| Answer: ANSWER: To the less-informed Muslims, Taraaveehs are
additional, almost obligatory prayers prescribed specially for the holy month of
Ramadhaan. Anybody who does not say them in congregation, it is generally
believed, loses a good share of the Ramadhaan's blessings. As a result, Muslims
throng the mosques for the Ishaa prayers and make sure that they manage to
endure twenty additional rak'ats every night. The Huffaaz, however, gifted with
the extraordinary ability of briskly uttering the Message of God in the most
incomprehensible manner, squeeze long passages into as short duration as
possible. Completing the recitation of the Holy Book at least once during these
prayers is also considered an important part of this formality, making the
Huffaaz a highly sought-after group as the Ramadhaan approaches near.
The reality, however, is that the Taraaveeh prayer is
neither obligatory nor is it supposed to be said by all means after Ishaa in
congregation. It is, as is evident from the Sunnah of the Prophet, nothing but
Tahajjud, the late-night prayer, allowed for the common Muslims to be said in
the early part of the night during the Ramadhaan. The Prophet, may Allah be
pleased with him, it appears, never said this prayer in the earlier part of the
night. In one of the Ramadhaan night's, however, he came out into the mosque to
say his Tahajjud prayers and did so thrice in successive nights. He was joined
in by his Companions who grew in number each successive time. On the fourth
night, an even larger number of Companions waited vainly---only to see him at
the Fajr prayers. He informed his Companions that he had deliberately kept
himself from saying prayers in the mosque, lest people should take it as binding
on them.
It appears that people who were not used to saying
Tahajjud regularly (as is evident from the Qur’ān that there was a group which
did not) and some others who perhaps found praying in the later part of the
night during the Ramadhaan impractical because of the time-involving task of
preparing Sehri, got permission from the Prophet (sws) to say it in the early
half. It seems, moreover, that people formed many small groups to say this
prayer in congregation. The practice continued till the caliphate of Umar, may
Allah be pleased with him, who found the plurality of congregational prayers led
by the loudly reciting Imaams, scattered in the confines of the mosque, much to
the dislike of his sensitive religious taste. He lost no time in asking the
people to pray behind one Imaam, Ubai Ibni Ka`ab. Later, one night, impressed on
witnessing the disciplined congregation behind a single Imaam, he remarked:
`What a fine innovation is this!' Of course, the statement was induced by the
fact that although the arrangement was apparently an innovation, it was,
nevertheless, in complete consonance with the Sunnah of the Prophet; his
practice which continued for three days running. Umar is also reported to have
remarked on that occassion thus: `That (the prayer which is said alone in the
later part of the night) is indeed superior to the one they are saying instead.'
We may conclude from the above that the Taraaveeh prayer
has no distinct status---it is only the Tahajjud prayer allowed to be said
earlier during the Ramadhaan. As such, it is clearly not binding on the Muslims,
although the blessings of the Ramadhaan clearly add to its significance.
Tahajjud, the night prayer, however, is far more preferable, whether in
Ramadhaan or otherwise. A Muslim should, therefore, try to say these night
prayers regularly at least in the Ramadhaan and recite the Qur’ān slowly and
clearly to facilitate maximum understanding while praying. If, owing to some
difficulty which may include the fact that very little of the Qur’ān is
committed to memory, Tahajjud is not possible, then he should seek to find a
mosque to say his Taraaveeh prayers after Ishaa where the Imaam is doing justice
with the Book of Allah with proper recitation.
Completing the recitation of the Qur’ān at least once in
these night prayers is, of course, no religious obligation. The Qur’ān can be
completed many times by reciting it on occassions other than prayers. |