WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT RAMADAN (EPISODE 4)


By Yusuff Ademola Adesina

EPISODE 4: Matters Related to Taraweeh and Reflection upon the Qur’an


All praise be to Allaah, may His peace and blessing be upon the noble soul of Muhammad ibn Abdullah, the last prophet and messenger, may the peace and blessing of Allaah be upon the households of Muhammad, his companions and those upon the path of righteousness until the Day of Recompense.



In the last episode (link) of this series, I completed the discussion on the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) related to sahur and iftar, and I believe every one of us has started reviving the sunnah by practice. May Allah bless you. In this episode, I aim to discuss the matters related to Taraweeh (such as the time of its observation and the number of units) and reflecting upon the Qur’an.  

Matters Related to Taraweeh 


1.         Taraweeh is the night prayer observed during the nights of Ramadan. It is as well the same as Tahajjud or Qiyaam Layl.



2.         Taraweeh is a voluntary act of worship. The evidence for this is the hadith narrated by ‘Urwa who said that:

“I was informed by ‘Aisha, "Allah's Messenger (pbuh) 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 (pbuh) 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 (pbuh) came out (only) for the Morning Prayer. When the Morning Prayer was finished he recited Tashah-hud and (addressing the people) said, "Amma ba'du, your presence was not hidden from me but I was afraid lest the night prayer (Qiyam) 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)." (Sahih Bukhari, Vol.3, Bk 32, No.229)

This Hadith clearly confirms that Taraweeh is not obligatory, but however, whoever observes it out of sincere faith shall have his past sins forgiven.

3.         Reward: whoever observes it out of sincere faith shall have his past sins forgiven, for Abu Hurayrah narrated:

“I heard Allah's Apostle saying regarding Ramadan, "Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven." (Sahih Bukhari, Vol.3, Bk 32, No.229) 

4.         Time of observation: Based on the Ahadith reported by Imaam Bukhari in the Book of Taraweeh, it can be concluded that Taraweeh can be observed in the middle part of the night (as mentioned in the Hadith of Urwa quoted above [Sahih Bukhari, Vol.3, Bk 32, No.229]) or in the last part of night (as mentioned by Umar ibn Khattab during his caliphate).

Abdur Rahman bin Abdul Qari said, "I went out in the company of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab one night in Ramadan 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 Qari (Reciter) (i.e. let them pray in congregation!)'. So, he made up his mind to congregate them behind Ubai bin Ka'b. 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 Bid'a (i.e. innovation in religion) this is; but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at its time is better than the one they are offering.' He meant the prayer in the last part of the night. (In those days) people used to pray in the early part of the night." (Sahih Bukhari, Vol.3, Bk 32, No.227)

5.         Individually or in congregation? The narration quoted above confirms the permissibility of observing Taraweeh in congregation. However, it can also be observed individually by whoever wishes. Abu Huryrah narrated:

"Whoever prayed at night the whole month of Ramadan out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven" Ibn Shihab (a sub-narrator) said, "Allah's Messenger (pbuh) died and the people continued observing that (i.e. Nawafil offered individually, not in congregation), and it remained as it was during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and in the early days of 'Umar's Caliphate." (Sahih Bukhari, Vol.3, Bk 32, No.227)

6.           Number of units (Raka’aat) to observe.

Abu Salama bin Abdur Rahman narrated that he asked Aisha, "How was the prayer of Allah's Messenger (pbuh) in Ramadan?" She replied, "He did not pray more than eleven rak`at in Ramadan or in any other month. He used to pray four rak`at ---- let alone their beauty and length----and then he would pray four ----let alone their beauty and length ---- and then he would pray three rak`at (witr)." She added, "I asked, 'O Allah's Messenger (pbuh)! Do you sleep before praying the witr?' He replied, 'O `Aisha! My eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep." (Sahih Bukhari, Vol.3, Bk 32, No.230)

Reflecting upon the Quran


 Among the purpose of Ramadan is getting closer to the Qur’an –. the month is the month of Qur’an.

“The Month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion…” (Q2:185)


Getting closer to the Qur’an here does not refer to mere recitation or the number of complete Qur’an you could read in the month, but rather, referring to your understanding of its meaning. Therefore, strive during this Ramadan to learn and understand the meaning of the Quran as the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) did; they would not go past ten verses until they learned the knowledge and righteous deeds contained in them.

Allah says:  “Then do they do not reflect upon the Qur’an, or are there locks upon their hearts?” (Q47: 24)



Reflecting upon the Qur’an is one of the reasons behind its revelation, it is the way to comprehend its ruling and find out its objectives and meaning. Allah says:

“(This is) a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, Muhammad that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded” (Q38:29)

In conclusion, I hope you have benefitted from the compilation in this episode. I pray Allah accepts our dua. Looking forward to the next episode. Jazak Allah Khayr



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