Is Taraweeh 8 Raka'at?

Meaning and purport of Hadith of 8 Raka’at

 

There is a narration from Hadhrat Aisha Siddiqua (May Allah be well pleased with her) which mentions 8 Raka’at.

 

Translation:  It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abu Salma bin Abdur Rahman (May Allah be well pleased with him), he says that he asked Hadhrat Aisha Siddiqua (May Allah be well pleased with her) how was the Salaat of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in Ramadhan?  Ummul Momineen Hadhrat Aisha (May Allah be well pleased with her) said:  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would not offer more than 11 Raka’at in Ramadhan and out of it.  He would 4 Raka’at with such fervor that you should not even talk about it.  Then He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would 3 Raka’at.  I (i.e. Hadhrat Aisha) asked Him: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  Do You rest before offering Witr?  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: O Aisha (May Allah be well pleased with her)! Verily my eyes sleep, my heart does not.

 

(Sahih Bukhari, Kitabul Tahajjud, Pg No: 154, Hadith No: 1147; Bab Fadhl min qiyami Ramadhan, Pg No: 269, Hadith No: 2013; Pg No: 504, Hadith No: 3569; Sahih Muslim Kitab Us Salaatil Musafireen, Hadith No: 738)

 

8 Raka’at is Taraweeh – An impossible deduction

 

From this Hadith, an important deduction like 8 Raka’at Taraweeh cannot be performed.  Imam Ibn Hajr ‘Asqalani (May Allah shower His mercy on him) has written in Fath Ul Bari:

 

Translation: Where the Hadith of 11 Raka’at is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Aisha Siddiqui (May Allah be well pleased with her), Hadith of 7 Raka’at, 9 Raka’at, and 13 Raka’at are also narrated on her authority.  If 3 Raka’at of Witr are subtracted from this number, then they become 4 Raka’at, 6 Raka’at or 10 Raka’at.  Because there are conflicting reports about the same Salaat, some Muhadditheen have ruled this Hadith to be Mudhtarib (Discordant Hadith) and because of this discordance, no deduction can be made from this Hadith.  It is given in Fath Ul Bari:

 

Translation: ‘Allama Qurtubi (May Allah shower His mercy on him) has said:  These Hadith narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Aisha (May Allah be well pleased with her) have put many scholars in confusion, so much so that some scholars have ruled them as Mudhtarib.

 

The Hadith of 8 Raka’at is about Tahajjud

 

Saying on the basis of this Hadith that Taraweeh is only of 8 Raka’at is a grave mistake, which is very much against the science of Hadith, the narration of Hadith and the understanding of Hadith.

 

When looked closely, it becomes obvious that this Hadith is not at all about Taraweeh, but about Tahajjud as Hadhrat Aisha (May Allah be well pleased with her) is talking about 8 Raka’at in Ramadhan and out of it.  Every sane person realizes that Taraweeh is offered only in Ramadhan and not out of it; otherwise, we should also say that Taraweeh is offered for the whole year.  Even those who insist that Taraweeh do not offer it throughout the year!  We can act upon this Hadith only when the 8 Raka’at mentioned here are accepted in Tahajjud.  That these 8 Raka’at mean Tahajjud is also supported by this Hadith of Hadhrat Aisha (May Allah be well pleased with her), which comes in Sahih Bukhari:

 

Translation: It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Aisha (May Allah be well pleased with her) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would offer 11 Raka’at, then when the day dawned, He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would offer 2 light Raka’at.  Then, He would rest on His right side to the point that the Muezzin would come and request Him.  (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2, Kitab Ud Da’awat, Hadith No: 6310)

 

8 Raka’at means Tahajjud only

 

Also, the (coming) Hadith of Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them) clearly shows that the Hadith of 8 Raka’at is about Tahajjud.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would rest and offer 11 Raka’at, then Hadhrat Bilal (May Allah be well pleased with him) would come and call out the Adhaan, as given in Sahih Bukhari:

 

Translation: It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them), he says that I stayed at the house of my aunt Ummul Momineen Hadhrat Maimoona (May Allah be well pleased with her).  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) talked to His wife for some time, then rested and when the last third part of the night came, He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) sat up and looked towards the sky and recited this verse of the Holy Quran:

 

Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are Signs (of Allah’s Absolute Authority) for those who possess constructive wisdom.  Surah Al Imran (3:190)

 

Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) awoke, would perform Wuzu and use Miswak and offered 11 Raka’at.  Then when Hadhrat Bilal (May Allah be well pleased with him) called out the Adhaan, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) offered 2 Raka’at and came out and offered the Salaat of Fajr.  (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2, Kitab Ut Tafseer, Pg No: 657, Hadith No: 4569)

 

In the Hadith from Sahih Bukhari narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Aisha Siddiqua (May Allah be well pleased with her), it is clearly mentioned that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) never missed Tahajjud in Ramadhan nor out of it.  As per the words of Allah Ta'ala, “And in some part of the night (as well, waking from sleep,) offer Tahajjud Salaat,” the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would compulsorily offer Tahajjud.  If 8 Raka’at is taken as Taraweeh, then it will lead to the conclusion that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) didn’t offer Tahajjud that night.

 

Deriving such a meaning from a Hadith that is not reconcilable with other customs and practices of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is not at all correct.  A meaning which leads to a definite collapse of the Holy Prophet’s (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) usual customs and practices is not at all acceptable.

 

If Taraweeh is taken as 8 Raka’at, then it should also be accepted that Taraweeh should be offered after getting up from sleep and in the last part of the night.  Nobody offers Taraweeh after getting up from sleep.

 

If Hadhrat Aisha (May Allah be well pleased with her) was saying about 8 Raka’at of Taraweeh, then she herself would be offering the same 8 Raka’at.  She would not have kept quiet on seeing something against the Sunnah.  There is no narration from Hadhrat Aisha Siddiqua (May Allah be well pleased with her) that she offered 8 Raka’at Taraweeh.  She was present in the times of the Four Caliphs.  The Companions would all offer 20 Raka’at.  If this were against the Sunnah, she would have objected to it.  That Hadhrat Aisha Siddiqua (May Allah be well pleased with her) held her peace and did not object to this shows that this Hadith is not about Taraweeh.

 

By holding her peace, she contributed to the consensus of the Companions as has been previously mentioned that in the era of the First 4 Caliphs, a consensus has been achieved on 20 Raka’at Taraweeh.  Saying that Taraweeh is of 8 Raka’at is to insinuate that a consensus has not been achieved.  Although the scholars who describe the consensus of Companions include stalwarts like Imam Ibn Abdul Barr, Imam Sarkhisi, Imam Kasani, ‘Allama Ibn Qudama Maqdisi Hambali, Shaykh Ibn Taimiya, ‘Allama Zail‘ai, ‘Allama Badruddin ‘Aini and Mulla ‘Ali Qari.