Taraweh: 8 VS. 20 Rakats

[Abdul Hasib]

Okay, so when I go to the masjid, I go with my friend (he's littler than me and he's in Jamaica NY and memorized 13 Pharahs).

At the Masjid I go to, (It's a Bangali one) they do 20 Rakats. At the MAdrashah that my friend goes to, they do 8 Rakats and he said the Madrashah is Shafi (ours is Abu Haneefah).

Now I'd like to know (with evidence from Hadith and Quran), how many Rakats are we supposed to do?

The Muslims are divided by things whcih are Bidah or Haraam, like the Shias and Sufis (who are not part of Islam), and now ISlam is seperated by the 4 Imams.

C'mon everyone, I'm not saying to just forget the teachings of the Imams, but WE should follow the True Islam that our Nabi (SAW) tought us.

Like I tried to find out the correct way to do Salat; since I see Arabs doing Takbeers, Pakistani brothers crossing their arms together, and I see Bangali muslims putting one hand over the other.

now the best people to look at are the ones with the marks on their foreheads. The mark is dark so that anyone can be able to tell that they do their Salat correctly.

And whoever does their Salat correctly, they can NEVER! commit ONE SIN!

So look at the way the old men (they are the ones who usually have it) or any other man (with The Mark) does their Salat.

See if they do the extra Takbeers. Listen if they say Ameen. See if they cross their arms. See if they put one hand over the other.
SEE IF THEY EVEN HAVE A MARK AT ALL!

And so I've came to this answer (if I'm wrong may Allah guide me to the staright path.):

 

[samiha]

Not quite right...

C'mon everyone, I'm not saying to just forget the teachings of the Imams, but WE should follow the True Islam that our Nabi (SAW) tought us.

Assalamu alaykum lil bro,

I don't have much time with this so I'll try to hurry. I agree with you on this statement, and ALL muslims should attest to the truth that we should follow the Prophet Muhammad , however... i want to clarify that we can't put down the Imams as well, look into their amazing lives, there are many many lessons to learn... and they were great mujtahid...! Yet ultimately we should only do Taqleed of the Prophet Muhammad

Like I tried to find out the correct way to do Salat; since I see Arabs doing Takbeers, Pakistani brothers crossing their arms together, and I see Bangali muslims putting one hand over the other.

Hmm... maybe because it's Eid and I have to go finish my cake, I'll bring up this example:

You see the butcher baking a cake, then you go and see the candle maker baking a cake, then you see the carpenter baking the cake... AND YET if YOU want to bake a cake... would you go to any of these, or would you rather go to the baker to teach you how to bake a cake? Why? Because the baker knows how to do it best. IT's his job to make cakes and he can teach you the best way how to. Afterwards you can see if the butcher and carpenter and candlestick maker are doing it the same way.... BUT it's the baker who knows best.

So don't look at a certain group of people today... who are classed into different groups... RATHER look at what the Prophet Muhammad did, and then indentify yourself with those who do it the same way. Not neccessarily those with a spot on their foreheads or marks on their feet or anything silly which prevails in the minds of people sometimes.

now the best people to look at are the ones with the marks on their foreheads. The mark is dark so that anyone can be able to tell that they do their Salat correctly.

Not true... I have relatives with that mark. I just label it sensitive skin, because i know for a fact that i've seen mistakes. Marks are just marks... Harry Potter ain't invincible... and humans are falliable in every which way!

And whoever does their Salat correctly, they can NEVER! commit ONE SIN!

Yes they can. To do it correctly is one thing... to believe it in... to have khushoo' is quite another. AND besides, like i mentioned... only the Prophet Muhammad was free of sin, nobody else. Even the other Messengers of Allah made mistakes!

So look at the way the old men (they are the ones who usually have it) or any other man (with The Mark) does their Salat.

See if they do the extra Takbeers. Listen if they say Ameen. See if they cross their arms. See if they put one hand over the other.
SEE IF THEY EVEN HAVE A MARK AT ALL!

nahhh... i'd not say so. Masha'allah i love old people, just sometimes... they have things only HALF right due to ignorance. I had a grandmother who would pray and talk to us at the same time, look around etc... out of ignorance mind you!! but that's not correct... so we cannot say that.

Islam Q & A

"If a person does as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded, and he is prostrating on soil or a rough surface, then he may get a mark on his forehead. This may generate some pride in his heart, as mentioned in the question, but if a person’s heart is filled with sincere faith and he does what he does only for the purpose of seeking that which is with Allaah, then he will not care what people say about him. But if he deliberately tries to make a mark on his forehead that looks like the sign of sujood, then this is a kind of showing off and lying, so woe to him of the punishment of a painful Day!

With regard to the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“… You see them bowing and falling down prostrate (in prayer), seeking Bounty from Allaah and (His) Good Pleasure. The mark of them (i.e. of their Faith) is on their faces (foreheads) from the traces of prostration (during prayers)….” [al-Fath 48:29]

-- the correct meaning of the phrase “the mark of them is on their faces” is that this refers to the light of obedience and worship, and it does not necessarily mean that there is a physical mark on the skin in the place of prostration.

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Tafseer of this aayah:

“… ‘the mark of them is on their faces from the traces of prostration’ - ‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah said, narrating from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them): ‘the mark of them is on their faces’ means their outward appearance. Mujaahid and others said that it means khushoo’ and humility. Ibn Abi Haatim said: my father told us, ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Tanaafusi told us, Husayn al-Ja’fi told us, from Zaa’idah from Mansoor from Mujaahid: ‘the mark of them is on their faces from the traces of prostration’ – he said: (this means) khushoo’ (humility). I said, I always thought that it meant this mark on the face. He said, That may appear between the eyes of one whose heart is harder than Pharaoh’s. Al-Saddi said: Prayer makes their faces beautiful. One of the Salaf said; Whoever prays more at night, his face becomes more handsome by day… Some of them said that a hasanah (good deeds) brings light (noor) to the heart and a glow to the face, an increased provision and the love of the people.”

The point is, the fact that this mark is present on the skin and there is a change in the colour of the forehead, does not mean that a person is righteous and sincere. By the same token, if this mark is absent, that does not mean that a person is failing in his prayers. In many cases it has to do with the nature and sensitivity of an individual’s skin.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah preserve him) was asked: is there any report to indicate that the mark on the forehead caused by sujood is a sign of the righteous?

He replied:

This is not one of the signs of the righteous; the sign is the light (noor ) which appears on the face, and being content and at peace, a good attitude, and the like.

As for the mark made by sujood on the face, it may appear on the faces of people who do not even pray the obligatory prayers, if their skin is very soft and sensitive, and it may not appear of the faces of people who pray a lot and make lengthy sujood.

(Fataawaa Islamiyyah, 1/484) "

wasalam and Eid mubarak ~ sorry i gotta go

 

[BintMuhammad]

Assalamu alaikum,

Now I'd like to know (with evidence from Hadith and Quran), how many Rakats are we supposed to do?

The Prophet SAW only said that night prayers should be done two by two.

Numbers of rak’ahs in Taraaweeh prayer

 

[alkathiri]

Assalamualaikum akhi

Teraweeh is already over akhi....
The 4 imam and some of the salaf suported at least 20 rakaat , of course through ijtihad. You can follow anyone you want .

Serious error:
islam is not divided by the 4 imams

you are wrong about the marks on the forhead and you keep repeating that statement......

 

[Mahmed322]

Asalaamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuhu,

The mark on the forehead does not mean this person is perfect in terms of salah. Be careful when you say a statement like "And whoever does their Salat correctly, they can NEVER! commit ONE SIN!" I used to think the same about people with the mark on the forehead but now Im getting the mark on my forehead but i struggle with salah just like everyone else. The mark should mean nothing. I know brothers who get the mark during ramadan and then it goes away soon after. I hope you understand what im saying and dont take it the wrong way brother. May allah reward you for your efforts and guide us all.

 

[mutaqoon]

At the Masjid I go to, (It's a Bangali one) they do 20 Rakats. At the MAdrashah that my friend goes to, they do 8 Rakats and he said the Madrashah is Shafi (ours is Abu Haneefah).

Now I'd like to know (with evidence from Hadith and Quran), how many Rakats are we supposed to do?

Wa alaykum assalam wr wb

I am curious to know if you could back up the statement that Shafii's do only 8 rakats for taraweeh. I follow shafi'i madhab and I do 20 rakats because thats what I have learned. I go to a majid that is predominantly hanafi. During this ramadhan, we did 20 rakats and I saw some of both shafis and hanafis leave after 8 rakats!

I have heard that Imam Malik used to do 30+ rakats during Taraweeh! But none of the 4 imams (from what I know) NEVER EVER did 8 rakats. This is a fairly new trend and I don't know who started it. If we had a chance to put together all those 4 imams in one stage, they would most certainly not quarrel (and point fingers at others) as their followers do!


Regarding your other statement that whoever has a black mark on his forehead would do the salat rightly, well most of them have already replied to it. Most of our problem is because we blindly assume that so and so follows islam to the point. From what I have seen (and I have seen very little), most of the Indians and Pakistanis have such a black mark and trust me, if you look at the history of India over the past 200-300 years, all kinds of Bidah stuff started in India. I guess people of those time made a similar assumption to follow someone they considered to be righteous. Perhaps some where right in doing so, but most got it wrong as well.