إدريس عبدالله
_22 _June _2015هـ الموافق 22-06-2015م, 01:42 PM
ISSUE 2: Number of Rakats of Night the Prayer
It has been confirmed, after reading through the traditions of the prophet (PBUH), that he never added beyond eleven rakats in his night prayers whether in Ramadan or outside Ramadan.
Ibn Abdul Barr said: "Most of the narrations on his night prayers confirm that he never added beyond eleven rakats."
Imam Malik reported in his Mu'attah that Umar bin Al-Khattab ordered Ubay bin Ka'b and Tamim Ad-Dari to lead the people in Taraweeh prayers of eleven rakats."
The narration that the people observed twenty three rakats during the time of Umar, as narrated by Malik in broken chain of narrators, is not sound. It is reported by Dawud.
It has also been narrated that the same Umar (Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people to pray twenty one rakats behind Abay bin Ka'b and Tamim Ad-Dari. This is reported by Abdul Razzaq and it's not known.
In the scholarship of the science of hadith, the report of Imam Malik is put forth before that of Dawud, let alone when the reports are also stronger than Dawud's narration. The fact is that eleven rakats is the most appropriate in this issue based on verifications. However, the opinion holding on to twenty three rakats cannot be referred to as innovation or false because it is a matter of individual intellectual analogy that has been recorded in history.
ISSUE 3: The Manner of Observing Night Prayer
The opinion of Imam Malik, Shafi'i and Ahmed is that the night prayers are observed in pairs of two except the last rakat of witr. They then disagreed on whether it is compulsory to make tasleem at the end of each of the pair of two rakats or merely better. They based their opinion on the hadith that stated that a man asked the prophet (PBUH) about how to observe the night prayers and he replied him that "The night prayers are in pairs of two rakats until one become afraid that dawn might catch up with him, and then he should conclude with witr." They then later differed on whether tasleem was to be made after every of the pair of two rakats or not. Some said it was compulsory to make tasleem while others said it is not compulsory.
Thus, to the second opinion, one could only sit at the end of every pair of two rakats and may carry on and on without tasleem until the end of the tenth rakat. This view emanated from the hadith of Aishat where she said that "The prophet (PBUH) in his night prayers would observe four rakats, which you don’t have to ask about their length and niceness, and then another four and then he would conclude them with three rakats of witr."
In any case, both of the evidences stated in the above discussion are not explicit in whether tasleem must be made after the two rakats or the four rakats. That means it could be otherwise just as it could be that tasleem is said in both.
However, the opinion saying that tasleem should be made after every pair of two rakats may be weightier than the other because it is the more popular amongst them. But for one to claim that such tasleem is compulsory cannot be deduced from the stated hadith of evidence. What is known is that whenever there are possible or clear different approaches to a sunnah of the prophet (PBUH), it is always better to emulate him by observing different ones at some different occasions. This is best because situations also do differ from one to another, thus taking to the best befitting sunnah in all the situations.
Whether one is to make tashahhud after two rakats or after the fourth one is what I cannot tell for I have not come across a proof for such. Thus it is better left to the choice of the individual. If he likes, he makes tashahhud and tasleem after two rakats or he may wish to do that after four.
As for witr prayer, one can observe it as one rakat or three or seven or five or nine. This is because there are proofs to all of them as witr. When he decides to make his witr three or five or seven or nine, he does not have to make tashahhud except in the tail end and last sitting. Exchanging between these choices is the best in keeping to the teachings of the prophet (PBUH) in his witr prayer.
All that have been mentioned and discussed between night prayers and witr are all emphatic sunnah. This is the opinion of most of the known scholars including Malik, Shafi'i and Ahmad.
However, Abu Hanifah's opinion is that it is compulsory on everyone, while some scholars said it is compulsory on those who committed the Qur'an or parts of it to memory.
The most appropriate opinion here is that of the generality of the scholars that says it is not compulsory but emphatic sunnah on every Muslim.
This is because there are so many evidences saying the only five daily prayers are compulsory on the Islamic ummah. Amongst them are the hadith of Ibn As-Sunaihi as reported by Abu Dawud, that he said: Abu Muhammad claimed that witr is compulsory. Then Ubadah bin Samit said: Abu Muhammad lied. I bear witness that I heart the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying that: "Five prayers Allah has made compulsory upon us. Whoever perfects his ablution and prays them in their time, observing the ruku and khushu' perfectly has Allah making a vow to forgive him of his sins. And who doesn’t has no vow from Allah. If He wishes he forgives him and if He wishes He punishes him."
All the hadiths narrated on the compulsion of witr are not sound. They are all dented with one fault or the other in their authenticity.
Therefore, the opinion of the generality of scholars that witr is not compulsory outweighs the view that says it is compulsory. Even if we consider some of the proofs given for the compulsion of witr to be sound and authentic, such would be understood to be emphatic words and not compulsion per say.
It has been confirmed, after reading through the traditions of the prophet (PBUH), that he never added beyond eleven rakats in his night prayers whether in Ramadan or outside Ramadan.
Ibn Abdul Barr said: "Most of the narrations on his night prayers confirm that he never added beyond eleven rakats."
Imam Malik reported in his Mu'attah that Umar bin Al-Khattab ordered Ubay bin Ka'b and Tamim Ad-Dari to lead the people in Taraweeh prayers of eleven rakats."
The narration that the people observed twenty three rakats during the time of Umar, as narrated by Malik in broken chain of narrators, is not sound. It is reported by Dawud.
It has also been narrated that the same Umar (Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people to pray twenty one rakats behind Abay bin Ka'b and Tamim Ad-Dari. This is reported by Abdul Razzaq and it's not known.
In the scholarship of the science of hadith, the report of Imam Malik is put forth before that of Dawud, let alone when the reports are also stronger than Dawud's narration. The fact is that eleven rakats is the most appropriate in this issue based on verifications. However, the opinion holding on to twenty three rakats cannot be referred to as innovation or false because it is a matter of individual intellectual analogy that has been recorded in history.
ISSUE 3: The Manner of Observing Night Prayer
The opinion of Imam Malik, Shafi'i and Ahmed is that the night prayers are observed in pairs of two except the last rakat of witr. They then disagreed on whether it is compulsory to make tasleem at the end of each of the pair of two rakats or merely better. They based their opinion on the hadith that stated that a man asked the prophet (PBUH) about how to observe the night prayers and he replied him that "The night prayers are in pairs of two rakats until one become afraid that dawn might catch up with him, and then he should conclude with witr." They then later differed on whether tasleem was to be made after every of the pair of two rakats or not. Some said it was compulsory to make tasleem while others said it is not compulsory.
Thus, to the second opinion, one could only sit at the end of every pair of two rakats and may carry on and on without tasleem until the end of the tenth rakat. This view emanated from the hadith of Aishat where she said that "The prophet (PBUH) in his night prayers would observe four rakats, which you don’t have to ask about their length and niceness, and then another four and then he would conclude them with three rakats of witr."
In any case, both of the evidences stated in the above discussion are not explicit in whether tasleem must be made after the two rakats or the four rakats. That means it could be otherwise just as it could be that tasleem is said in both.
However, the opinion saying that tasleem should be made after every pair of two rakats may be weightier than the other because it is the more popular amongst them. But for one to claim that such tasleem is compulsory cannot be deduced from the stated hadith of evidence. What is known is that whenever there are possible or clear different approaches to a sunnah of the prophet (PBUH), it is always better to emulate him by observing different ones at some different occasions. This is best because situations also do differ from one to another, thus taking to the best befitting sunnah in all the situations.
Whether one is to make tashahhud after two rakats or after the fourth one is what I cannot tell for I have not come across a proof for such. Thus it is better left to the choice of the individual. If he likes, he makes tashahhud and tasleem after two rakats or he may wish to do that after four.
As for witr prayer, one can observe it as one rakat or three or seven or five or nine. This is because there are proofs to all of them as witr. When he decides to make his witr three or five or seven or nine, he does not have to make tashahhud except in the tail end and last sitting. Exchanging between these choices is the best in keeping to the teachings of the prophet (PBUH) in his witr prayer.
All that have been mentioned and discussed between night prayers and witr are all emphatic sunnah. This is the opinion of most of the known scholars including Malik, Shafi'i and Ahmad.
However, Abu Hanifah's opinion is that it is compulsory on everyone, while some scholars said it is compulsory on those who committed the Qur'an or parts of it to memory.
The most appropriate opinion here is that of the generality of the scholars that says it is not compulsory but emphatic sunnah on every Muslim.
This is because there are so many evidences saying the only five daily prayers are compulsory on the Islamic ummah. Amongst them are the hadith of Ibn As-Sunaihi as reported by Abu Dawud, that he said: Abu Muhammad claimed that witr is compulsory. Then Ubadah bin Samit said: Abu Muhammad lied. I bear witness that I heart the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying that: "Five prayers Allah has made compulsory upon us. Whoever perfects his ablution and prays them in their time, observing the ruku and khushu' perfectly has Allah making a vow to forgive him of his sins. And who doesn’t has no vow from Allah. If He wishes he forgives him and if He wishes He punishes him."
All the hadiths narrated on the compulsion of witr are not sound. They are all dented with one fault or the other in their authenticity.
Therefore, the opinion of the generality of scholars that witr is not compulsory outweighs the view that says it is compulsory. Even if we consider some of the proofs given for the compulsion of witr to be sound and authentic, such would be understood to be emphatic words and not compulsion per say.