Ramadan Tips, Plans, & Challenge.

Day Twelve - Taraaweeh and its Issues {Q&A}

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More than one Imaam?

If there are two or more Imaams leading Taraaweeh in the masjid, then Taraaweeh prayer is the prayer of all the imaams.
So if you want to attain the reward of spending the whole night in prayer, then do not leave until all the imaams have completed his prayer.

What if I can't stay till the end?

Try and do your best to stay till the Imaam finishes so that you can get the reward of praying the whole night.

However, it happens that sometimes we just have to leave even if we so desperately want to stay till the end.
And this may be because of very valid reasons such as work, school, kids, health reasons, etc.

In this situation, stay as much as you can and pray whatever Allaah enables you to.

Allaah says:

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ

"Therefore fear Allah as much as you are able" (Surah at-Taghaabun)

Praying even two rakaat with the Imaam is much better than not praying at all.

And of course, Allaah is well aware of your situation and your niyyah.

So do your best and hope in the Mercy of Allaah.

Ibn al-Mubaarak said:

"Maybe a small action is made great by its intention, and maybe a great action is made small by its intention."

I want to finish with the Imaam but I want to delay my Witr

There are many well-known ahaadeeth which encourage us to DELAY our Witr, and to make it the LAST prayer of the night.

That is indeed a preferred thing to do.

The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:

"Make the last of your prayer at night Witr." (Bukhaari, Muslim)

And he (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:

"Night prayers are two by two, and when you feel that dawn is approaching, pray one rak'ah." (Bukhaari, Muslim)

So you want to follow the hadeeth and make Witr your last prayer of the night but you also want to get the reward of praying the whole night when you finish with the Imaam.

How does one do that?

When the Imaam stands up for Witr, you stand up with him and join him in the prayer. However, you make your intention to pray more rakaat for taraaweeh, although the Imaam will have the intention of praying witr. Then when the Imaam says salaam, you dont say salaam; rather you stand up and add a rakah to the Witr and make it an even number. This way you finish with the Imaam and you can then go home and pray as much Tahajjud as you want before Suhoor and then pray your witr so as to make it your last prayer of the night.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked:

"When some people pray Witr with the imam and the Imaam says the salaam, they stand up and do another rak'ah so that their Witr will be at the end of the night.
What is the ruling on doing this?
Is it regarded as finishing the prayer with the Imaam?"

He replied:

"We do not know of there being anything wrong with this.
The scholars stated that there is nothing wrong with doing that so that one will pray Witr at the end of the night. It is still true that he has stood with the imam until he finishes, because he stayed with him until the imam finished, then he prayed an extra rak'ah for a legitimate shar'i purpose, so that his Witr will be at the end of the night.

There is nothing wrong with that, and that does not mean that he did not stay with the imam, rather he stayed with the imam until he finished, but then he did not finish with him, rather he delayed a little."
(Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn Baaz)

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~maryambintisa