessing Iman that to perform more than eight rakaat is not permissible.

Special attention:

Saudi Arabia's leading cleric, the famous teacher of the Prophetic mosque and (former) judge of Madinah, Sheikh Attiyah Mohammad Salem (d. 1999) has compiled a separate book on ‘one thousand four hundred years history of Taraweeh prayer’ in Arabic named (التراويح أكثر من ألف عام في المسجد النبوي Taraweeh prayer for more than one thousand years in the Prophetic mosque). Having been mentioned the cause of its compilation, he writes in the preamble that Taraweeh prayer is constantly being offered in the Prophetic mosque, then some people stop praying after offering eight Raka’hs only, and they think that offering eight Raka’hs is better and more than it, is not allowed. By this way, they are deprived of the reward of remaining Raka’hs of Taraweeh. It’s a great pity to see their deprivation. That is why, I’m compiling this book, so that doubts of such people will be removed and may Allah bless them to offer twenty Raka’hs of Taraweeh! After discussing on the history of 1400 years, Sheikh Attiyah Mohammad Salem writes in this book, “After this detailed analysis, at the first instance, we would like to ask our readers that whether it is proved at any occasion, during a long period of more than one thousand years that the eight Raka’hs Taraweeh had been offered in the Prophetic mosque? Or assume that is it proved offering of less than twenty Raka’hs? But it is clearly proved that during the span of one thousand four hundred years, only twenty Raka’hs or more than that used to be offered. Another question is that “did any companion or scholar issue a fatwa in the past that it is not allowed to perform more than 8 Raka’hs of Taraweeh and he based his fatwa on Ayesha’s (RA) Hadeeth?”

Two groups have gone to extremes with regard to this matter. The first group denounced everyone who prays more than eleven rak’ahs and said that doing so was bid’ah. The second group denounced those who do only eleven rak’ahs and said that they are going against scholarly consensus (ijmaa’).