Tarāwīḥ: Sunnah or Bidʿah?
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Tarāwīh is one of the most prominent practices of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿa in the Holy Month of Ramadān. After the ʿishāʾ prayer, Sunni Muslims would gather in the mosque to perform 8, 16, or 20 units of prayers in congregation (Jamāʿa), with the belief that they are following the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAW).
The Shīʿa Muslim position is clear: the congregational form of the Ramaḍān non-obligatory prayers (nawāfil) is not legislated by the Prophet (SAW), but a later bidʿah. This is not because “worshipping God is misguidance”, but because “changing the laws of worship is misguidance”.
So the question is simple: Did the Prophet ﷺ establish nawāfil prayers in congregation as one of the rituals of Ramadān?
Proofs for it being Sunnah
The strongest proof that Tarāwīh is a sunnah rests on a report narrated by ‘A’ishah, where the Prophet (SAW) prayed at night in the mosque for several nights, people gathered behind him in congregation, but then he later discontinued it out of concern that it might be regarded as a farīdah (obligation) by the people.
This was recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 2012:
Narrated A’isha:
Allah's Messenger ﷺ went out in the middle of the night and prayed in the mosque and some men prayed behind him. In the morning, the people spoke about it and then a large number of them gathered and prayed behind him (on the second night).
In the next morning the people again talked about it and on the third night the mosque was full with a large number of people. Allah's Messenger ﷺ came out and the people prayed behind him.
On the fourth night the Mosque was overwhelmed with people and could not accommodate them, but the Prophet ﷺ came out (only) for the morning prayer. When the morning prayer was finished, he recited Tashahhud and (addressing the people) said:
"Your presence was not hidden from me but I was afraid lest the night prayer should be enjoined on you, and you might not be able to carry it on." So, Allah's Apostle died, and the situation remained like that (i.e. people prayed individually)."
What this report states is that the people came to pray behind the Prophet (SAW) for three nights while he performed the night prayer, but on the fourth night he did not perform it. The conclusion of the report confirms that the Prophet (SAW) did not institutionalise, command or continue this practice.
If Tarāwīh is claimed to be a Sunnah practice performed after ʿishāʾ prayer, then this report fails to prove it. There is no mention of the month of Ramadān, 8 or 20 unit prayers, or an endorsement of congregational nawāfil prayers.
Tahajjud and Tarāwīḥ
In fact, in this report, the Prophet (SAW) is talking about the night prayer (Tahajjud), not Tarāwīh, which did not exist during the Prophet’s lifetime.
The Tahajjud prayer was made obligatory on the Prophet (SAW) in the Holy Qur’an, in Surat al-Israa 17:79
“And during a part of the night, pray Tahajjud beyond what is incumbent on you; perhaps your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory.”
Tarāwīh is not an obligation, it consists of supplementary (nawāfil) prayers after ʿishāʾ. While it is commendable to perform them, it's not obligatory.
Secondly, Tarāwīh is after ʿishāʾ, whereas Tahajjud (as the report itself states) is after the middle of the night, in accordance with the Holy Qur’an in Surah al-Muzammil 73:1-4:
Rise to pray in the night except a little, half of it, or lessen it a little, or add to it, and recite the Quran as it ought to be recited.
And in verse 20, it says:
Your Lord knows that you pass in prayer nearly two-thirds of the night, and (sometimes) half of it, and (sometimes) a third of it.
Thirdly, Tahajjud is an 11 unit prayer, while Tarāwīh is a 20 unit prayer. This is evidenced by a tradition in Sahih al-Bukhari 1147:
Narrated Abu Salmah b. Abd al-Rahman:
I asked `Aisha, "How was the prayer of Allah's Messenger ﷺ during the month of Ramaḍān." She said, "Allah's Messenger ﷺ never exceeded eleven rak`at in Ramaḍān or in other months…”.
For this reason, even Bukhari put this report under the heading Kitab al-Tahajjud rather than Kitab Ṣalāt al-Tarāwīh. This is because even he recognised that the Prophet’s night prayers in Ramaḍān that are discussed here is Tahajjud, and not Tarāwīḥ.
However, when ʿUmar established his practice, he increased the number of units to 20, as seen in Muwatta Mālik, Hadith. # 251:
Narrated Yazid b. Ruman:
"The people used to watch the night in prayer during Ramaḍān for twenty-three units in the time of Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb."
Al-Bayhaqi also records in Al-Sunan Al-Kubra Vol. 2, pg. 498 - 499, Hadith. # 4617:
Narrated Al-Saʾib b. Yazid:
“During the time of ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, they used to stand in prayer in Ramaḍān with twenty units and they would recite hundreds of verses. During the time of ʿUthman b. ʿAffan, they would lean on their staffs due to the length and intensity of standing.”
Note: Further reports can be found Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Vol. 5, pg. 151.
All of this clarifies that Tahajjud is a different practice from the one introduced by ʿUmar, which replaced it.
Proofs for it being Bidʿah
Many attempt to defend the practice Tarāwīh of by saying: “He only stopped because he feared it would become obligatory.” However, this is refuted by other reports where the Prophet (SAW) does not merely “stop” this practice, but explicitly commands against it.
This is found in Sahih al-Bukhari 6113:
Narrated Zaid b. Thabit:
Allah's Messenger ﷺ made a small room and came out to pray in it. Some men came and joined him in his prayer. Then again the next night they came for the prayer, but Allah's Messenger ﷺ delayed and did not come out to them.
So they raised their voices and knocked on the door with small stones (to draw his attention). He came out to them in a state of anger, saying:
"You are still insisting (on this deed) that I thought that this prayer might become obligatory on you. So you people, offer this prayer at your homes, for the best prayer of a person is the one which he offers at home, except the compulsory prayer."
Here, the Prophet (SAW) deliberately does not come out to them, and commands them to pray in their homes rather than in the mosque, where congregational prayer would take place.
It is shocking to see how the companions would raise their voices and throw stones at the Prophet’s door, demanding an explanation for his abandonment of this practice. This will later be mirrored during ʿAlī’s caliphate, where the people threatened to rebel against ʿAlī for abandoning the Tarāwīh prayers.
However, in another variant of this same tradition narrated by Mūsā b. ʿUqba, the wording of the report changes, and it’s also narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari 7290:
“Then on the 4th night the people did not hear his voice and they thought he had slept, so some of them started humming in order that he might come out.”
It is noteworthy that the variant transmitted by Mūsā b. ʿUqba, despite sharing the same chain, omits the passage describing the companions’ actions, which certainly raises questions about the motive behind this omission.
In commentary of this report, Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī writes in Fath al-Bari, Vol. 13, pg. 269:
'What is related to this interpretation of this hadith is what is understood from his rejection of what they did in the matter of what they are not permitted to gather in the mosque for the night prayer.'
In another report, the Prophet (SAW) remains sitting when he sees his companions coming to pray behind him in Sahih al-Bukhari 731:
Narrated Zayd b. Thabit:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) made a small room in the month of Ramaḍān and he prayed there for a few nights, and so some of his companions prayed behind him. When he came to know about it, he kept on sitting.
In the morning, he went out to them and said: "I have seen and understood what you did. You should pray in your houses, for the best prayer of a person is that which he prays in his house except the compulsory prayers."
Once again, the Prophet (SAW) commands them to pray in their houses, and deliberately remains seated only when he sees them approaching so as to prevent them from praying with him in congregation.
This interpretation was also arrived to by the major Salafi scholar, al-Shawkānī, in his Nayl al-Awtar, Vol. 5, pg. 470:
(He the Prophet sat down) that means, he prays while sitting so that people do not see him and then follow him.
For this reason, even a significant number of Sunni scholars opined that one should avoid praying Tarāwīḥ in congregation. This was reported by al-Ṭaḥāwī in Mukhtasar Ikhtilaf al-Ulama Vol. 1, pg. 313 - 314:
Al-Muʿallā reported from Abū Yūsuf that he said: “Whoever is able to pray in his home in Ramaḍān as he would pray with the imam, it is more beloved to me that he pray in his home.”
Likewise, Mālik said the same. Mālik also said: “Rabīʿah and more than one of our scholars would depart and would not stand with the people.”
Mālik said: “I do the same. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not stand except in his home.”
Al-Shāfiʿī said: “The prayer of the individual in the night vigil of Ramaḍān is more beloved to me.”
Thus, it seemed that both Imam Mālik and Imam al-Shāfiʿī opined against praying Tarāwīḥ in congregation.
Origins of Tarāwīḥ
Now that it’s been established that the Prophet (SAW) did not legislate Tarāwīh, the question remains: from where did it originate?
The following is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari 2009:
Narrated Al-Zuhrī:
“Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) died and the people continued observing that (i.e. nawāfil offered individually, not in congregation), and it remained as it was during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and in the early days of ʿUmar's Caliphate.”
The famous Tabi’i al-Zuhrī narrates that the people used to observe nawāfil prayers individually until the early days of ʿUmar’s caliphate, after which it became the established practice to perform the nawāfil prayers in congregation.
This was confirmed by ʿUmar’s own testimony in Sahih al-Bukhari 2010:
'Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Qari narrates:
"I went out in the company of ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb one night in Ramadān to the mosque and found the people praying in different groups. A man praying alone or a man praying with a little group behind him.
So Umar said: 'In my opinion I would better collect these people under the leadership of one reciter (i.e. let them pray in congregation!)'.
So, he made up his mind to congregate them behind Ubayy b. Ka'ab. Then on another night, I went again in his company and the people were praying behind their reciter.
On that, Umar remarked: 'What an excellent bidʿah (innovation) this is, but the prayer which they sleep through is better than the one they are performing,” referring to the prayer in the last part of the night. In those days, people used to pray in the early part of the night.”
In this narration, we find several indications regarding the history of Tarāwīh and its origin.
Firstly, we find that ʿUmar used to find people praying in separate groups, each with its own reciter leading them. Why did ʿUmar neither join these groups nor lead them? And why did he later appoint Ubayy b. Ka’ab instead of assuming this role himself?
According to Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, it is because ʿUmar believed it was better to pray at home. This is written in Fath al-Bari, vol. 4, pg. 297:
“The statement: ‘So he went out one night, and the people were praying following the recitation of their reciter’ refers to their mentioned imam. This implies that Umar did not regularly attend the prayer with them, as he considered praying at home especially during the last part of the night to be superior.”
Secondly, we see that there were already some groups of people who were leading each other in this nawāfil prayer, which means they were already engaging in a bidʿah, for we have already established that the Prophet (SAW) did not permit this.
What ʿUmar should’ve done is stop this bidʿah as he knew this prayer was meant to be done at home. Instead, he reorganised and endorsed by gathering the people behind a single reciter for the congregation of this prayer. He himself attests to that, and according to Sahih Muslim 1366:
Narrated Anas b. Mālik:
“It is something serious to make any innovation in Medina, and (he who does) there is upon him the curse of Allah, and that of the angels and of all the people, Allah will not accept from him on the Day of Resurrection either obligatory acts or the supererogatory acts.”
Why is the introduction of a bidʿah such a grave matter? The concern is that once a new, baseless practice becomes established, it can gradually displace true Sunnah. ʿUmar himself alludes to this when he says “but the prayer which they sleep through is better than the one they are performing”. The one they are performing are the nawāfil prayers that he made them do in congregation, and the one they sleep through is the Tahajjud prayer that we mentioned earlier.
The long-term consequence of this shift can be observed in later practice today. Many Muslims today have largely abandoned Tahajjud prayer during Ramadān in exchange for their 20 unit prayers that they perform after ʿishāʾ in their Mosques. This is the effect of introducing a bidʿah: it leads to the abandonment of established Sunnah in favour of what it itself prohibits.
Opinions of the Sahaba
Many of the prominent companions were critical of the innovation brought about by ʿUmar. We read earlier how ʿUmar had appointed Ubayy b. Ka’ab to lead the congregation for this practice, but how enthusiastic was Ubayy in this?
We read this in al-Maqdisī’s al-Ahadith al-Mukhtarah Vol. 3, pg. 367, Hadith. # 1161 with a reliable chain:
Narrated Ubayy b. Ka'ab:
ʿUmar ordered Ubayy to lead the people in prayer during Ramadān. He said, "The people fast during the day and do not know how to recite [the Quran] properly. If only you would recite the Quran for them at night."
Ubayy replied, "O Commander of the Faithful, this is something that was not done before." Umar said, "I know, but it is good." So, he led them in twenty units (units of prayer).
It is clear that Ubayy objected to this practice introduced by ʿUmar, declaring that it was not from the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). For this reason, we further read in Sunan Abi Dawud 1429:
Narrated Al-Hasan al-Basri:
Umar b. al-Khattab gathered the people (in Tarāwīh prayer) behind Ubayy b. Ka'b. He used to lead them for twenty days during Ramadan, and would not recite the supplication except in the second half of it. When the last ten days remained, he kept away from them, and prayed in his house. They used to say: Ubayy ran away.
Abu Dawud said: This tradition shows that whatever has been reported about the recitation of the supplication is not tenable. Moreover, these two traditions from Ubayy b. Ka'b indicate that another tradition which tells that the Prophet (ﷺ) recited the supplication in the witr is weak.
This report clearly shows that Ubayy did not want to continue this practice imposed upon him by ‘Umar, to the extent that he quite literally ran away from Umar’s commandment.
Now some Sunnis may object by arguing this report is weak, however, Abu Dawud is using it as evidence (hujjah) to weaken another report, which shows he found it authoritative. Al-Albānī weakened this report because Hasan al-Basri is narrating this in mursal form. However, according to many scholars, the mursal reports of al-Basri are accepted when corroborated, and in this case the report supported with al-Maqdisi’s report.
In another report from Abu Huraria, he openly states that this was not the Prophet’s practice in Musnad Ahmad b. Hanbal Vol. 13, pg. 264, Hadith. # 7881 with an authentic chain:
Narrated Abi Huraira:
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ encouraging the people to perform the night prayer in Ramadān, saying, “Whoever stands (in prayer) during it with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not gather the people together for the night prayer.
These are three companions– among them ʿUmar himself– and al-Zuhrī, all of whom testify that this was not the practice of the Prophet (SAW). For this reason, even his son, ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar, criticised those who engaged in this practice.
This can be seen in Musannaf 'Abd al-Razzaq Vol 5, pg. 13, Hadith. # 7985:
Narrated Mujāhid:
A man came to Ibn ʿUmar and said, “Should I pray behind the imam in Ramadān?” He said, “Do you recite the Qur’an?” The man replied, “Yes.” He said, “Then would you remain silent as if you were a donkey? Pray in your house.”
Note: The same report was transmitted in Sunan al-Bayhaqi Vol 2, pg. 696, Hadith # 4608.
On the same page, Hadith. # 7986 reads:
Narrated Nāfiʿ:
“He (Ibn Umar) would not stand in prayer behind the imam in Ramadān.”
So according to Ibn ʿUmar, the one who goes to the mosque during the nights of Ramadān to pray Tarāwīh in Jamāʿa (congregation) is like a donkey.
‘Sunnah of the Guided Caliphs’
In their attempt to defend the origin of Tarāwīh, many scholars argue that the very fact that the caliphs established the ritual of Tarāwīh is sufficient proof of its validity. This was discussed by Ibn Taymiyyah in Majmu’ al-Fatawa Vol 22, pg. 141 - 142:
ʿUmar was among the Rightly Guided Caliphs, about whom the Prophet ﷺ said: “You must follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me. Hold onto it with your molar teeth.” This reference to the molars emphasizes the firmness with which one should adhere to their way.
Thus, what ʿUmar did was in accordance with the Sunnah. However, he remarked, “What a good innovation this is!” This was only a linguistic use of the term bidʿah (innovation), as they had not previously practiced it in this form during the Prophet’s lifetime—that is, in a unified congregation under a single imam. Yet, in reality, it remained part of the Shari‘ah and the established Sunnah.
The mere fact that the caliphs practiced this ritual suffices as evidence for their followers as being legally valid, despite being unable to establish its origin from the Holy Prophet (SAW). Just how is Ibn Taymiyyah able to justify the validity of congregational nawāfil prayers in the Shari’ah beyond ʿUmar’s institutionalisation of it during his caliphate?
In fact, some clerics go on to say that the stances of ʿUmar are so binding, that NOT praying Tarāwīh is in fact sinful!
This was mentioned to us in Mukhtasar Ikhtilaf al-Ulama by Abu Ja’far al-Ṭaḥāwī, Vol. 1, pg. 313 - 315:
Al-Layth said: “If the people in Ramaḍān were to stand in prayer individually for themselves and their families, to the point that the mosque were left with no one praying in it, then they should go out from their homes to the mosque and stand there; for the standing of the people in the month of Ramadān is among the matters that ought not to be abandoned. It is from what ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb instituted for the Muslims and gathered them upon.”
Abū Jaʿfar al-Ṭaḥāwī said: “They have agreed that it is not permissible for the people to leave the mosques devoid of the Ramaḍān night prayer. This standing was a communal obligation; whoever performed it was superior to the one who prayed alone- like obligations that are communal: whoever fulfills them lifts the duty, and performing them is better than abandoning them. Likewise is what we have mentioned.”
On what basis should ʿUmar’s institutionalisation of a ritual dictate the laws of sharīʿa? And why should someone be considered sinful for opposing what ʿUmar institutionalised?
The biggest Hanafi manual of Islamic laws today, al-Durr al-Mukhtara, pg. 94 by ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn al-Ḥaṣkafī (d. 1660 CE) says:
Tarāwīh is an emphasized Sunnah (Sunnah Muʾakkadah) due to the consistent practice of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, for both men and women, by consensus.
Congregation in it is a communal Sunnah (Sunnah Kifāyah) according to the sounder opinion; if the people of a mosque abandon it entirely, they are sinful, though not if only some leave it.
Completing the Qur’an once is Sunnah; twice is virtuous; three times is better. The completion should not be abandoned due to the laziness of the people.
These laws originate from the precedent set by ʿUmar and ‘Uthman, not the Holy Prophet (SAW). Did the Prophet complete the Qur’an thrice in Tarāwīh as he claims?
Not according to Imam Mālik- he says this is an innovation not practiced by the Prophet (SAW)! Al-Qurtubi records this in Al-Jami' al-Ahkam al-Qur'an, Vol. 22, pg. 563:
Ibn al-’Arabi al-Māliki said: “It is not from the Sunnah to complete the Qur’an in Ramadān (i.e in congregation).”
Imam Mālik b. Anas said: "And to complete the Qur’an in the mosques (i.e congregation) is not a Sunnah."
Shockingly, this practice that was introduced by ʿUmar somehow overrides the explicit statements of the Prophet (SAW) that “The best prayer of a person is the one which he offers at home, except the compulsory prayer.”
According to this report, the nawāfil prayers are better performed at home; yet many leading Sunni jurists maintain that they are better performed in congregation solely on the basis of ʿUmar’s practice!
As mentioned earlier, a number of Sunni scholars opposed praying these prayers in congregation, which shows that within Sunni scholarship, the original Prophetic framework- that voluntary prayers are best performed at home- is fully acknowledged. Despite this, the congregational model established under ʿUmar has become the dominating view among most Muslims today.
In contrast to this, the Shīʿa have maintained one sole position, clarified to us by Ayatullah Ja’far Subhani in Fi Dhilal al-Tawhid, pg. 191:
The Imami Shīʿa, following Imam ʿAlī and his household, perform the recommended prayers of the month of Ramaḍān individually and consider holding them in congregation a true innovation that emerged after the Messenger of Allah, based on the standard of what Allah has revealed as authority.
Sheikh Al-Ṭūsī stated: “The recommended prayers of the month of Ramaḍān are to be performed individually, and holding them in congregation is an innovation.”
Al-Shāfiʿī also said: “The prayer of an individual is more beloved to me than performing it in congregation.”
Ibn Dawud criticized Al-Shāfiʿī on this matter, saying: “He has opposed both the Sunnah and the consensus.” (Fath al-Bari)
Imam ʿAlī’s Stance On Tarāwīḥ
Advocates of Tarāwīh often argue that ʿAlī’s political silence regarding its practice constitutes proof of his endorsement. However, such an argument rests on a presumption that because Tarāwīh was being practiced during ʿAlī’s caliphate, it must therefore have been approved by him.
Yet there is absolutely no evidence beyond this presumption to show that ʿAlī (AS) endorsed or supported the practice of Tarāwīh, neither in Sunni nor Shīʿa texts.
In contrast, several Imami sources explicitly demonstrate ʿAlī’s opposition to Tarāwīh, allowing it to continue only because of the people’s deep love for the Sunnah of ʿUmar and their resolve to revolt against him if he attempted to change it.
We read in Shaykh al-Ṭūsī’s Tahdhib al-Ahkam Vol. 3, pg. 77:
Narrated Ammar b. Musa:
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: When Amir al-Muʾminin came to Kufa, he ordered al-Hasan b. ʿAli to call out among the people: “There is no congregational prayer in the mosques during the month of Ramaḍān.”
So al-Hasan b. ʿAli announced to the people what Amir al-Muʾminin had instructed. When the people heard the statement of al-Hasan b. ʿAli, they cried out: “O ʿUmar! O ʿUmar!”
When al-Hasan returned to Amir al-Muʾminin, he said to him, “What is this noise?” He replied, “O Amir al-Muʾminin, the people are shouting: ‘O ʿUmar! O ʿUmar!’” Amir al-Muʾminin then said: “Tell them: Pray [as you wish].”
[Tusi says:] Thus the Commander of the Faithful, when he objected, objected to the gathering and did not object to the prayer itself. Then, when he saw that the matter would lead to disorder for him and that the people would fall into discord, he permitted it and ordered them to pray according to their custom.
This highlights that Imam ʿAlī (AS) did not endorse Tarāwīh. Rather, he tried to restore the Prophet’s Sunnah, which was to pray nawafil individually, but faced fierce resistance from a population unwilling to abandon Umar’s innovation. Ali’s response “Pray” is him informing them that he is not stopping them from prayer, and then continuing to pray, he is only telling them to stop praying in congregation.
In another sermon of Imam ʿAlī (AS), which is recorded in al-Kafi Vol. 8, Hadith. # 21, he goes on to mention Tarāwīh as one of the practices innovated after the Prophet:
Narrated Sulaym b. Qays al-Hillali:
Imam ʿAlī (AS) said: The rulers before me acted in opposition to Rasulallah ﷺ deliberately breaching the covenant with him and altering his Sunnah. And if I had burdened the people on avoiding it, and turned it back to its place and to what it used to be in the era of Rasulallah, my army would disperse from me to the extent that there would remain only myself or a few from my Shīʿa who recognise my status.
By Allah, they would disperse from me if I were to order the people not to gather in the Month of Ramadān except for the obligatory prayers and make it known to them that their gathering for the optional Prayers (nawāfil) is an innovation (i.e. tawarih). So some of the people in my army would call out to the ones who are fighting alongside me, ‘O people of Al-Islam! The Sunnah of Umar has been changed. He is preventing us from the optional Prayer in the Month of Ramadān, and I had feared that there would be a revolt in a section of my army.
So the Imam (AS) clearly identified Tarāwīh as an innovation, but the people’s attachment to the Sunnah of Umar made it impossible for him to enforce the Prophet’s authentic teachings.
This is why in Shīʿa books, the Imams have emphasised that Tarāwīh should not be prayed in congregation as it was not taught by the Prophet (SAW).
For this reason, Shaykh al-Ṣadūq records in Man La Yahdhural Faqih Vol 2, pg. 91 - 92:
Zurārah, Muḥammad b. Muslim, and al-Fuḍayl asked Abā Jaʿfar al-Bāqir (as) and Abā ʿAbdillāh al-Ṣādiq (as) about offering nightly supererogatory prayers in congregation during the month of Ramaḍān.
They replied: The Prophet ﷺ used to perform the ‘Ishā’ prayer and then return to his home. Later in the night, he would come out to the mosque and pray.
On the first night of Ramadān, he went out to perform the prayer as he usually did, and the people lined up behind him [to pray in congregation]. He left them and returned to his home, leaving them behind. This happened for three nights.
On the third day, he ﷺ ascended the pulpit, praised and extolled Allah, and then said: "O people! Performing nightly prayers in congregation during the month of Ramaḍān is an innovation, and so is the Duḥā prayer. Beware, do not gather at night during the month of Ramaḍān for the nightly prayer, nor perform the Duḥā prayer, for such acts are acts of disobedience. Indeed, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the Fire." He then descended from the pulpit, saying: "A small act in accordance with the Sunnah is better than a great deal done in innovation."
In another report from al-Khisal by Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, quoted from Wasa’il al-Shīʿa Vol. 8, Hadith. # 10829 we read:
Narrated al-A’mash:
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said in a long Hadith about religious laws: Voluntary prayers should not be offered in congregation because that is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and all misguidance leads to Hellfire.
And also Uyun al-Akhbar by Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, quoted from Wasa’il al-Shīʿa Vol. 8, Hadith. # 10830 it says:
Narrated Fadhl b. Sha’dhan:
Imam al-Ridha (AS) told al-Ma’mun: “It is not permissible to offer voluntary prayers in congregation because that is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and all misguidance leads to Hellfire.”
The strong opposition of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) to the practice of Tarāwīh was even acknowledged by major Sunni scholars, such as the aforementioned al-Shawkānī who records in his Nayl al-Awtar Vol 3, pg. 173:
The progeny (of the Prophet) say that (praying Tarāwīḥ in) congregation is an innovation.
And hence, the abandonment of Tarāwīh prayers in congregation was a distinguishing sign of the Shīʿa, hence Shaykh al-Ṭūsī states that they had consensus (ijmāʿ) on this issue in Kitab al-Khilaf, Vol. 1, pg. 528 - 529: :
Issue 268: The supererogatory prayers (nawāfil) of Ramadān are to be prayed individually, and performing them in congregation is an innovation (bidʿah). …
Our evidence: The consensus of the [Shia] group, as they do not differ, that performing Tarāwīh in congregation is an innovation.
Likewise, al-Sharif al-Murtaḍā (RA) claims consensus for this issue in al-Intisar, Vol. 1, pg. 336 - 337:
And among the matters thought to be exclusive to the Imāmiyyah is the prohibition of congregational prayer in the supererogatory prayers of Ramadān, and the dislike of doing so.
The proof for this is the previously mentioned consensus and the path of precaution; for one who performs the supererogatory prayers in his home is neither committing an innovation nor sinning by consensus, whereas this is not the case if he performs them in congregation.
Al-Shaykh Ḥasan al-Najafī (RA) also comments that al-Shahīd al-Awwal, ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Miqdād al-Suyūrī and Ibn Idrīs al-Ḥillī (may Allah be pleased with them all) all claim consensus for this matter in Jawāhir al-Kalām Vol. 13, pg. 223:
It (congregation) is not permissible in the voluntary prayers according to the majority of authorities, both by transmission and by systematic derivation.
In al-Dhikrā, it is attributed to the apparent view of the later jurists; likewise in al-Muntahā and al-Tadhkira, and according to Kanz al-‘Irfān, it is unanimously agreed upon. It also appears from al-Sarā’ir regarding the Eid prayer that it is a matter of certainty.
Tarāwīḥ in Shīʿa Hadiths
Our final discussion on this topic will be interpreting various reports that seem to endorse the concept of leading family members in nawāfil prayers during Ramadān. This section of the article is important because it illustrates how the Shīʿa do not shy away from addressing difficult narratives, and will employ their scholarly etiquette in dealing with reports objectively.
There are two main reports cited to prove the permissibility of Tarāwīh in Shīʿa Hadiths. Note: Hadiths that encourage praying extra prayers (nawāfil) in the month of Ramadān are not included in this discourse since this is not the same as Tarāwīh as we have already established earlier.
Women leading nawāfil prayers
The first is the one recorded in Shaykh al-Ṣadūq’s Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh, Hadith. # 1177:
Hishām b. Sālim asked Imam al-Sadiq (AS) about a woman leading other women in prayer. He said: “She may lead them in the supererogatory prayer. But in the obligatory prayer, no. And she should not stand in front of them; rather, she stands in their midst.”
In commentary to this report, ʿAlī Akbar al-Ghaffārī says the following in Man La Yahduruh al-Faqih Vol. 1, pg. 396 - 397, Report # 87:
It is possible that what is meant by “nawāfil prayer” is the prayer for which congregation is recommended, such as the prayer for rain and the two ʿĪd prayers, on the assumption that they are considered recommended acts.
It is reported from Ibn al-Junayd and al-Murtaḍā, may God have mercy on them, that they permitted female leadership in supererogatory prayers, but not in obligatory ones. From this, it appears that they held the permissibility of congregation in supererogatory prayers for women, unless this is interpreted as referring to a repeated prayer, or to the two ʿĪd prayers, or to the prayer for rain.
Our teacher, Muhaqiq al-Shaʿrānī, stated in the margin of al-Wāfī: “Just as the strongest support of a narration is its widespread acceptance, so too its greatest source of weakness is the scholars’ widespread rejection of it. By its ‘widespread acceptance’ we mean the fame of acting upon it, and by ‘widespread rejection’ we mean the failure to act upon it.”
Here, he approaches this tradition in three different ways:
Reinterpreting nawāfil to refer to some recommended prayers in which congregation is explicitly permitted (such as the prayer of rain and the ‘id prayers).
The permissibility for women to lead each other in congregation in recommended prayers, but not for men.
The rejection of this report because it conflicts with stronger and more established evidence prohibiting congregation in recommended prayers.
The scholars known to adopt the second stance are very few in number, and it could be argued that both Ibn al-Junayd and al-Murtaḍā referred to “recommended prayers” as those mentioned the first point. However, later scholars like ʿAllāma al-Majlisī did agree with this ruling, but most- if not all- scholars today reject it and maintain that woman congregation in recommended prayers is impermissible.
Al-Shaykh Murtaḍā al-Ansari (RA) opined the following in Kitab al-Ṣalāt Vol. 2, pg. 553 - 555:
What appears to be implied from the term nāfila in the narration and the expressions of the congregation is that it is a voluntary prayer by type, so the prayer of an individual alone is sufficient.
Even if the nāfila were obligatory by a vow or something similar, congregational prayer would not be prescribed.
And if an obligatory prayer is repeated out of recommendation merely for precaution or other reasons, as in the case of repeating the eclipse prayer due to uncertainty, congregational prayer is recommended.
Here, Shaykh al-Ansari argues that the word nāfila in these narrations refers to obligatory prayers that are voluntary to pray. For example, missed prayers - though obligatory in nature- may be performed as a recommended precaution and are treated as voluntary in this context; yet congregation is permissible in them.
In contrast, if someone made a vow to pray 2 units of prayer- even though it is obligatory for them to pray- it is still not permissible to pray this in congregation.
Therefore, the simple distinction between “obligatory” and “voluntary” alone is not sufficient to determine what can be prayed in congregation and what cannot. Some voluntary prayers are still permitted to be performed in congregation, as mentioned above. However, the narrations consistently affirm that the general recommended prayers, especially those in Ramadān, are not to be prayed in congregation.
Ayatullah Sayyid ʿAbd al-Aʿlā Sabziwārī (RA) further offers an alternative interpretation in his Muhdhib al-Ahkam Vol. 7, pg. 387:
As for the authentic report of Hishām: regarding a woman leading other women in prayer, he said: “She may lead them in voluntary prayers, but not in the obligatory ones.”
It may be understood as referring to leadership for the purpose of teaching the prayer, not to the establishment of a formal congregational prayer, since congregational performance of voluntary prayers was not a customary practice among women in every era.
He opines that this report is about teaching the prayer as opposed to performing it, and he cites multiple authentic reports where the Imams (AS) prohibit congregation for recommended prayers to illustrate how this report cannot be an endorsement for this.
Thus, we suffice the discussion with any of the reinterpretations of the report, whether it refers to the specific recommended prayers or precautionary obligatory prayers or to teaching voluntary prayers.
Praying with family during Ramadan
The second report is the one transmitted by Shaykh al-Ṭūsī in Tahdhib al-Ahkam Vol. 3, pg. 77 - 78, Hadith # 227::
Narrated ‘Abd al-Raḥmān b. Abī ʿAbdillāh:
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: “Pray with your family in Ramadān, both the obligatory and the supererogatory prayers, for indeed I do so.”
In commentary of this report, al-Shaykh Murtaḍā al-Burūjirdī (RA) under the lessons of Sayyid al-Khūʾī (RA) says the following in Al-Mustanad Fi Sharh Urwatul Wuthqa Vol. 17, pg. 28 – 29:
Among them is the ṣaḥīḥah (authentic report) of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Abī ʿAbd Allāh from Imam al-Sadiq (AS), who said: “Pray with your family in Ramaḍān, the obligatory and the supererogatory, for indeed I do so.” [...]
The apparent meaning of the narration must certainly be set aside, because its subject concerns the supererogatory prayers of the month of Ramadān, and there is no doubt regarding the non-permissibility of congregation in them according to his (i.e. Sayyid al-Khūʾī) own admission, due to the previously mentioned texts and others that prohibit it.
Therefore, reinterpretation becomes necessary by understanding the preposition in his statement of “bi-ahlika” (with your family), to mean [physical] nearness, diverting it from its apparent meaning of “with” which implies congregation.
The intended meaning would then be: “Pray near your family and in your home, not in the mosque, since they are fasting in the month of Ramaḍān and awaiting the time of breaking the fast.” Thus it would be preferable to pray both the supererogatory and obligatory prayers in their presence, to relieve them from waiting and to avoid delay.
Thus, the report would imply physical nearness as opposed to congregational prayers as per the viewpoint of Sayyid al-Khūʾī (RA).
Ayatullah Sayyid ʿAbd al-Aʿlā Sabziwārī (RA) aided this interpretation in his Muhdhib al-Ahkam Vol. 7, pg. 387, where he says:
Likewise, the authentic report of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān: “Pray with your family in Ramadān, both the obligatory and the voluntary, for indeed I do so.”
It can be taken to mean simple gathering for prayer in the home, not the technical congregational form; otherwise, it would contradict what indicates that congregation in the voluntary prayers of Ramaḍān is an innovation. This is in addition to the presumption that the legal effects of congregation do not apply after a prohibition concerning it has been established.
Thus, this report cannot be used to establish the permissibility of congregation prayers during the Holy Month of Ramadān, since an alternative interpretation exists- one backed by mutawātir evidence for the impermissibility of congregational voluntary prayers, as well as and ijmāʿ (consensus) of the sect on this matter.