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The Proof of Islam: Shaykh Qasim al-Nanotwi
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The Valiant Imam: Sayyid Imam Ahmad ibn Irfan al-Barelwi
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ant-imam-sayyid-imam-ahmad-ibn-irfan-al-barelwi/>

The Valiant Imam: Sayyid Imam Ahmad ibn Irfan al-Barelwi


<http://www.deoband.org/2013/02/history/biographies-of-scholars/the-vali
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Issuing Fatwa on the Ruling of another Madhhab
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Issuing Fatwa on the Ruling of another Madhhab
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The Honorable Status of the People of Sacred Knowledge
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The Honorable Status of the People of Sacred Knowledge
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The Issue of Taqlid and Adopting a Madhhab
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By Deoband.org <http://www.deoband.org/author/hamood/> Salah


<http://www.deoband.org/category/fiqh/salah-fiqh/> August 31, 2010
The Truth about the Number of Rakahs in Tarawih
harammakkah
/By Mawlana Mohammed H. Abasoomer/
/Edited by Hamood Aleem/
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
In recent times there has been a growth in the number of lay people who,
influenced by a certain ideology, claim that the /tarawih/ consists of
only eight /rakahs/ rather than the established twenty /rakahs/. There
is, therefore, a need to discuss the /tarawih /prayer, which is a
special type of /salah/ (ritual prayer) only offered in Ramadan.
The practice of performing /tarawih/ in eight /rakahs/ is in total
contrast to the practice of the Ummah throughout the ages. Given the
fact that /tarawih/ is an emphasized /sunnah/ (/sunnah muakkadah/), this
issue should not be treated lightly. A staunch approach in opposition to
this baseless view needs to be adopted, including highlighting the
abhorrence of opposing the view of the majority (/jamhur/) and the sin
of habitually abandoning an emphasized /sunnah/.
*Ijma of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them)*
The issue of the /tarawih/ consisting of twenty /rakahs/ is one that
the Companions (/Sahabah/) agreed upon by /ijma/ (consensus). Hafiz Ibn
Abd al-Barr stated, The Companions had no dispute regarding this.^[1
<#footnote_0_2048>] Allamah Ibn Qudamah said, The Companions made
/ijma/ upon this in the era of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased
with him) (/Al-Mughni/). Hafiz Abu Zurah Al-Iraqi stated, They (the
/ulama/) have considered the approval of the Companions [when Sayyiduna
Umar did so] as /ijma/.^[2 <#footnote_1_2048>] Mulla Ali al-Qari
stated that that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) have
made /ijma/ on the practice of twenty /rakahs/.^[3 <#footnote_2_2048>]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami and many others have also claimed /ijma/ of the
Companions on this issue.^[4 <#footnote_3_2048>]

Furthermore, there exists no view in the four /madhhabs/ (i.e. the


Hanafi, Shafii, Maliki and Hanbali schools of Islamic jurisprudence)
that support the view that /tarawih/ consists of eight /rakahs/. The
Hanafis, Shafiis and Hanbalis state /tarawih/ consists of twenty
/rakahs/ while Imam Malik is of the view that it consists of thirty-six
/rakahs/, and according to one report he considers it to consist of
fourty-one /rakahs/. According to another report he had also approved
twenty /rakahs/. Some claim that Imam Malik also has a view supporting
eleven /rakahs/ but Mawlana Habib al-Rahman Al-Azami has adequately
refuted this claim in his book /Rakate Tarawih/.^[5 <#footnote_4_2048>]
From the above, we can deduce that almost all of the scholars of this
Ummah held the opinion that /tarawih/ does not consist of eight/rakahs/
because throughout history all have adhered to one of the four
/madhabs,/ although there may have been certain individuals who
renegaded in this regard. Mawlana Habib al-Rahman Al-Azimi said in this
regard, From after the era of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased

with him) up to the end of the 13th century, you will not find any
mention of people performing only eight /rakahs/ [in /tarawih/].^[6
<#footnote_5_2048>] Mawlana has also proven that offering twenty
/rakahs/ has remained the practice of the Ummah up to the modern
day.^[7 <#footnote_6_2048>]
*The practice of the Companions and the Followers*
Sayyiduna Saib ibn Yazid reports that the people would perform twenty
/rakahs/ in Ramadan during the era of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be
pleased with him).^[8 <#footnote_7_2048>] Others beside Sayyiduna Saib
ibn Yazid have also reported that the twenty /rakahs/ were introduced
by Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) such as Sayyiduna
Yazid ibn Ruman, Sayyiduna Yahya ibn Said Al-Ansari, Sayyiduna Ubay ibn
Kab and Sayyiduna Muhammad ibn Kab Al-Qurazhi.^[9 <#footnote_8_2048>]
The following /muhaddithin/ (hadith scholars) have accepted these
reports, i.e. the reports of twenty /rakahs/ from Sayyiduna Umar (may
Allah be pleased with him), to be authentic: Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr,
Imam Al-Nawawi, Hafiz Al-Iraqi, Imam Al-Subki, Imam Al-Suyuti and Mulla
Ali al-Qari.
Imam al-Bayhaqi has narrated from several chains that Sayyiduna Ali
(may Allah be pleased with him) also maintained the practice of twenty
/rakahs/ in /tarawih/.^[10 <#footnote_9_2048>] This has also been
reported as the practice of Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Masud (may Allah be
pleased with him),^[11 <#footnote_10_2048>] Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman ibn
Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him),^[12 <#footnote_11_2048>]
Sayyiduna Ubay ibn Kab (may Allah be pleased with him),^[13
<#footnote_12_2048>] Shutayr ibn Shakl,^[14 <#footnote_13_2048>] Ibn Abi
Mulaykah,^[15 <#footnote_14_2048>] Harith Al-Hamdani,^[16
<#footnote_15_2048>] Ali ibn Rabiah,^[17 <#footnote_16_2048>] Abu
l-Bukhtari,^[18 <#footnote_17_2048>] Sayyid al-Tabiin Said ibn
Jubayr,^[19 <#footnote_18_2048>] Ata (he said: I found the people
performing twenty-three /rakahs/ including /witr/.),^[20
<#footnote_19_2048>] Said ibn Abi l-Hasan,^[21 <#footnote_20_2048>]
Imran Al-Abdi^[22 <#footnote_21_2048>] and Suwayd ibn Ghaflah.^[23
<#footnote_22_2048>]
*The practice of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him
peace)*
In a narration it is stated that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him
and give him peace) performed twenty /rakahs/ in /tarawih/.^[24
<#footnote_23_2048>] The chain of this narration is weak. However, it is
a well established principle in the sciences of Hadith and Fiqh that if
a hadith possesses a weak chain but is supported by the general practice
of the Ummah in the era of the Companions and the Followers (/Tabiin/)
then that hadith will be considered authentic.^[25 <#footnote_24_2048>]
Mawlana Habib al-Rahman Al-Azimi has mentioned that this albeit weak
narration is supported by the following points: (1) The fact that the
general practice of the Muslims in the era of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah
be pleased with him) conformed to it, (2) this remained the practice
even in the era of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), (3)
all of the four /madhhabs/ concur with it and (4) the fact that the
entire Ummah has been practicing upon it till this day. These are
sufficient reasons to strengthen this narration and raise it to the
level of authenticity. (/Rakate Tarawih,/ pg. 60)

Interestingly, Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah, under the chapter of The number of
/rakahs/ to be performed in Ramadan, first quotes the practice of
twenty /rakahs/ from ten different Companions and Followers (Tabii)
and thereafter cites the narration of twenty /rakahs/ from the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace).^[26
<#footnote_25_2048>] This probably means he was alluding to the strength
of this narration.
*Twenty rakahs were established by Sayyiduna Umar*
Those who prefer eight /rakahs/ generally contest the fact that
Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was the one who
introduced the twenty /rakahs/ and that it was in fact only eight
/rakahs/ that he had established. This claim is easily refutable in
light of the quotations mentioned earlier. Furthermore, Imam Tirmidhi
has stated the following in his /Sunan/: And most of the /ulama/ have
chosen twenty /rakahs/ as has been reported from Sayyiduna Ali (may
Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased
with him) and other Companions besides these two.^[27 <#footnote_26_2048>]
The fact that Imam Tirmidhi did not even mention eight /rakahs/ from
Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) or anyone else is a
clear indication as to which is the proper view. Moreover, some
/ulama/ have reconciled this by stating that Sayyiduna Umar had
probably first introduced eight /rakahs/ which thereafter became
twenty. This then became the constant practice in his era as well as in
the era of those who came after him.^[28 <#footnote_27_2048>]
On the other hand, Mawlana Habib al-Rahman Al-Azimi and others have
challenged the narration of eight /rakahs/ from Sayyiduna Umar (may
Allah be pleased with him). Mawlana has classified it as weak due to
/idtirab/ (i.e., diverse conflict between the narrators). (/Rakate
Tarawih,/ pgs. 7-8)
The fact that the narration of eight /rakahs/ was narrated by Imam
Malik from Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and he (Imam
Malik) still chose twenty, thirty-six or fourty-one /rakahs/ further
weakens this narration.^[29 <#footnote_28_2048>] Another weakening
factor for this narration is that there are no other references from the
Companions and Followers which support this version of eight
/rakahs/.^[30 <#footnote_29_2048>]
*Sunnah of the rightly-guided caliphs*
The fact that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) approved
of twenty /rakahs/ and the other caliphs maintained this practice after
him is sufficient to prove its importance. All of this is in light of
the hadith in which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)
said: You must then follow my /sunnah/ and that of the rightly-guided
caliphs (/Abu Dawud/). The /ulama/ have ruled that the /sunnah/ of the
caliphs are also part of the emphasized /sunnah /in light of this
particular hadith.^[31 <#footnote_30_2048>]
Hafiz Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali said: The directive in this hadith to follow
the caliphs is as incumbent as following the Sunnah of the Messenger of
Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) himself.^[32
<#footnote_31_2048>] This becomes even more clear knowing that this was
one of the last advices of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and
give him peace).

*The significance of the practices of Sayyiduna Umar*


The /sunnah/ (practice) of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with
him) enjoy an added significance and this is due to several narrations
which support this:
(1) The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
Allah has placed truth upon Umars tongue and heart. (/Abu Dawud/)
(2) Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) would meticulously
follow the practices of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)
and would say: Indeed he (Umar) was always correct in his affairs.
(3) Sayyiduna Abullah ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) said
while on oath: The straight path is that which Umar chose.
(4) The caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz said in one of his addresses to
the people: Behold! Whatever the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him
and give him peace) and his two Companions (Abu Bakr and Umar) have
implemented is a duty that we have to follow and adhere to in our
religion.^[33 <#footnote_32_2048>]
Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah be pleased with him) said the following when
asked concerning the /tarawih/ and its introduction by Sayyiduna Umar
(may Allah be pleased with him): /Tarawih/ is an emphasized /sunnah/.
Sayyiduna Umar did not introduce it from his own intellect, neither was
it an innovation from his side. He surely did so because of having some
knowledge about it from Allahs Messenger (Allah bless him and give him
peace).^[34 <#footnote_33_2048>]
Allamah Al-Mawsili, after quoting the above from Imam Abu Hanifah,
stated: He (Sayyiduna Umar) did so in the presence of a large group of
Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), among them were the likes
of Sayyiduna Uthman , Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Ibn Masud, Sayyiduna
Abbas, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, Sayyiduna Talhah, Sayyiduna Zubayr ,
Sayyiduna Muadh, Sayyiduna Ubayy and others among the /muhajirun/
(emigrants) and /ansar/ (helpers). None of them objected to him, rather
they assisted him and concurred with him.^[35 <#footnote_34_2048>]
*Tarawih of the Two Noble Sanctuaries*
In the Two Noble Sanctuaries of the noble city of Makkah and the
illuminated city of Madinah up to this day since the time of Sayyiduna
Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) twenty /rakahs/ of /tarawih/ has
been performed in congregation. The Companions (may Allah be pleased
with them), the Followers (i.e. those who came after the Companions),
the Imams of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and the rest of the Ummah
with the exception of the so-called Ahl al-Hadith (or Salafis) of recent
times have been unanimous on performing twenty /rakahs/.^[36
<#footnote_35_2048>]
*The Shiah resemblance *
Those who hold the view that the /tarawih/ consists of eight /rakahs/
hold the same belief as the Shiah in this regard. It is an accepted
fact among the true scholars of Islam that for centuries the /tarawih/
prayer was and is an additional prayer in the month of Ramadan. The
Shiahs reject the practice of praying /tarawih/ altogether. Similarly,
the Ahl al-Hadith sect (or the Salafis) also reject there is an
additional prayer in Ramadan. They believe that the /tahajjud/ prayer

which is performed during the latter portion of the night throughout the
year was merely brought forward (i.e. to the earlier portion of the
night) in Ramadan. Thus, in essence, there is no additional prayer in
Ramadan according to their understanding.
Furthermore, to believe that the twenty /rakahs/ is an innovation of
Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) is to undermine the
integrity of this great Companion and in fact all the Companions who
were present in his time. Generally speaking, this is precisely what the
aims of the Shiahs are since it is an act of virtue for them to
undermine the integrity of the Companions.
*Difference between tarawih and tahajjud*
The claim is made that since the /tahajjud/ prayer only consists of
eight /rakahs/ which is also an incorrect claim as other hadiths
suggest more /rakahs/ the same applies to /tarawih/. There are
several differences between /tarawih/ and /tahajjud/, some of which are
as follows:**
(1) /Tarawih/ consists of twenty /rakahs/ while /tahajjud/ consists of
only eight or maximum twelve.
(2) /Tarawih/ is an emphasized /sunnah/ while /tahajjud/ is preferable
(/mustahab/).
(3) /Tarawih/ should be performed in congregation while /tahajjud/ is
performed individually only.
(4) /Tarawih/ is only performed in the month of Ramadan while /tahajjud/
is performed throughout the year.
(5) /Tarawih/ is performed in the earlier part of the night while
/tahajjud/ is performed in the latter part of the night.
In addition to the above, there are several hadiths wherein the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) has specifically
encouraged /qiyam/ (standing for prayers) in Ramadan:
(1) Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah reported Allahs Messenger (Allah bless him
and give him peace) as saying: He who observed prayer at night during
Ramadan, because of faith and seeking his reward [from Allah], his
previous sins would be forgiven. (/Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim/)
(2) The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
Allah has enjoined (/fard/) the fast of Ramadan, and standing for night
prayers (i.e. /tarawih/) was made /sunnah/ for you; so whoever fasts and
stands for night prayers because of faith and seeking his reward [from
Allah], he will be freed from his sins like on the day when his mother
gave birth to him. (/Sunan al-Nasai; Al-Targhib,/ 2:105.)
(3) Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah
bless him and give him peace) used to exhort [his Companions] to pray
[at night] during Ramadan without commanding them to observe it as an
obligatory act, and say: He who observed the night prayer in Ramadan
because of faith and seeking his reward (from Allah), all his previous
sins would be forgiven. (/Sahih Muslim/)
The above-mentioned hadiths prove the fact that there is an additional
prayer to be performed during the nights in the month of Ramadan.

Furthermore, Allahs Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace)
said: /Salah/ is a good action, so the one who can perform it
excessively should do so.^[37 <#footnote_36_2048>] Therefore, the more
/salah/ in this month the better.
*Concluding remarks*
It should also be borne in mind that the month of Ramadan is a month in
which Muslims generally exert themselves in worship. Hence, this concept
of performing twenty /rakahs/ surely displays more exertion than eight.
In fact, those who choose to perform only eight /rakahs/ should examine
their souls, it should not be that laziness in worship leads them to opt
for lesser /rakahs/.
Lastly, the general advice of the /ulama/ is that whatever a person
inculcates during Ramadan will remain with him throughout the year that
follows. Ramadan serves as an opportunity to recharge ones self if one
is lacking spiritually and it also serves as a training platform for the
believer. We abstain from the lawful (/halal/) during fasting in the day
so that we can acquire the ability to shun the unlawful (/haram/) as
well for the rest of the year.
On this note it is worth mentioning that the amount of obligatory
/salahs/ (including the /Witr/) that are performed daily are twenty.
Therefore, one who sacrifices during the blessed month by offering these
twenty /rakahs/ of voluntary /salah/ will by the will of Allah be
punctual the rest of the year in that which is obligatory.
The masses should be cautioned against accepting such innovative views
from people who claim to have knowledge but refuse to follow the way of
the Companions and the Ummah in general. The issue of /tarawih/ is one
of many such erroneous views held by these deviant entities. In fact,
the masses are advised against arguing with such people. They should
rather refer them to the /ulama/. And Allah knows best.
_____________________________
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

See /Al-Istidhkar,/ vol. 5, pg. 157. [ <#identifier_0_2048>]


See /Tarh al-Tathrib/, part 3, pg. 97. [ <#identifier_1_2048>]
See /Mirqat al-Mafatih,/ vol. 3, pg. 194. [ <#identifier_2_2048>]
See /Tuhfat al-Akhyar./ [ <#identifier_3_2048>]
See /Rakate Tarawih,/ pg. 86-87. [ <#identifier_4_2048>]
Ibid., pg. 6. [ <#identifier_5_2048>]
Ibid., pgs. 1-6. [ <#identifier_6_2048>]
See /Sunan al-Kubra,/ vol. 2, pg. 496; /Nasb al-Rayah,/ vol. 2, pg.
154. [ <#identifier_7_2048>]
See /Rakate Tarawih,/ pgs. 63-68. [ <#identifier_8_2048>]
See /Sunan al-Kubra,/ vol. 2, pgs. 494-495. [ <#identifier_9_2048>]
See /Rakate Tarawih,/ pg. 66. [ <#identifier_10_2048>]
See /Fadail Shahr Ramadan Ibn Abi Dunya,/ pg. 54. [
<#identifier_11_2048>]
See /Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah,/ vol. 2, pg. 285. [
<#identifier_12_2048>]
Ibid. [ <#identifier_13_2048>]
Ibid. [ <#identifier_14_2048>]
Ibid. [ <#identifier_15_2048>]
Ibid. [ <#identifier_16_2048>]
Ibid. [ <#identifier_17_2048>]
Ibid. [ <#identifier_18_2048>]
Ibid. [ <#identifier_19_2048>]

21. /Mukhtasar Qiyam al-Layl li l-Marwazi,/ pg. 202. [


<#identifier_20_2048>]
22. Ibid. [ <#identifier_21_2048>]
23. /Sunan al-Kubra,/ vol. 2, pg. 495. [ <#identifier_22_2048>]
24. /Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah,/ vol. 2, pg. 286; /Bayhaqi,/ vol. 2, pg.
496. [ <#identifier_23_2048>]
25. There are several examples of this, for further reading on this
topic see Shaykh Ismail ibn Muhammad Al-Ansaris refutation of the
view of eight /rakahs/. [ <#identifier_24_2048>]
26. /Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah,/ vol. 2, pg. 285-286. [
<#identifier_25_2048>]
27. /Sunan al-Tirmidhi,/ vol. 1, pg. 99. [ <#identifier_26_2048>]
28. /Sunan al-Kubra,/ vol. 2, pg. 496; a similar statement was made by
Allamah Baji in /Sharh al-Muwatta/. [ <#identifier_27_2048>]
29. See /Ikhtilafe Ummat,/ pg. 498. [ <#identifier_28_2048>]
30. Ibid. [ <#identifier_29_2048>]
31. See Allamah Abd al-Hayy Al-Lakhnawis discussion on this in
/Tuhfat al-Akhyar./ [ <#identifier_30_2048>]
32. See/Jami al-Ulum,/ vol. 1, pg. 774. [ <#identifier_31_2048>]
33. Above quotes (1-4) were extracted from Hafiz Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbalis
/Jami al-Ulum wa l-Hikam,/ vol. 1, pgs. 776-777. [
<#identifier_32_2048>]
34. /Radd al-Muhtar,/ vol. 2, pg. 493, Dar al-Kutb al-Ilmiyyah ed. [
<#identifier_33_2048>]
35. See /Al-Ikhtiyar,/ vol. 1, pg. 95. [ <#identifier_34_2048>]
36. Shaykh Atiyyah Salim, a renowned scholar from the Arab lands, has
written a book proving that the practice of performing twenty
/rakahs/ in /tarawih/ in the masjid of the Messenger of Allah
(Allah bless him and give him peace) has been taking place for over
1000 years! [ <#identifier_35_2048>]
37. /Al-Tabarani/ from the narration of Abu Hurayrah; also see /Majma
al-Zawaid/, 2:249. [ <#identifier_36_2048>]
//20 rakaahs <http://www.deoband.org/tag/20-rakaahs/>20 rakaats
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/20-rakaats/>20 rakats
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/20-rakats/>ijma on taraweeh
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/ijma-on-taraweeh/>laylatul qadr
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/laylatul-qadr/>qiyam ramadan
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/qiyam-ramadan/>qiyamul layl
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/qiyamul-layl/>rakahs of taraweeh
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/rakahs-of-taraweeh/>ramadan qiyam
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/ramadan-qiyam/>ramadan salah
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/ramadan-salah/>sahabah on taraweeh
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/sahabah-on-taraweeh/>taraaweeh
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/taraaweeh/>taraawih
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/taraawih/>taraweeh
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/taraweeh/>tarawih
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/tarawih/>twenty rakaah
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/twenty-rakaah/>twenty rakaahs
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/twenty-rakaahs/>twenty rakaats
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/twenty-rakaats/>twenty rakahs
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/twenty-rakahs/>twenty rakats
<http://www.deoband.org/tag/twenty-rakats/>
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3 Comments
*
September 1, 2010
Abdul Qayyum
Its noteworthy to mention that tahajjud can also be prayed in
jamaat in Ramadan
*
September 2, 2010
Abduallah Reddy Baddam
As Salaamu alaikum,Ramadan Maubarak.
It is an excellent article to understand clearly about Tarawih and
Tahajjud.Thank you very much.
*
September 7, 2010
Ahmed
Tahajjud being prayed in or out of ramadhan in jamaah is generally
seen as makrooh near the ahnaf. So its not similar in that case with
taraweh.
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