How many rak‘ahs is the Tarawih prayer?

There is no unanimously agreed-upon narration regarding the number of rak‘ahs the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed for the Tarawih prayer. Although there are some narrations stating that he performed twenty-three rak‘ahs including Witr (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf, 2/164 [7692]; Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra, 2/698 [4286]), these have been interpreted differently by jurists. Therefore, conclusions on this issue have been sought based on the hadith of ‘A’isha regarding the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) night prayers during Ramadan and the reports about ‘Umar initiating the Tarawih prayer in congregation.

When asked about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) night prayers in Ramadan, ‘A’isha replied, “The Messenger of Allah never prayed more than eleven rak‘ahs (of voluntary prayer) in Ramadan or at any other time.” (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 16 [1147]; Muslim, Salat al-Musafirin, 125 [738]). In another narration, this number is mentioned as thirteen (Muslim, Salat al-Musafirin, 123-124). First of all, it is not clear that this hadith specifically refers to the Tarawih prayer. On the other hand, ‘A’isha’s statement that the Messenger of Allah performed eleven or thirteen rak‘ahs of prayer during the nights of Ramadan and outside of Ramadan indicates that he regularly performed a night prayer other than Tarawih. Indeed, the Qur’an also states: “And during a part of the night, pray Tahajjud beyond what is incumbent on you; perhaps your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station.” (al-Isra, 17/79).

From the above, it is understood that the question was asked to learn whether there was an increase in the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) night prayers during Ramadan, as with his other acts of worship, and that it is not directly related to the Tarawih prayer. The hadith narrated from ‘A’isha, “When the last ten nights of Ramadan began, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would enliven the nights (with worship and remembrance), wake his family, and devote himself more intensely to worship.” (Muslim, I‘tikaf, 7-8 [1174-1175]; see also Bukhari, Fadl Laylat al-Qadr, 5 [2024]) supports this view. On the other hand, it is also unclear whether this hadith was before or after the Tarawih prayer was legislated.

Regarding the number of rak‘ahs for the Tarawih prayer performed in congregation during the time of ‘Umar, there are two narrations: twenty and eleven rak‘ahs (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf, 2/162-163 [7671-7683-7684]). Although there are different narrations about the period of ‘Umar in our sources, it is stated that later, Tarawih became established as twenty rak‘ahs and has continued to be performed in congregation in this way up to the present day (see Ibn al-Humam, Fath al-Qadir, 1/450; ‘Ayni, ‘Umdah, 11/126-127; Mawardi, al-Hawi, 2/290-291; Shawkani, Nayl al-Awtar, 3/53).

From the time of ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and ‘Ali, up to the present, the Tarawih prayer has been performed in congregation as twenty rak‘ahs. None of the Companions objected to this, and it has been accepted by scholars in this way. Today, in our country and in many other Islamic countries, the Tarawih prayer is performed in congregation as 20 rak‘ahs.

It should be noted that since the Tarawih prayer is a voluntary act of worship, it should not be regarded as obligatory. Therefore, due to tiredness, busyness, or similar reasons, if Tarawih is performed at home as 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, or 18 rak‘ahs, the Sunnah is considered fulfilled. However, it is better to try to join the congregation.

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu