Dr. Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Qadri
Shaykh Ul Fiqh, Jamia Nizamia; Founder - Director
Abul Hasanaat Islamic Research Center
Abul Hasanaat Islamic Research Center
<p class="content">Imam Zaila'i Hanafi (May Allah shower His Mercy on Him) writes:<br /> </p> <p dir="rtl" class="style2"><strong>غَايَةٌ ما قِيلَ الْحِكْمَةُ فِي التَّقْدِيرِ بِعِشْرِينَ وَاَللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ لِيُوَافِقَ الْفَرَائِضَ الِاعْتِقَادِيَّةَ وَالْعَمَلِيَّةَ كَالْوِتْرِ فَإِنَّهَا عِشْرُونَ .</strong><br /> <span class="content"><br /> Translation: Only Allah knows the wisdom as to why 20 raka’at have been ordered for Taraweeh<br /> <br /> </span><span class="content">It might be that the raka’at should equal the number of Fardh Salaat, as all the Fardh Salaat including Witr add up to 20. (Tabyeen Ul Haqaia, Kitab Us Salaat) </span></p> <p class="content">It is also given in Bahr Ur Raiq that the wisdom behind deciding the number of raka’at in Taraweeh as 20 is that the Sunnah complete the Fardh (Obligatory). That is why the number of raka’at in Taraweeh has been decided as 20 keeping in mind that the number of raka’at in the Fardh Salaat, as Allama Ibn e Nujaim Misri (May Allah shower His Mercy upon him) writes on the authority of Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti:</p> <p dir="rtl" class="style2"><strong>وَذَكَرَ الْعَلَّامَةُ الْحَلَبِيُّ أَنَّ الْحِكْمَةَ فِي كَوْنِهَا عِشْرِينَ أَنَّ السُّنَنَ شُرِعَتْ مُكَمِّلَاتٍ لِلْوَاجِبَاتِ وَهِيَ عِشْرُونَ بِالْوِتْرِ فَكَانَتْ التَّرَاوِيحُ كَذَلِكَ لِتَقَعَ الْمُسَاوَاةُ بَيْنَ الْمُكَمِّلِ وَالْمُكَمِّلِ انْتَهَى-</strong></p> <p class="content">Translation: The wisdom behind ordaining the number of Taraweeh raka’at as 20 that the Sunnah complete the Fardh. All the Fardh Salaat including Witr add up to 20. For this reason, Taraweeh is also of the same number, so that the Salaat which are to be completed and the Salaat which complete become equal.</p>