What is Taraweeh Prayer ?

Because the prayers of the righteous people in the past were so long, they would take a break after every four rak’at. This is why Qiayam al-Layl during Ramadan after {Isha’ is termed taraweeh. The sunnah mu’akkadah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is called taraweeh.

The Prophet came out one night in the latter year of his life and prayed taraweeh. A few individuals joined him in prayer that evening. As word got out on the second night, more people joined in taraweeh. On the third, there were even more attendees. The masjid was crowded on the fourth night as people awaited the coming of the Prophet.

The Prophet, however, prayed at home by himself. after Fajr, he said:

“Nothing prevented me from coming out to you except the fact that I feared that it would be made obligatory for you.” (Muslim)

People prayed in small groups or alone from the time of Abu Bakr until the start of `Umar’s reign. Later, after gathering everyone behind one imam, ‘Umar led the eight Rak`at prayers. In the end, it was raised to 20 raka’at to facilitate the populace.

How to Pray Taraweeh

It is not necessary to conduct tarawih right away following `Isha.’ Muslims are free to wait till later, however in a mosque, it always happens after two Sunnah rak’ahs after the ‘Isha’ prayer.

When doing tarawih, two rak`ahs are performed back-to-back, exactly like when performing the Fajr prayer. Although the exact number of rak`ahs varies, it often ranges from 8 to 20. It’s advised to take a little rest following every four rak`ahs. At this time, there might be a brief religious discourse, du`aa’ (supplication), or dhikr (memory of Allah) in a mosque.

The Tarawih prayer is said out loud. Muslims who are proficient in Arabic and who are leading others in prayer are permitted to hold the Qur’an in their hands and recite passages aloud during Tarawih. (However, Muslims are required to recite the Qur’an from memory during the fard [obligatory] prayers; new Muslims who are still learning how to pray are exempt.) You can recite the Qur’an from memory if you are illiterate in Arabic.

Tarawih can be as long or short as you choose, based on your energy level and reading/reciting proficiency. In a mosque, the Tarawih will last for an hour and a half if one juz is recited; however, other mosques recite less. You may find out how long each prayer takes and how much they recite. You are free to select the mosque in your neighborhood to visit if there are several.

The three rak’ah Witr prayer is said after Tarawih. In Ramadan, they can be performed in congregation and aloud. During these rak`ahs, brief surahs are typically performed in a mosque. It is customary for the imam to make an audible suppliant after the final rak`ah, known as ruku`, before bowing. The assembly is expected to respond with “ameen” following every line of the duaa’ (prayer). This is called qunoot, the prayer said after ruku.

The final prayer spoken before dawn should be the Witr. Therefore, you can omit the Witr in congregation and perform it after Tahajjud if you are praying Tarawih in congregation and would like to perform additional Tahajjud (optional Late Night) Prayers later.

Dua for Taraweeh

The full Taraweeh dua text is available here in Arabic, English, and transliteration:

Taraweeh Dua

Transliteration:

Subhana zil mulki wal malakooti subhana zil izzati wal jabaroot wal kibriyaai wal jabaroot. Wal azamati wal hayati allati la yanamu wala yamoot. Subboohun qud’doosur-rabuna warabbul malaa’ikati warruh.

English Translation:

Glory be to Allah, the Possessor of might, dominion, magnificence, and the manifest dominion. He is the Owner of the kingdom of the earth and the heavens. He is free from any imperfection, and none is worthy of worship except Him. He is the Lord of the angels and the Spirit.

An integral component of this optional prayer is reciting the Dua at Taraweeh. Reciting this dua at Taraweeh prayer is strongly advised, particularly on the final 10 nights of Ramadan.