Umar ordered people to pray twenty Rakah in Tarawih

There is a big dispute over the Rakahs of Tarawih:

• Adherent of the four Sunni Imams insist that Tarawih comprises of twenty Rakahs,
• Salafis claim that it is eight Rakahs

This is a very interesting dispute and this confusion is borne out of the false assumption that “Tahajjud” and “Tarwih” are one and the same.
The reality behind this dispute is:

• According to Sunni Sources, Rasool (saw) offered eight Rakah Salat during Tahajjud (including 3 Witr)
• But when Umar Ibn Khattab initiated Tarawih, he ordered people to pray twenty Rakah Salat.

This further proves that when Umar initiated Tarawif after Isha prayers he was not intending to reintroduce the three nights of Tajajjud prayers that had been offered by the Prophet (s) in the past.

The Sahaba that followed Umar prayed twenty Rakah after Isha, as did the four madhab Imams that followed them.

The landscape changed with the rise of the Salafis and their insistence that Umar was merely reintroducing the defunct Sunnah of the Prophet (s), namely the three night congregational Tahajjud prayers, under the guise of Tarawih.

As Sunni sources suggested that the Prophet (s) only offered eight Rakah Salat in Tajajjud and not twenty, the dispute rose as to whether or not Tarawih and Tahajjud were one and the same. Salafis insisted that Tarawih was eight Rakah, hereon in began the divergence of views.

The Sunnah of our Rasool (saw) was to offer eight Rakah during Tahajjud

There are many Ahadith [in Sunni Sources] that our Rasool (saw) offered only 8 Rakah during Tahajjud (with an additional 3 Rakahs of Witr, thus making a total of 11 Rakahs).

Narrated Abu Salma bin ‘Abdur Rahman:
I asked ‘Aisha, “How is the prayer of Allah’s Apostle during the month of Ramadan.” She said, “Allah’s Apostle never exceeded eleven Rakat in Ramadan or in other months; [i.e. throughout whole year] he used to offer four Rakat– do not ask me about their beauty and length, then four Rakat, do not ask me about their beauty and length, and then three Rakat.” Aisha further said, “I said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! Do you sleep before offering the Witr prayer?’ He replied, ‘O ‘Aisha! My eyes sleep but my heart remains awake’!”
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 21, Number 248

Similar traditions can be located in the above chapter of Sahih Bukhari.

Umar Ibn Khattab ordered people to pray twenty Rakah in Tarawih

We shall now submit evidence that Umar allowed people to pray twenty Rakah during Tarawih, thus proving that he had no interest with re-introducing the Tahajjud Sunnah of the Prophet (s).

1. In Muwatta Imam Malik, from Yazid bin Rooman:“People used to offer twenty three Rakah Salat during the time of Umar Ibn Khattab”.
2. Bayhaqi from Sa’ib bin Yazid:“Twenty Rakah Salat in Ramadhan was offered during the times of Umar Ibn Khattab”.
3. Mussanif Ibn Abi Shayba from Yahya bin Saeed:“Umar ordered a person to offer twenty Rakah Salat”.
4. Musnaf Ibn Abi Shayba from Abdul Aziz bin Rafi’i:“Abi Ibn Ka’ab used to lead people in Jamah for twenty Rakah Tarawih and three Rakah Witr”.
5. Musnaf Ibn Abi Shayba from Ata’a:“Ata’a said he found people offering twenty three Rakah Salat including Witr”.
6. Bayhaqi narrated from Abu al-Khaseeb:“Sowaid bin Ghafla (a Sahabi) used to do abulution in Ramadhan and offer five resting periods and twent Rakah.”
7. Mussanif Ibn Abi Shayba from Sa’eed bin Abaid:“Ali bin Rabia used to lead us in give “Tarweehas” and three Witr during Ramadhan”.
8. Bayhaqi from Abz Al-Hasna’a:“Ali ordered one among them to lead five Tarweehas of Tarawih”.
9. Bayhaqi from Abu Abdul Rehman Salama, and he from Ali:“Ali ordered one among them to lead twenty Rakah Tarawih prayer”.

The Ahle Sunnah also accepts that our Rasool (saw) offered 8 Rakahs during Tahajjud, but they openly claim to follow the 20 Rakah Tarawih prayers of Umar Ibn Khattab and other Sahabas.

It is ironic that the same Ahle Sunnah criticize Salafies/Wahabies when it comes to extending Tarawihs to 30 nights, and praying it after Isha prayer, and completing whole Quran during it adhere to Umar Ibn Khattab, but when it comes to the numbers of Rakah in Tarawih, then deem 20 Rakah to be Biddah and 8 Rakahs to be the correct Sunnah of Rasool (saw). Ultimately this means that it is not the Ahle Sunnah that are innovating rather the Sahaba are by going against the established Sunnah of our Rasool (saw).

We do not need to comment any further on this controversy as the parties to the dispute have made their particulars of claim, clear for all to see.

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