Is Tarawih 8 or 20 Rakats? – Shaykh Rami Nsour
In this video, Shaykh Rami Nsour explains about the Sunnah behind the Tarawih prayers, and advises us how to best pray them.
Unity of the community is important, but so is fulfilling the Sunna. In Ramadan, we are sometimes torn between how to pray the Tarawih prayers. Some say that the prayer is 20 rakats, others say it is 8 rakats.
Shaykh Rami Nsour explains that, the first thing we should do, is not to cause disunity in the community, and go about our actions with the best possible etiquette.
He then goes on to explain about the different Sunnas relating to the Tarawih prayers, and how the Prophet Muhammad began by praying them in the mosque. However, he later prayed them alone in his home so that people would not think they were obligatory. After his death, the Caliph Umar moved the prayer back to the mosque, because people no longer felt that it was mandatory.
This case teaches us that we can do Tarawih both at home and in the masjid. In terms of length, some jurists say that even 2 rakats qualify as Tarawih prayer.
Shaykh Rami encourages us to choose whichever routine suits us best. It is good to pray at the masjid if it encourages you, but if you can maintain the routine, you can do it at home. In addition, we can pray up to 20 rakats, or less if we can’t do 20. The important thing is to do as much as you can keep up, and do it sincerely for Allah.
With gratitude to Tayba Foundation.
