Salat al-Tarawih
The confirmed sunnah of Ramadan night prayer: its twenty rak'ahs, its timing, completing the Qur'an, and the rules of praying it in congregation.
Tarawih is the special night prayer of Ramadan. It is a confirmed sunnah for both men and women.
Tarawih is a confirmed sunnah (sunnah muakkadah) for both men and women.
What you should know about Tarawih
- It starts on the night Ramadan begins and ends when the Eid moon is seen.
- You should pray Tarawih even if you cannot fast for some reason: Tarawih does not depend on fasting.
- Its time is from Isha until Fajr. It is best to pray it before Witr, but you can pray it after Witr too.
- Tarawih has 20 rak'ahs: 10 pairs of 2 rak'ahs, each pair with its own salam, not 10 rak'ahs done as one long set.
- After every 4 rak'ahs, it is good to sit for a short rest, about as long as it takes to pray 4 rak'ahs, and use the time for dhikr, reading Qur'an, extra nafl, or just sitting quietly.
Tarawih behind a boy who has not reached puberty is not valid.
Salat al-Tarawih is a confirmed sunnah (sunnah muʾakkadah) for both men and women. It runs from the night the Ramadan moon is sighted until the night the Eid moon is sighted, and does not depend on fasting: even someone unable to fast for a valid reason should still pray it.
Its time is from Isha until Fajr. It is better to perform it before Witr, though it may be performed after Witr as well. It is preferable to delay it until a third or half of the night has passed; praying it after midnight is not disliked.
Congregational Tarawih is sunnah kifayah, a communal obligation that is satisfied if enough of the community establishes it.
The rak'ahs and how they are prayed
- Tarawih is 20 rak'ahs: 10 sets of 2 rak'ahs, each set with its own tasleem, not 10 sets of 2 rak'ahs joined under one long tasleem.
- After every 4 rak'ahs it is recommended to sit for a rest, roughly the time it takes to pray 4 rak'ahs, using it for tasbih, Qur'an recitation, nafl prayers, or silence.
- If the imam is not a hafiz, he may recite any surah; it is better to begin with al-Fatihah and a fresh surah each rak'ah through to the end of the Qur'an, repeating the same surahs after 10 rak'ahs.
Tarawih prayed behind a minor (a boy who has not reached puberty) is not valid.
| Situation | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Witr in Ramadan | Prayed in congregation; the imam recites all three rak'ahs aloud, followers stay silent, and both recite the Qunoot quietly after the takbir of the last rak'ah. |
| Leading Fard/Witr vs Tarawih | It is permissible for one person to lead the fard and Witr while another leads Tarawih. |
| Congregation did not pray Isha together | Then Tarawih should not be prayed in congregation; and Witr should not be prayed in congregation without Tarawih. |
| Arriving after Isha congregation | Pray Isha individually first, then join the Tarawih congregation. |
| Prayed Isha in congregation | Also pray Witr in congregation, even if Tarawih was prayed individually. |
| Did not pray Isha in congregation | Do not pray Witr in congregation, even if Tarawih was prayed with the group. |
Ṣalāt al-Tarāwīḥ is sunnah muʾakkadah for men and women alike. Its season runs from the night of the Ramaḍān sighting to the night of the ʿĪd sighting, and it is independent of fasting: one excused from fasting is not thereby excused from Tarāwīḥ.
Its time extends from ʿIshāʾ to Fajr. Precedence before Witr is preferred, though performance after Witr is valid. Delay until a third, or half, of the night has passed is preferred; performance after midnight carries no dislike.
The congregation for Tarāwīḥ is sunnah kifāyah.
The rak'ahs and their recitation
- Tarāwīḥ comprises 20 rakʿahs: 10 pairs, each pair closed with its own tasleem: the 10 pairs are not to be joined under 10 shared tasleems misapplied across a differently-counted structure, nor collapsed into fewer, longer units.
- A sitting-rest after every 4 rakʿahs, for roughly the duration of 4 rakʿahs, is recommended, filled with tasbīḥ, recitation, nafl, or silence, at the reciter's choice.
- An imam who is not a ḥāfiẓ may recite any surah; the preferred method opens with al-Fātiḥah and proceeds surah by surah to the end of the Qurʼān, the same surahs then repeating after the tenth rakʿah pair.
Completing the Qurʼān once during Tarāwīḥ is sunnah and is not to be abandoned for the congregation's laziness; a second completion is virtuous, a third more virtuous again. Where attendance or the congregation's continuity is at risk, recitation is scaled back to what the people can bear.
Tarāwīḥ led by a minor (a boy who has not reached bulūgh) is invalid.
| Case | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Witr in Ramaḍān | Prayed in congregation: the imam recites all three rakʿahs aloud, the followers remain silent, and both imam and followers recite the Qunūt quietly after the takbīr of the final rakʿah. |
| One imam for Fard/Witr, another for Tarāwīḥ | Permitted: the two roles need not be held by the same person. |
| Congregation did not pray ʿIshāʾ together | Tarāwīḥ should not then be prayed in congregation; and Witr should not be prayed in congregation without Tarāwīḥ preceding it. |
| Arrives after the ʿIshāʾ congregation | Prays ʿIshāʾ individually first, then joins the Tarāwīḥ congregation. |
| Prayed ʿIshāʾ in congregation | Also prays Witr in congregation, even if Tarāwīḥ itself was prayed individually. |
| Did not pray ʿIshāʾ in congregation | Does not pray Witr in congregation, even if Tarāwīḥ was prayed with the group. |
Terms on this page
Related
- Sunnah muakkadah and nafl prayers The twelve emphasized sunnahs of the day, the Friday and Ramadan additions, and the nafl prayers that carry no sin for leaving them.
- The Witr prayer Witr is wajib after Isha: three rak'ahs with an extra surah in each, and the Dua-e-Qunoot recited standing in the third.
- Joining a congregation that has already begun When to break off a prayer you started alone to join the jama'ah, when a sunnah must be finished first, and how catching the ruku' counts as catching the rak'ah.
- The obligatory acts of prayer (wajibat) The twelve wajib acts of prayer: Fatiha, the surah, order, tumaninah, the sittings, tashahhud, recitation volume, salam, qunoot and the Eid takbirs.