Tarawih

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This is a sub-article of Sunnah salat and Ramadan.

Tarawih (تراويح) is an Arabic phrase referring to extra prayers given by Sunnis at night in the Islamic month of Ramadan.

1 Overview
- 1.1 Sunni view
- 1.2 Shi'a view
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Overview

Tarawih prayers are prayed in pairs of two and can be prayed in any even amount of rakahs, although 8 & 20 raka'ahs is what Muslims usually pray. This prayer is performed after salah of Isha'a. Sunnis believe it is customary to attempt a khatm (complete recitation) of the Qur'an in Ramadan by reciting at least one juz per night in Tarawih. If someone does not know how to read Qur'an or cannot read it very well, he/she may recite Surahs that he/she knows.

Tarawih prayers are offered in Sunni Muslim communities worldwide, and in the diaspora (North America, Britain, etc.) they are important congregational events for both men and women. In Sunni Muslim countries where women do not attend mosques regularly, they tend to pray tarawih at home^{[citation needed]}, while in the diaspora it is common for women to attend tarawih prayers at mosques. (Note: women do NOT uniformly refrain from attending mosques all over the Muslim world).

[edit] Sunni view

Sunnis believe Tarawih is a Sunnah Salah and may be performed at home if one is unable to attend a mosque. Sunni present hadith where Muhammad is reported to have been the first to pray in congregation on Ramadan, but that he discontinued the practice and that it was reinstituted by Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Sunni Caliph.

Sunni view that Muhammad discontinued the practice because he did not want to create a burden too large for some people to carry out, but that Umar reinstituted it when there was no longer any fear of it being made mandatory on the Muslims.

[edit] Shi'a view

Shi'a Muslims do not perform Tarawih, and in fact offer a detailed refutation of the Sunni practice, deeming it a Bid'ah instituted by Umar. Further, Shia claim Muhammad never prayed any 8 to 20 raka'ah ^[1].