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Tarawih: Imams must respect the Qur’ān when leading the Tarāwīḥ Prayer

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Zainab_M
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« on: August 05, 2011, 04:12:26 am »





By: Shaikh (Dr) Haitham Al-Haddad

The greatest favour bestowed upon humanity is the revelation of the Qur’ān as it is the only way human beings can be in continuous touch with their Creator. People can easily measure their level of attachment to their Lord by measuring their level of attachment to the Qur’ān - recitation, study and contemplation of it. This divine writ was not revealed to be a book of hymns for aural enjoyment, but instead as a book of guidance, for Allāh says in the Qur’ān, “(This is) a Book (the Qur’ān) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its verses, and that men of understanding may remember.” As the Qur’ān is the unique and inimitable speech of Allāh, reciting it is a tremendous act of worship. However, its reward and comprehensive benefit can only be achieved once we put into practice what we understand. In fact, not putting enough attention to understanding the Qur’ān is condemned as Allāh the Most High says, “Do they not then think deeply about the Qur’ān, or are there locks upon their hearts (from understanding it?)” Many early scholars also condemned those who read the Qur’ān without putting enough effort into understanding it.

The way many Imāms recite during the Tarāwīḥ prayer is inexcusable and should be condemned in the strongest of ways by the people of knowledge and all individuals who respect the words of God. These Imāms recite the Qur’ān as if they are competing with the allocated time in order to finish the set amount and be rid of a heavy burden placed on their shoulders. In listening to some of them it is extremely difficult to make out what they are saying, whilst simultaneously, they make constant mistakes. There are reports of some mosques completing both twenty rak‘ah (units) of the Tarāwīḥ prayer and a whole juz’ of the Qur’ān in thirty minutes. This means that each rak‘ah takes ninety seconds in which one page of the Qur’ān is recited! What justification can such Imāms (and consequently the committees of such mosques) possibly give?

I would like to pose the following question to individuals who legitimize such conduct and deem it acceptable: Imagine that you are standing before God and that He is looking at you while you are praying, do you think Allāh is happy seeing and hearing His words read in this manner without giving them their due rights in terms of recitation and contemplation? Furthermore, I wonder if any of these Imāms or committee members are bold enough to allege that the Prophet would endorse this kind of prayer.


A famous 13th century scholar/scientist/chemist/astronomer, Ibn Qayyim gave an excellent summary of what a Muslim must do to remedy the hardness of the heart with the Qur'an.

QUOTE
There is nothing more beneficial for the heart than reading the Qur’ān with contemplation and reflection. The Qur’ān encompasses all levels of travelers, conditions of the workers, and stations of those possessing knowledge. It is the Qur’ān that generates love, desire, fear, hope, repentance, reliance, pleasure, entrustment, gratitude, patience and the rest of the different states that are life to the heart and perfection of it. Likewise, it repels all the rebuked characteristics and actions that cause corruption and ruin of the heart. If people were to possess a realization of what the recitation of the Qur’ān with contemplation contains, they would devote themselves to it at the expense of everything else. When the person reads it with reflection and he comes across an āyah (verse) that he is in need of for curing his heart, he repeats it, even if he does so a hundred times or the whole night. Hence, to recite a single āyah of the Qur’ān with contemplation and reflection is better than reciting the Qur’ān to completion without any contemplation. It is also more beneficial for the heart and more conducive to attaining īmān (faith) and tasting the sweetness of the Qur’ān.
UNQUOTE

Many of our acts of worship (ʽibādāt) have lost their spirit and have been transformed into meaningless ritual images where the focus is on completing them irrespective of whether they leave an impact on our souls or not and if they were perfected or at least performed in a truly satisfactory manner. That is why our worship does not change us for the better; our commitment to the dīn (religion/way of life) of Allāh is very weak and our willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Allāh is even more so - our morals and manners are not improving. Many of us want to be rid of the Tarāwīḥ prayer, no matter how it is offered. This is the opposite of what Allāh wants from us.  Humility, tranquility and reflection are insignificant elements for such Muslims.  We have removed the very elements from our acts of worship that have been purposely placed there to better us and focus instead on quantity rather quality - for those of us who have any focus at all.

I call upon committee members and Imāms to seek the pleasure of Allah and not the pleasure of their congregation. I call upon Muslims to advice such Imāms and committee members who do not manifest enough respect to the Qur’ān.  We should also remember that completing twenty Rak’ah or even the whole Qur’an during Tarāwīḥ is not compulsory, yet listening to it attentively and reciting it with moderate speed is.  If the Tarāwīḥ prayer has to be completed in a specific time, then the amount set to be recited should be reduced so that a better quality of worship is achieved.

I believe it is time we should put a stop to this and mend our relationship with the Qur’ān as Allāh has commanded: “O mankind! There has come to you a good advice (i.e. the Qur’ān) from your Lord, and a healing for that (diseases of ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences, etc.) in your breasts, - a guidance and a mercy for   the believers.”

(Edited and abbreviated slightly))



Related post:
Procedure of Tarawi prayer, at home and in the Mosque


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Heba E. Husseyn
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« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2011, 02:17:13 am »


I'm really glad to learn that at least some mainstream Imams have noticed the blatant disrespect that's shown to the Quran during the Tarawih prayers.  My husband keeps complaining of the same.  We used to go to the masjid for Tarawih together.  But now we stopped since the last 3 or 4 years and instead read the Quran at home every night after Isha and Nafl salat al-Leyl.  We think that it surely feels nice to stand up for prayer and hear the recitations of the Great Quran in a congregation amongst our brothers & sisters.  But what's the use if the imam leading the Tarawih prayers recites the Quran at the speed of a super sonic aircraft?  Even those fluent in Arabic couldn't understand a word of what that imam would recite.  I also totally agree that it's not compulsory to finish the Quran during Ramadan.  I don't know from where Muslims derived that notion.  I'll do some research to find out if it crept from the Hadith.  What's compulsory in Ramadan is to devote more time to the Quran which doesn't refer to reading more pages but to understanding more of whatever we read, even if it's 2 pages a day.  And of course that can only be done by thinking and reflecting constantly over every ayah we read.

Thanks for this encouraging post, sister Zeynab.  I think those imams who think similarly as the author of this article should get together and address this issue so that those disrespectful imams reading at a break neck speed are stopped from such misdeeds.   

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« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2011, 03:31:27 am »



O yes ,, just about everyone I know who attend Tarawih complain of the imams bad manners during Quranic recitations .. like they're about to catch a train.  I don't go for Tarawih, instead I say my Nafl salat after Isha at home.  But my husband has been going since childhood.  There's a masjid close to our condo complex (5 minutes' walk) and my husband goes there for Tarawih with his father, brothers, cousins and a couple of uncles - they make a group of 10 or 12 of them.  But they are all quite disheartened with the way the imam handles it.  And there's no point going to another masjid.  They all follow the same style.  They go so fast that often the beautiful verses sound incomprehensible & distorted because of the stupid imam's hurried mis-pronunciations.   What's worst is that such a rude practice has become a tradition.  It's absolutely inexcusable!  People need to group up and raise their voices, telling the discourteous imams to stop insulting the Noble Quran this way. 

My husband, his family and extended family along with my family intend to start Tarawih sessions at home from next Ramandan in 2012, InshAllah.  By the Grace of Allah, our family and extended families make up several homes.  Through mutual consultations, one house can be picked for each year and everyone can gather there every evening after Isha instead of going to the masjid.  A one-hour session of Tarawih will consist of reading not more than 3 or 4 pages in Arabic in the traditional way as done in the masjids, and then followed up by translations with full tafsirs.  Sounds great to me and very different from the way it's conducted in our masjids.   We won't aim at necessarily finishing the Quran in 30 days.  But we'll surely, InshAllah, learn more and of course enjoy more.


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« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2011, 04:39:28 am »



We have been assembling at my eldest uncle's house for night prayrs every Ramadan since more than a decade now - first salat al-leyl and then reading the Quran.  And yeah, our aim is not to finish the Quran but to study carefully, however much we can finish in 30 days.  We usually finish 2 Surahs if they are long, otherwise 4 or 5 Surahs.  But whatever we read, it makes us feel we've accomplished much.

Good article.  But this sheikh is quite a Hadithist.  Hence it's a bit surprising how he wrote such a meaningful piece on the Quran.


  I also totally agree that it's not compulsory to finish the Quran during Ramadan.  I don't know from where Muslims derived that notion.  I'll do some research to find out if it crept from the Hadith.   



I'm also curious to know how this concept arose.  InshAllah will search and try to catch the culprit who propagated this unnecessary idea.
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« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2021, 11:55:59 am »



Origin of Tarawi

Tarawih (Arabic: تراويح‎) literally means "rest and relaxation" which traditionally  refers to additional nafl prayers performed at night after the Isha prayer during the holy month of Ramadan.  The goal is to finish the recitation of the entire Quran during the month of Ramadan by reciting at least one juz (part or section) per night during tarawih.  For the convenience of readers, the Noble Quran is divided into 30 parts.   This practice of reading of one juz per night is optional, not obligatory.   Ramadan being the month of the Noble Quran, any sincere Muslim would be drawn to reciting as much of the Quran as they can each day.  But the true objective needs to be that however much you read per day or per night - be it one page or one juz - make sure to focus on it and understand precisely what you are reading.  Ritualistic reading like a parrot is no good.  Unfortunately that's the scenario during customary tarawih gatherings.

Tarawih prayer is not mentioned in the Noble Quran.

Since it's not in the Quran, people often wonder about the origin of Tarawih prayers. 

The following is an interesting 16-minute talk by Brother Dr. Shabir Ally on this topic at Youtube channel "Let The Quran Speak."





Summary of this presentation

The last of the daily prayer is called Isha at night.  Following that there is a special prayer in Ramadan called Tarawih, a lengthy prayer with breaks (periods of rest) after every few cycles.  Altogether 20 rakats are prayed in Tarawih.   Sometimes there is also a short lecture during one of the breaks.   Tarawih, as performed, is not instructed in the Quran.  However, night prayers (salat al-Leil) and Tahajjud are advised at all times of the year, whenever possible.

The prescribed night prayer is Isha.

Some jurists are of the opinion that since Tarawih is not in the Quran, we should view it more logically.   In peak summer months when nights start late and are very short, by the time Tarawih prayer ends it is often past midnight.   It gets too hectic considering that persons attending Tarawih prayer have to awaken early in the morning to start their fast of the following day, often making it difficult to sleep more than 3 or 4 hours before waking up for Sahoor.   Particularly on weekdays it can be very exhausting.

Did the Prophet (pbuh) really pray Tarawih prayer?  Let us not forget that "traditions" began popping much after the passing of the beloved Prophet (pbuh).  First of "traditions" came as word-of-mouth with immense scope for errors.   Several years later, perhaps a century later, they were put into writing, widening the scope for errors.  Also there are many inventions in what people called the 'Sunnah' that was never ever practiced by our Prophet (pbuh).  Also often people mis-remembered, passing incorrect information.   With the passage of time "Sunnah" became a matter of sentiment rather than people genuinely believing that they were following authentic practices of the Prophet (pbuh), and then came the wedge between the "Sunnah" and bid'ah with emphasis of doing the former and avoiding the latter whereas in reality "Sunnah" is likely to be just as inaccurate considering the huge margin of error.

In fact there is a hadith which goes against the practice of Tarawih.  It says that one night (apparently after Isha) in Ramadan when the Prophet (pbuh) stepped out of his house and into the mosque (Masjid Nabawi in Medinah), few Muslims were there too and the Prophet (pbuh) prayed with them (which later developed into Tarawih apparently).  The next night, more people came and the Prophet (pbuh) prayed with them again.  During the third or fourth night, quite a lot of people assembled, but the Prophet (pbuh) didn't come out of his house until Fajr when he told the people that he didn't pray with them the previous night because it could lead to the voluntary prayers becoming obligatory.  The hadith also states that the Prophet (pbuh) precisely told the people to pray in their homes.   One may presume that the Prophet (pbuh) prayed nafl prayers at night in his home, but we don't know how many rakahs or how lengthy the night prayers offered by the Prophet (pbuh) might have been.   Since it isn't obligatory, it could have been of varying lengths each night.  Therefore it's possible that the Prophet (pbuh) offered varying number of rakahs on different nights as there are no fixed rakahs for offering nafl.   According to Aisha the Prophet (pbuh) offered eight rakahs of night prayers and then three rakahs of wither.   That too comes from some hadith and none of these narrations can be taken as factual history. 

However, Br. Shabir Ally says that the Prophet (pbuh) didn't come out of his house because he (pbuh) thought that Allah Almighty would make the prayer obligatory.  I don't know from where he got that.   In such a situation, the Prophet's (pbuh) would fear that the people would view the practice as Prophetic tradition and make it obligatory.   Allah Almighty does not deem any practice obligatory based on the actions of the people.  Allah asserts a prayer or practice as obligatory only if He perceives it as necessary or beneficial.

Considering the very debatable tradition of Tarawih, it's fairly doubtful that  the Prophet (pbuh) practiced it, and certainly not the way it is practiced today.   

Brother Shabir is also convinced that the Divine Order of offering five daily prayers came to the Prophet (pbuh) during the journey of Meraj.  Actually no;  five prayers are clearly in the Quran.    Allah mentions very briefly about Meraj in the Quran.  The long stories of Meraj are again hadith fabrications.

Particularly during a period when a deadly pandemic is raging, having Tarawih prayers (which is not obligatory) at the Mosque in a large gathering (which cannot be avoided either), greatly increases the risk of outbreaks.   Therefore. at least for the sake of following the pandemic rules, people can offer the obligatory rakahs of Isha in the Mosque, and then go home to offer sunnah rakahs and the Tarawih. 


Related posts:

-  Salaat to be offered 5 times daily, contained in the Noble Quran
-  No hardship in Religion - Description of Mairaj
-  Night of Isra and Meraj


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« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2021, 06:58:11 am »



Milligazette writes:  "The Holy Prophet (PBUH) used to encourage Taraaweeh prayers but did not order it to be obligatory. He used to say that a person who prays (Taraweeh) during the nights of Ramadan and fulfills other requirements of faith, and if he does so with the intention of reward, Allah will forgive his past sins."   

That last bit is from some hadith and we know the Prophet (pbuh) never confirmed or asserted about forgiving anyone's past sins.  No one has the authority to forgive or reward except Allah The Almighty.  


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« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2021, 07:01:41 am »




 
That last bit is from some hadith and we know the Prophet (pbuh) never confirmed or asserted about forgiving anyone's past sins.  No one has the authority to forgive or reward except Allah The Almighty.  






Agree 200%

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« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2021, 07:07:01 am »



And here is something interesting which  from that link Sister Ruhi provided.

"Until the death of the Prophet (PBUH), the Taraweeh prayer was offered individually. During the caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) also, the Taraweeh prayer was not performed in congregation. During the caliphate of Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA), when he noticed that the Companions were praying Taraweeh individually, he gathered them under the leadership of Hazrat Ubayy ibn Ka'b (RA), and after the obligatory prayer of 'Isha', began the formal process of completing the Qur'an in prayer in 20 rakahs of Taraweeh."


So according to Milligazette, Umar bin Khatab started the practice of Tarawih.  While I agree that during times of the Prophet (pbuh) and his closest friend, Abu Bakr, Tarawih was not offered in large congregations (as now), I doubt if Umar bin Khatab would change that.  While the Prophet (pbuh) and Abu Bakr avoided the practice of congregations for Tarawih, Umar didn't.  I absolutely don't think Umar would have made such a decision.  I think traditionalists are using the name of the 2nd righteous Caliph to give credence to congregational tarawih because they cannot forge the name of the Prophet (pbuh) here as some ahadith itself have said the Prophet (pbuh) did not want tarawih to be viewed as obligatory. 

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« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2021, 07:10:10 am »



But they too agree that especially during the pandemic, tarawih should be offered at home by the majority, just a few can pray in the masjid to prevent it from getting deserted altogether.   However, people should not worry about masjids getting "deserted" because of pandemic lockdowns.  Devotion comes from the heart.  All of us performing our worships at home have the same spirit embedded within us.  As far as sincere believers are concerned, even if lockdowns continue indefinitely will have NO impact on that spirit of deep devotion to The Greatest.  Alhumdulilah.  

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« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2021, 07:11:11 am »



Absolutely ..
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« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2021, 07:14:41 am »



To conclude .. the Code of the Islamic Constitution is the Book of Allah (the Noble Quran). 
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« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2021, 07:16:25 am »



👍👍👍👍
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« Reply #12 on: April 14, 2021, 07:18:37 am »



To conclude .. the Code of the Islamic Constitution is the Book of Allah (the Noble Quran). 


👍👍👍


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