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Dividing the Taraweeh Prayer in the Last Ten nights of Ramadan
Compiled & translated
By
Abbas Abu Yahya
1 – Abu Dawood as-Sijistani (d. 275 A.H.) said:
‘Imam Ahmad was asked while I was listening: Should the Qayyam – meaning the Taraweeh prayer – be delayed to the last part of the night?
He -Rahimullaah- answered:
‘No, the Sunnah of the Muslims is more beloved to me.’
[From: Masa’il Abee Dawood’ p.90]
2 – Al-Marwazi quotes from Imraan bin Haydar -Rahimullaah-:
I sent a question to al-Hasan -Rahimullaah- and I asked him about the Isha prayer in Ramadan, should we pray it then return to our homes and sleep then return to the Masjid after wards?
He rejected that and said:
‘No, Salatul- Isha then the Qayaam.’
[From ‘Qayyam al-Layl’ by al-Marwazi]
3 – Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymeeyah (d.728 A.H.) -Rahimullaah- said:
‘…and Taraweeh prayer is a Sunnah after the Isha prayer.’
[From: ‘Mukhtasir al-Fatawa’ by Baali p.81]
And he also said:
‘The Sunnah of the Taraweeh prayer is that it is prayed after the end of the Isha prayer, as is agreed upon by the Salaf and the Imams.’
[From: ‘Majmoo Fatawa’ 23/119]
4 – Shaykh Muhammad Nasir- Deen Al-Albaani (d.1420A.H) -Rahimullaah- was asked:
Questioner: ‘In the last ten nights of Ramadan, they divide up the prayer, the night prayer at the first part of the night, and the last part of the night, and this has become a continuous practice.’
The Shaykh: ‘Bida’.
Questioner: ‘How would it be then if we wanted to establish the Sunnah and make it easy for the people?’
The Shaykh: ‘They presume the like of what Umar had said, that and the prayer that they delay is better. Meaning that Umar ordered Ubayy bin Ka’ab to establish the night prayer with the people after the Isha prayer, so he did so, and when Umar went out he said: ‘This is a blessed Bida’ and the prayer they sleep over (i.e. praying later in the night) is better.’
The questioner: ‘So you mean that the situation of the night prayer is the same as it was before the last ten nights?’
The Shaykh: ‘Yes.’
[From: ‘Silsilah al-Huda wa Noor’ Tape no. 719]
‘Shaykh Albaani commented on this statement of Umar, quoting al-Hafidh saying:
‘This is a clarification from Umar that the prayer at the last part of the night is better than the first part of the night, however, there is not in his statement that the prayer in Qayyam al-Layl, prayed individually is better than in congregation.’
Albaani added:
‘I say: rather, congregating in the first part of the time is better than individually praying it in the last part of the night.’
[From: ‘Salatul Taraweeh’ by Shaykh Albaani p.42]