Some Common Doubts and Misconceptions Affiliated with the Tarāwīḥ Prayer

Doubt/Misconception 06: Performing Both Tarāwīḥ and Tahajjud on the Same Night Is Permissible

A concerned individual said to Shaykh Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī (رحمه الله): “O Shaykh, people have divided the night prayer in the last ten nights of Ramaḍān [into two]:

1: [The night prayer that is performed in the first part of the night [i.e. the tarāwīḥ prayer]

2: The night prayer that is performed in the last part of the night [i.e. the qiyām al-layl or tahajjud prayer]

This has now become a common practice!”

The Shaykh (رحمه الله) said: “This is a bidʿah [i.e. an innovation]!”

The individual then asked: “What should we do if we wanted to establish the Sunnah and make things easy for the people?”

The Shaykh (رحمه الله) responded:

Perform it early, as ʿUmar [ibn al-Khaṭṭab] (رضي الله عنه) said: “Those who delay the prayer are better.” ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه) ordered Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (رضي الله عنه) to establish the night prayer [i.e tarāwīḥ] with the people after the ʿIshāʾ prayer, so he did, and when ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) went out to look for something, he (رضي الله عنه) said: “What a good innovation this is, but those who are sleeping are better [than those performing it].”

The individual then said: “Should the affair of the night prayer then remain the same as it was before the last ten nights [meaning, should we continue to pray the tarāwīḥ prayer alone in the first part of the night in the last ten nights of Ramaḍān, as we did in the first twenty nights]?”

The Shaykh (رحمه الله) responded: “Yes!”

● [Silsilat al-Hudā Wa-al-Nūr, 719]

A youth asked Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn (رحمه الله): “Am I allowed to pray occasionally in the last third of the night [i.e. pray tahajjud] if I had already prayed tarāwīḥ in the masjid with the congregation?”

The Shaykh (رحمه الله) stated:

Whoever prays with the Imām until he finishes shouldn’t pray in the last third of the nightbecause the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) themselves asked the Prophet (ﷺ) to perform supererogatory prayers with them for the remainder of the night, but he (ﷺ) said instead: “Whoever prays with the Imām until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the entire night in prayer.” This is what is apparent to me.

This [i.e. his (ﷺ) response] is an indication that an individual shouldn’t overburden himself, and that praying with the Imām is sufficient, since the Prophet (ﷺ) didn’t say: “Pray as much as you desire, for the opportunity is there [for you to do so.]” He didn’t say this; instead, he (ﷺ) said: “Whoever prays with the Imām until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the entire night in prayer.”

● [Jalasāt Ramaḍāniyyah, Sitting 1, Question 25]