Is Tarâwîh Salâh 20 Raka

8/14/2019 Is Tarwh Salh 20 Raka

1/29

Is Tarwh Salh 20 Raka't?Compiled by Moulana Ebrahim Kadwa

Attested by Allamah Khalid Mahmood Saheb, Director IslamicAcademy, Manchester, UK.

IntroductionIt is an accepted fact among the authentic scholars of Islam thatfor centuries, tarwh salt was and is an additional salh (prayer)in the month of Ramadn. Only the Shas reject tarwh. TheAhleHadth sect (or Salafis) also reject the fact that there is anadditional prayer in Ramadn. Their belief is that tahajjud saltwhich is performed during the latter portion of the night wasbrought forward in Ramadn. Thus there is no addition inRamadn.

(The Ahle Hadith are a sect that do not ascribe to any mazhab nordo they follow any particular Imam. They claim to derive theirrules directly from the hadith. Another name used for this sect isGhair Muqallideen. The Salafis also hold similar beliefs. The termAhle Hadith used in this book refers in general to all those whohold such beliefs)

The Ahle Hadith hold the same belief as the Sha regardingtarwh. (It is interesting to not that Mia Nazir Husain Delhwi, thefirts notable scholar of the Ahle Hadith sect remarked to MoulanaThanaullah Amritsari that the Ahle Hadith are small Shias due to

the disrespect created by not adopting the taqlid of the Imaams.See Tarikh Ahle Hadith by Moulana Muhammad Ibrahim) Accordingto them, Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) began performing histahajjud earlier in Ramadn. This was then termed tarwh.According to this belief, there was no increase in the salt of Nab(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) during Ramadn.

Salt is the highest form of physical worship in Islam. When themonth of Ramadn arrives, the common masses begin increasingtheir salt by performing extra nawfil (optional prayers). Can itthen be possible for Raslullh (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) that he

encouraged excess worship in this month while he himself did notincrease his nightly worship? If he merely transferred his tahajjudsalt to an earlier time, then it implies that there was no increasein his salt. So why did he ask his followers to perform anadditional prayer in Ramadn?

There is a narration that indicates an increase in his salt duringthe holy month. Hadrat Abu Hurairah (Radiallhu anhu) reports


2/29

that Raslullh (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) said:

"Whoever stood in Ramadn (in worship) with Imn and to seekreward, all his past sins are forgiven."(Sahih Muslim vol.1 pg.259)

This hadith indicates that Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam)encouraged the people to stand and worship Allh during themonth of Ramadn i.e. by performing salt, but did he himself addanything to his salh?

Is it suitable for the lofty status of this messenger that heencourages people to perform salt in such a holy month while hehimself does not do so? Any person that studies the life history ofNab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam), knows that there was nocontradiction between his speech and his action. He practically

demonstrated all that he spoke of. Even people that are generallyfar from Dn, perform some extra worship during Ramadn. Thus itis impossible for him to have omitted extra salt in Ramadn. Hemost certainly performed an additional salh but was not strict inenforcing it.

Accordingly, the beliefs of the Ahle Hadith and Shias are similaron this issue; the only difference being that the Shia have notclaimed the eight raka!t of tahajjud being brought forward whilethe Ahle Hadith have done so. The Shas openly and directly claimthat there is no extra salt in Ramadn and Raslullh (Sallallhu

alaihi wasallam) did not add any salh in the blessed nights ofRamadn.

With regards to the number of rakat of tarwh, for the pasttwelve centuries, the entire ummah without any exception hasbeen performing twenty rakat of tarwh. This has been thepractice of Muslims from the time of Raslullh (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam), the Sahbah (Radiallhu anhum), the Tabieen and theUlama (Rahimahumullh) until two centuries ago, when a newly-born sect called theAhle Hadth introduced the theory thattarwh is only eight rakat. Till today, tarwh in both the

Haramain (Makkah and Madnah) is twenty rakat and thousandsof Muslims observe it there in the month of Ramadn.

If we assume that eight rakat of tarwh is correct, then itmeans that the entire Ummah was deviated for all these centuriesby performing twenty rakat without any Shar proof.Nonetheless, it can be conclusively proven that no musjid fromthe time of Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) till two centuries ago


3/29

had the practice of eight rakat. Had eight rakat been themazhab of anyone, a scholar like Imm Tirmizi would havementioned it in his Jmi, but none of the Sihh Sittah (sixcanonical works of hadth) mention anyones practice to be of

eight rakat in any musjid.In this brief treatise, an effort has been made to prove thattarwh salt is an additional salt in Ramadn and that it isindeed twenty rakat. It is hoped that this treatise will remove alldoubts and clarify the masalah for both students and the massesalike. May Allh accept this humble effort and guide the ignorant.mn.

Chapter One

The Early Stage

Ibn Shihb narrated that Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) passedaway and the people continued observing salt (tarwh)individually and this continued in the era of Abu Bakr (Radiallhuanhu) and the early stages of the khilfah of Umar (Radiallhuanhu).

Abdur Rahmn Ibn Abdil Qrr narrates that he went out with

Umar (Radiallhu anhu) during one night of Ramadn to themusjid. The people were performing salt in different groups.Some people were praying alone or a person was performing saltwith a small group behind him. Umar (Radiallhu anhu) expressedhis desire of gathering all the people behind one reciter (Qr) andletting them perform salt in congregation. He felt this would bemuch better than people performing salt in different groups orindividually. After he made a firm resolve to implement this desireof his, he gathered the people behind Ubayy Ibn Kab (Radiallhuanhu). (Bukhari vol.1 pg.269)

Urwa (Radiallhu anhu) narrates that isha (Radiallhu anh)informed him that Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) went out tothe musjid during the middle of the night and performed saltwith some men. In the morning the people spoke about it andmore people gathered on the second night. In the morning thepeople again talked about it. On the third night, the musjid wasfull. On the fourth night, the musjid could not accommodate thelarge crowd that had gathered. Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam)


4/29

only came out in the morning for the fajr salt. After completingthe fajr prayer, he addressed the people and told them that heknew of their presence in the musjid but did not attend in fear ofthe tarwh becoming compulsory on them. He also feared that

they would not be able to practise on this punctually.(Bukharivol.1 pg.269)

The Term Sunnah

When the word sunnat is used, it refers not only to the sunnat ofNab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) but also to the practice of thefour rightly-guided caliphs. This is gleaned from a hadth of Nab(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) wherein he said, "Hold firmly on to mysunnah and the sunnah of the Khulaf Rshidn (the four rightly-guided caliphs)."(Abu Dawood vol2 pg 635, Tirmidhi vol.2 pg.108,Sunan Darimi vol.1 pg.43 and Ibn Majah pg.5) This hadth clearlyindicates that the Muslim ummah should bring into practice thesayings and practices of the Khulaf also. Some Ulam like SheikhAbdul Ghan Muhaddith Dhelw have gone to the extent of sayingthat the word Khulaf is general and refers to all those peoplewho follow the way of Rasulullah (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam), thefour Imms and the Khalifah Umar Ibn Abdil Azz.(Injahul Hajahpg.5)

It can be gleaned from the above hadith that just as it isincumbent to follow the sunnah of Rasulullah (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam), so is it essential to adopt the way of the KhulafRshidn. And in the opinion of some scholars, even the way of theMujtahidn should be adopted. All the Khulaf and Mujtahidn didnot perform less than twenty rakat of tarwh. Therefore toperform less than twenty rakat is against the sunnah of theKhulaf.

Sheikh Badrudn Aini (855 A.H.) writes in his commentary onHidayah:

"There is no doubt that reward is obtained in following Abu Bakrand Umar (Radiallhu anhum) and one will be punished if theyare not followed because we have been commanded to obey them.Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) said, Follow the two after me i.e.Abu Bakr and Umar. Thus adopting their way is essential and todiscard such a compulsion necessitates reproach andpunishment."(Majmuatul Fataawa, vol.1 pg.215)


5/29

Kamluddin Ibn Humm (869 A.H.) writes in Tahrrul Usl: "TheHanafi scholars have divided azmah (resolution) into:

(a) Fard - whose compulsion is categoric,

(b) Wjib - whole compulsion is most likely,

(c) Sunnah - the method adopted by Nab (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) and the Khulaf Ar-Rshidn or some of them.

It is mentioned in Tabyn, the annotation ofHussamithat sunnahrefers to the way of Dn whether it is that of Nab (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) or that of the Khulaf Ar-Rshidn. In short, the termsunnah is general, referring to both the sunnah of Nab (Sallallhualaihi wasallam) and the sunnah of the Khulaf. The sunnah of the

Khulaf was of twenty rakat tarwh. None of them performedanything less. They believed that it was the advice of Nab(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) to pray more in the month ofRamadn.

Chapter Two

Various Narrations mentioning TwentyRaka'at

(1) It is reported by Yazd Ibn Khusayfah from Sib Ibn Yazd(Radiallhu anhu) that all the people used to perform twenty rakat of tarwh in the month of Ramadn during the era of UmarIbn Khattb (Radiallhu anhu). (Baihaqi in As Sunaul Kubra, vol.2pg.496)

This narration has been reported by Baihaqi with a correct chainof narrators in Ma'rifah whilst Imm Nawawi (676 A.H), Ibnul Iraqiand Imm Suyuti (911 A.H.) have attested to the correctness ofthis narration in Khulsah, Sharh Taqrb and Masbh respectively.

(2) Yazd Ibn Rumn reports that all the people used to performtwenty three rakat in Ramadn during the time of Umar(Radiallhu anhu). (twenty rakat tarwh and three rakatwitr).(Baihaqi in Sunaul Kubra vol.2 pg.496) When a report ismade of a period, it is not necessary that Yazd Ibn Rumn shouldbelong to that period. The well-known affairs are generally knownand do not require that the narrator be linked with that period.(for a detailed analysis of the hadith, see Raka'ate Tarawih of


6/29

Sheikh Habibur Rahman Azmi pg.63-68)

This hadth has also been narrated by Imm Mlik (179 A.H.) in hisMuwatta.(pg. 9) Shh Waliullh writes regarding the Muwatta:

Imm Shfi (204 A,H.) said, "The most authentic book after theQur!n is the Muwatta. The scholars of hadth are unanimous thatwhatever it contains is correct in the opinion of Imm Mlik andthose that conform to his principles."

Thus, although this hadith is mursalinAs-Sunanul Kubra, it isnarrated in the Muwatta of Imm Mlik. Furthermore, a mursalhadith is accepted by Imm Abu Hanifa and Imm Mlik. ImmShfi accepts a mursalhadith if it is given credence by othersupporting narrations. (Sharh Nukhbatul Fikr, pg.64) Thenarrations which follow are sufficient in supporting this narration

and lending weight to it.

(3) Hadrat Umar Ibn Khattb (Radiallhu anhu) commanded aperson to perform twenty rakat tarwh for the people.(AbubakrIbn Shaibah in his Musannaf, vol.1 pg.483)

(4) Hadrat Ubayy Ibn Ka'b (Radiallhu anhu) used to lead theprayers by performing twenty rakat tarwh and three rakatwitr. (Abu Dawood pg.202)

(5) The eminent Tbi, At said, "I found the people performing

twenty rakat tarwh and three rakat witr." (Abubakr IbnShaibah in his Musannaf, vol.1 pg.483)

(6) Abul Khusaib says that Suwaid Ibn Ghaflah used to make fivesittings, i.e. he used to perform twenty rakat (and sit afterevery four). (Baihaqi vol.2 pg. 496)

(7) Nfi Ibn Umar reports that Ibn Abi Mulaykah used to performtwenty rakat for them in Ramadn. (Abubakr Ibn Shaibah in hisMusannaf)

(8) It is reported by Sab Ibn Ubaid that Ali Ibn Rabah used tomake five tarwhas (i.e. read twenty rakat and rest after everyfour) with the people and he used to perform three rakat of witr.(Abubakr Ibn Shaibah in his Musannaf)

(9) Ibn Abbas reports that Rasulullah (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam)used to perform twenty rakat in Ramadn individually and healso performed witr. (Abubakr Ibn Shaibah in his Musannaf and


7/29

Baihaqi)

This hadith has been accepted by the Ummah and is unanimouslypractised worldwide. However, it is essential to indicate the

partiality of the Ahle Hadith when discussing the sanad(chain ofnarrators) of this hadith.

They have blackened pages upon pages in denigrating onenarrator of this hadith viz. Ibrhim Ibn Uthmn. In their opinion,he is a very weak and unreliable narrator. But the Ahle Hadith, inmaking Surah Ftihah fard (or sunnat according to some) inSaltul janzah, have used a hadith with the same narrator,Ibrhim Ibn Uthmn. (Salatur Rasool of Hakim MuhammadSiyalkoti, pg.434) Here, no one has written anything about thisnarrator nor is any challenge given regarding the authenticity of

the hadith.

Hfiz Ibn Hajar has stated that Ibrhim Ibn Uthmn was a hfiz i.e.he was well versed in the field of hadith. No one has criticised hismemory. Some scholars like Imm Shubah have criticised hisauthenticity while others like Yazd Ibn Hroon have regarded himas authentic. Thus he is a mukhtalaf fh narrator (one regardingwhom there is a difference of opinion). Thus, the hadith falls inthe category ofhasan. (Hasan is that category of authentic hadithwhose narrator's retention capacity is lower than that of a Sahihhadith - the highest category of hadith) This is on the assumption

that Imm Shubah did not retract from his criticism. However, ifhis retraction can be established, then this hadith falls in thecategory ofsahh. (A Sahih hadith is one that is narrated by aperson who has perfect retention capacity while the chain ofnarrators is uninterrupted and there is no deficiency orirregularity in the hadith)

The eminent traditionist of Delhi, Shh Abdul Azz states that he isnot a weak narrator to the extent that his narration be rejected.

(10) Shaytar Ibn Shakl who was a student of Al (Radiallhu anhu)

reports that he (Al) used to make Immat of twenty rakat inRamadn and he used to make three rakat of witr. (Baihaqi vol.2pg.496)

(11) Abdur Rahmn Sulami narrates that Hadrat Al (Radiallhuanhu) called the Qurr (reciters of the Qur!n) in Ramadn andcommanded one of them to perform twenty rakat while Al(Radiallhu anhu) himself used to lead the witr salt.(Baihaqi


8/29

vol.2 pg.496)

(12) It is reported in Qiymul Laylby Muhammad Ibn Ka'b Al-Qurazi that all the people used to perform twenty rakat tarwh

in the month of Ramadn. They used to lengthen the qirt andperform three rakat of witr. (Qiyamul Layl by Muhammad b. NasrMarwazi pg.91)

(13) A'mash says that Abdullah Ibn Masood (Radiallhu anhu)used to perform twenty rakat tarwh and three rakat ofwitr.(Qiyamul Layl by Muhammad b. Nasr Marwazi pg.91)

(14) Nfi, who was the freed slave of Ibn Umar (Radiallhuanhum) and the student of Hadrat !isha, Abu Hurairah and AbuRafi' (Radiallhu anhum), reports that he saw the people

performing 36 rakat of tarwh and witr. (Tuhfatul Ahwazi vol.2pg.73) (The reason for the difference in the number of raka'at willbe discussed in chapter three)

(15) Dawd Ibn Qays reports that during the era of Umar Ibn AbdilAziz (101 A.H) and Abn Ibn Uthmn (105 A.H.), he saw the peopleof Madinah performing thirty six rakat. Hadrat Umar Ibn AbdilAziz had ordered the Qurr to perform thirty six rakat.(QiyamulLayl by Muhammad b. Nasr Marwazi pg.91-92)

(16) Abdul Aziz bin Rafai (Rahimahullh) mentions that Ubay bin

Kaab (Radiallhu anhu) used to perform twenty raka!t for thepeople and thereafter three raka!t of witr. (Atharus Sunan pg.53)

(17) Ubay bin Kaab (Radiallhu anhu) reports that Umar(Radiallhu anhu) instructed him saying that if he lead the salh itwill be better. Thereafter he said, "Perform twenty raka!t for thepeople." Atharus Sunan pg.255)

(18) It is reported by Hasan that Umar Ibnul Khattb (Radiallhuanhu) gathered the people with Ubayy Ibn Kab (Radiallhu anhu)and he used to perform twenty raka!t with them. (Abu Dawood,

pg.1429 -Arabian print)

There are two prints ofSunan Abi Dwd. Some prints havetwenty raka!t while others have twenty nights. Just as the twodifferent qirat of the Qurn are accepted, so too should the twodiffering narrations of a hadith. Shaikh Muhammad Ali As-Sbooniof Makkah has also narrated this hadith in his book,Al-HadyunNabawi As-Sahh f Saltit-Tarwh. Thus, to accuse the Ulama of


9/29

Deoband of interpolation is highly irresponsible. Furthermore,Allmah Dhahabi has reported this hadith with the words twentyraka!t in his Siyar lmin Nubal. This was centuries beforeDeoband could even be established.

Sheikh Ibn Taymiyyah states that it has been proven that UbayyIbn Kab (Radiallhu anhu) used to perform twenty raka!t oftarwh as the Imm of the congregation and thereafter he usedto perform three raka!t of witr. Thus most of the scholars havededuced it to be sunnah because he performed this among theMuhjirn and Ansr and no one had any objection. (Fataawa IbnTaymiyyah, new edition, vol.33 pg.112)

Ibn Taymiyyah states elsewhere that if a person performs tarwhlike the mazhab of Imm Abu Hanifah, Imm Shfi and Imm

Ahmed viz. twenty raka!t or thirty six raka!t like Imm Mlik ortwenty three or eleven, then he has done well. (Fataawa Al-Kubra,vol.4 pg.176) He is also of the opinion that most of the Muslimspractise on twenty raka!t. (Majmuah Fataawah Ibn Taymiyyah,vol.22 pg.272)

There are many more narrations proving the number of raka!t.Abdullh Ibn Masd (Radiallhu anhu) also used to performtwenty raka!t. (Tuhfatul Ahwazi vol.2 pg.75)

Until the era of Imm Malik (179 A.H.), the standard custom of

Madinah was of thirty six rakat. Sometimes due to the numberof rakat of witr, it used to be forty one rakat. Imm Tirmizi hasmentioned the custom of Madinah to be of forty one rakat.Thirty six rakat were performed wherever the followers of ImmMalik went.

In Makkah, until the era of At Ibn Abi Rabh (114 A.H.), twentyrakat used to be performed. (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaibah) ImmAs Shf! (204 A.H.) agrees with this view. Imm Tirmizi statesthat most of the scholars have accepted the narration of Ali andUmar (Radiallahu anhuma) amongst others - namely twenty raka

t. (Tirmidhi) Nfi' Ibn Umar states that Ibn Abi Mulaykah (117A.H.) used to make them perform twenty rakat.

Abdullh Ibn Masd (32 A.H.), Suwaid Ibn Ghaflah (81 A.H), Ali IbnRabah, Sufyn Thauri, Abdullah Ibn Mubrak (181 A.H.) ofKhurasn, Dawd Zhiri, Imm Abu Hanfa (150 A.H.) and all hisfollowers, Imm Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (241 A.H.) and all hisfollowers, Imm Shfi and all his followers used to perform


10/29

twenty rakat.

This in short was the practice of the pious precursors from the eraof Umar (Radiallhu anhu) till about the middle of the third

century in the main centres of learning such as Makkah, Madinah,Kufa, Basrah, Baghdad, Khurasn, etc. All the authentic books ofthe four mazhabs amongst others are unanimous on the practiceof twenty rakat. (for more details see Bidayatul Mujtahid vol.1pg. 210; Tirmidhi vol.1 pg.112; Kashful Qana pg.276; SharhMuhtahil Iradat vol.1 pg. 256, Mughni Ibn Qudamah; Sharh Nawaiala Muslim)

IjmaMull Ali Qri states that that the Sahba (Radiallhu anhum)have made consensus (Ijm) on the practice of twentyraka!t.(Mirqat vol.3 pg.194) Allmah Ibn Abdul Barr Mliki andIbn Hajar Makki have narrated Ijm on twenty raka!t. AllmahQdi Khan, Allmah Shamsuddn, Allmah Qastalni, SheikhMuhammad Zakarriyya Kandhelwi, Allmah Abdul Hayy Lucknowiand Nawwb Siddiq Hasan have narrated this Ijm in their works.(Fataawa Qadi Khan, Sharh Muqanna vol.1 pg.852, Sharh Bukhariof Qastalani) Imm Nawawi states that the practice of twentycontinued from the pious precursors and has been firmlyestablished. Ibn Qudmah has stated inAl-Mughnithat this is likeIjm.(Al Mughni vol.1 pg.803) Ibn Hajar Makki has stated that theSahba (Radiallhu anhum) were unanimous on twenty. (Mirqat) Ifone only takes this proof, it is sufficient for the establishment oftwenty raka!t because the sunnah of the Khulaf is equivalent tothe sunnah of Nabi (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam). Huzaifa(Radiallhu anhu) has narrated that Nabi (Sallallahu alaihiwasallam) said, "Follow the the two after me." and he indicated toAbu Bakr and Umar (Radiallhu anhu). (Tirmidhi vol.2 pg. 229)Had twenty raka!t not been a sunnah, who was a greater enemyof bidah (innovation) than Umar (Radiallhu anhu)? And if he haderred, the Sahaba (Radiallhu anhum) would not have accepted it.They most certainly knew of a statement or action of Nabi(Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) whether it has reached us with acorrect chain of narrators or not. Imm Abu Yusuf states that heasked Imm Abu Hanifa about tarwh and the practice of Umar(Radiallhu anhu). Imm Abu Hanifa replied that tarwh is sunnatmuakkadah (an emphasised sunnah) and Umar (Radiallhu anhu)did not invent it himself nor was he an innovator. He initiated itdue to a practice which he learnt from Nabi (Sallallahu alaihiwasallam). (Maraqil Falah pg.8)Sheikh Atiyyah Muhammed Slim, who is a judge of the supreme


11/29

court of Madina Munawwarah and an orator and teacher inMasjidun Nabawi (Al Shibihi As-salm) has written a book inwhich he has recorded the history of tarwh for more than athousand years in Masjidun Nabawi (Al Shibihi As-salm). Hehas recorded the historical events dating from the era of Nabi

Sallallahu alaihi wasallam right up to 1390 of the Hijrah calenderi.e. almost fourteen centuries. From his writings it is ascertainedthat during this lengthy period, tarawh salh was never less thantwenty raka!t in Masjidun Nabawi (Al Shibihi As-salm). Thepractice and norm was only twenty raka!t or more (never lessthan that). After recording the historical facts till page 151 of hisbook, Sheikh Atiyyah poses a question to the readers. During thislengthy period, were eight raka!t the maximum limit or were lessthan twenty raka!t ever performed?! For fourteen hundred years,the tarawh salh was between twenty and forty raka!t. Noperson possessing Imn ever said that to perform more than eight

raka!t is not permissible.Before that in 1376 Hijri, a renowned scholar of hadith of India,Moulan Habibur Rahman Azmi wrote a book entitled "Rakat-e-Tarwh" in which he writes:"The clamour that the Ghair Muqallidn (the group of people whodo not follow any Imm or Mazhab) of India had started for thepast hundred years or so was never heard of before. Throughoutthe Islamic world, twenty raka!t or more were being performed.Similarly, from the time of Umar Radiallhu anhu till the time ofthis uproar, there was no masjid in the world where eight raka!tof tarawh used to be performed, which implies that for

approximately twelve hundred and fifty years, all the Muslims(Ahle Sunnah) used to regard twenty raka!t or more than twentyraka!t as sunnah and worthy of being practised. After such along period, this sect has made a new manifestation - that up tonow what the Muslims were doing was incorrect. The correctversion is only eight raka!t." Thereafter Ml. Habibur RahmanAzmi discusses from the books of hadith with referencesregarding what transpired during these twelve hundred and fiftyyears. He states that the practice of the Muslims (of twentyraka!t tarawh) is not contrary to hadith, but rather is inconformity to the sunnah of Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam

and the rightly-guided Khulafa (Radiallhu anhum).Sheikh Atiyyah, in a similar manner, has proven the performanceof twenty raka!t from history and the hadith. He has also quotedfrom the books of the four Imms (Malik, Shafi, Ahmed and AbuHanifa Rahimahumullh) and has subsequently quoted thefollowing authentic hadith:"Hold steadfast unto my sunnah and the sunnah of the rightlyguided Khulafa (i.e. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali Radiallahu


12/29

anhuma."(Mishkat pg.30)We can challenge anyone to prove that any jurist or muhaddithhas rejected twenty raka!t of tarwh from the era of Umar tillthe era of the British Empire in India. We also challenge anyone toprove from authentic Islamic literature that there was a protest

against adopting this practice.Chapter ThreeSome of the narrations report more than twenty rakat. In fact,for more than 150 years, the standard practice in Madinah was ofthirty six rakat. The reason for this number (36) is that somesaints used to perform four rakat individually at every interval(tarwhah), thus adding an additional number of sixteen to thetotal of twenty. However, only twenty rakat were performedwith congregation. Eventually the additional four rakat of everyinterval were omitted and twenty rakat became the standardpractice of every city. Although the names of all the Ulama are notexplicitly mentioned in the books of Fiqh, nonetheless this muchis certain that after the Khairul Quroon (the era of NabSallallhualaihi wasallam and the Sahba), all the Ulama of the Ahle Sunnatwal Jamat gave a verdict of twenty rakat.The names of some of the Ulama (scholars) who upheld the viewof twenty rakat are as follows :Sheikhul Islam Imm Ibn Abdul Barr Qurtubi (463 A.H.) : Hisopinion is that twenty rakat tarwh and three rakat witr isthe most authentic narration.(Masabih)Imm Ghazali (550 A.H.) writes: Tarwh is twenty rakat, its

method is well known and it is sunnah muakkadah. (Ihya ul Uloomvol.1 pg.139)Sayyid Abdul Qadir Jailani (561 A.H.) writes: Tarwh salt is asunnah of Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) and it comprises oftwenty rakat. (Ghunyatut Talibin pg.464)Imm Ibn Qudma Hambali (620 A.H) states: According toImm Ahmad Ibn Hambal, the most acceptable view is of twentyrakat. (Al Ghina vol.1 pg.802)Imm Muhudn Nawawi (676 A.H.), the commentator ofSahhMuslim writes: Remember that tarwh is a unanimously acceptedsunnah of the Muslims. It is twenty rakat. (Kitabul Azkaar pg.83)

Sheikh Ibn Taymiyah (728 A.H.) writes: It has been acceptedthat Ubayy Ibn Kab used to lead the salt for the people byperforming twenty rakat in Ramadn and three rakat witr.Accordingly, most of the Ulama regarded twenty rakat as sunnatbecause Ubayy used to lead the congregation of the Muhjirn andthe Ansr and none of them rejected his act. (Fataawa IbnTaymiyyah vol.23 pg.112)


13/29

Allamah Subki (756 A.H.) writes in Minhj: Have conviction thatthe number of rakat in these nights has not been establishedfrom Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) whilst our mazhab is ofperforming twenty rakat.Allamah Badrudn Aini (855 A.H.) has proved conclusively in

his annotation ofSahh Bukhr, the authenticity of twenty rakat tarwh. (Aini Sharh Bukhari)Hfiz Ibn Hajar Asqalni (852 A.H.) states that the practice oftwenty rakat has remained in vogue. (Al Masabih)Abdul Wahhb Sharni (973 A.H.) is of the opinion that twentyrakat of tarwh in Ramadn is more virtuous with jamat(congregation). (Mizan Sha'rani)Ibn bidn Shmi (1203 A.H.) writes: Tarwh is sunnahmuakkadah because the Khulaf Ar-Rshidn were punctual on it.It is twenty rakat after Esha salt. This is the view of theJumhr(the majority) and all the people practise it in the east and thewest. (Ad Durrul Mukhtar vol.1 pg.511)

Chapter FourTwo Incorrect ClaimsSome people are of the opinion that eight rakat of tarwh havebeen transmitted from Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) and thatSayyidin Umar (Radiallhu anhu) had given the decree of eightrakat. (for details of the nazhab and proofs of the Ahle Hadith,see Tuhfatul Ahwazi vol.2 pg.72-76)The proponents of the first claim quote the following hadth ofSahh Bukhr:Hadrat isha (Radiallhu anh) was asked about the salt of Nab(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam). She replied, "Nab (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) did not exceed eleven raka!t in Ramadn nor in anyother month. He used to perform four raka!t and do not ask meabout their beauty and their length. Thereafter he used toperform four raka!t and do not ask me about their beauty andtheir length. Then he used to perform three raka!t." Hadrat Aishaasked him, " O Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) of Allah, do yousleep before performing witr." He replied , "O Aisha, my eyes sleepbut not my heart."(Bukhari pg.154 , Qadimi Kutub Khana Karachi)

This hadth apparently seems to indicate that Nab (Sallallhualaihi wasallam) used to perform eight raka!t tarwh and threeraka!t witr.Sheikh Nsirudn Albni has quoted this hadith in his book Saltat Tarwh. The Salafis and the Ghair Muqallidn also hold thisview.Nsiruddn Albni, a Salafi scholar, was expelled from SaudiArabia when he wrote a book on tarwh and in it regarded twenty


14/29

rakat tarwh as an innovation. In this way he labelled the AhlusSunnah of fourteen centuries as innovators.Whenever any person becomes a salafi, his first task is todiscredit the mutawtir salh (the unanimously accepted salaahperformed throughout the ages) which has been performed by the

Ummah for fourteen centuries and he introduces a new salhwhich clashes with the mutawtir salh. This is done in order thatthe Muslims should dispute and clash at least five times daily andevery musjid should be made a battlefield. Even if he does notknow Arabic, by studying translations, he compiles books andsometimes calls it Saltur Rasoolor Saltun Nabi. Thus, he objectsto the salh of the Hanafis, Shfis, Mlikis and Hambalis andpresents a new salh for the general masses.Albni, by adopting the Salafi sect has also fulfilled this obligationof his. He has written a book, "Sifat Saltin Nabi...". His veryreason for writing this book in his words is that till today (1376

A.H.), no concise book on the salh of Nabi (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) has been written. Therefore this gigantic task hasfallen on his shoulders. He has gathered pieces fromapproximately 162 books in compiling this work. In this book, hehas not only found fault with the salh of all four mazhabs, but hehas even found errors of the salh of the Salafis. Ever since theformation of this sect, they have regarded the hadith:"When the Imm recites, remain silent." as incorrect. Albni hasaccepted this hadith as correct. (Sifatu Salatin Nabi ... pg.95)Another hadith which they always disregarded is:"Whoever has an Imm, the recitation of his Imm is a recitation

for him." Albani has also accepted this hadith.With regards to tarwh, Albani claims that jamt is mustahab(preferable). This firstly contradicts the Salafi belief becauseaccording to Fatw Ulam Hadith, (vol.6, p.388), jamat is acondition. However, Albani thought that if he had to adopt thisview, he would not be able to use the above-mentioned hadith ofisha (Radiallhu anh) because it refers to a salh performedindividually.In fact, Professor Abdullah Bahawalpuri claims that even the nametarwh was adopted after the era of Nabi (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam). Thus according to the Ahle Hadith, even the word

tarwh is an innovation! (Rasail Bahawalpuri, pg 101, firstedition)To substantiate his claim of jamat in tarwh, Albani quotes thehadith of Thalabah Ibn Abi Mlik Al-Qurazi and then he goes on tosay that this hadith is mursal hasan and has a supporting hadith(shhid)in Abu Dawd. But he does not mention what Imm AbuDawd states after the hadith: "This hadith is not strong asMuslim Ibn Khalid is a weak narrator." (Abu Dawood vol.1 pg.217)


15/29

He has conveniently omitted this text as it goes against his proof.Furthermore, a mursalhadith in his terminology is weak, yet herehe has called it hasan and has used it for his own expediency. Thishadith also goes against the accepted hadith ofSahh BukhrandSahh Muslim. (Bukhari vol.1 pg. 101; Muslim vol.1 pg.266)

Definition of SunnatOnce Moulana Muhammad Amn Safdar had a debate withMoulana Muhammad Rafq Pisarwari of the Ahle Hadith sect.Moulana Muhammad Rafq wrote his claim thus:"Eight raka!t of tarwh are sunnat muakkadah with jamt inRamadn."Moulana Muhammad Amn Safdar asked him to first give thedefinition of tarwh and sunnat. But his definition should only befrom the Qur!n and hadith, not plagiarism from any Ummatisbook of jurisprudence.Moulana Muhammad Rafq replied that sunnat is what Nabi(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) himself practised always.Moulana Muhammad Amn said that this definition was notconcise and nor was it taken from the Qur!n or hadith. Turning tothe audience, he told them that they all knew that azn andiqmah is sunnah muakkadah, yet Nabi (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) never gave azn once. According to Molvi Rafqsdefinition, neither is azn sunnat nor iqmah. Furthermore, Nabi(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) himself practised all the farid(compulsory acts). According to the above definition, even thefarid become sunnats. The issue was very clear and the audience

realised that Moulana Muhammad Rafq could not define sunnat.He asked for a respite of three months to give the definition buteven after three months was unable to produce anything. Indefeat, he called the police to terminate the debate.The first claim (that eight rakat of tarwh have beentransmitted from NabSallallhu alaihi wasallam) is incorrect forthe following reasons :The First ReasonIn this hadth, the words nor in any other month i.e. besidesRamadn, in other months he used to perform eleven rakat aswell shows clearly that this question to !isha concerned the

Tahajjud Salt which he performed in all twelve months of theyear. Hadrat !isha has reported the following hadth:"During the last ten nights of Ramadn, Rasulullah used to fastenhis lower garment, remain awake the whole night and awaken hisfamily also." (Bukhari vol.1 pg.271)Upon hearing this, the inquirer probably thought that he (i.e. NabSallallhu alaihi wasallam) increased his tahajjud in Ramadn.Hadrat !isha replied that Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam)'s habit


16/29

was of eleven lengthy rakat. This clearly proves that this hadthconcerns Tahajjud and not tarwh.The Second ReasonOn the assumption that this hadth concerns tarwh, then too it isincorrect to say that Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) never

performed more than eleven rakat because another hadth of!isha states that Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) used toperform thirteen rakat.The commentators of hadth such as Hafiz Ibn Hajar havereconciled these two differing ahdith by stating that they referto different conditions and times. At some occasions Nab(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) used to perform thirteen rakat andat others only eleven rakat. (Fathul Bari vol.3 pg.14)Mouln Abdur Rahmn Mubrakpri (1353 A.H.), a respectedscholar of the Ahle Hadth sect has also accepted the fact thatNab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) performed thirteen rakat.

(Tuhfatul Ahwazi vol.2 pg.3)This hadth of thirteen rakat categorically negates the claimthat Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) never performed more thaneleven rakat.Sheikh Suyuti has quoted the statement of Allamah Bj that thewords of isha (Radiallhu anh) did not exceed indicate hishabit which was done most of the time and not his perpetualhabit. (Tanwirul Hawalik vol.1 pg.142)The Third ReasonIn this hadth Hadrat !isha states that Nab (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) used to read four lengthy rakat, then another four

and finally witr. Hence, in order to practise this hadth, one has toperform four rakat with one salm, then four rakat with onesalm and finally three witr with one salm. The proponents ofeight rakat tarwh do not practise in this manner.Consequently, to use this hadth against those that performtwenty rakat is illogical.The Fourth ReasonImm Muhammad Ibn Nasr Marwazi (294 A.H.) has written achapter on the number of rakat of tarwh in his book QiyamulLayl. In this chapter, he has mentioned numerous ahdith but hehas not in the slightest way made any indication towards thishadth of !isha (Radiallhu anh) which is the most authentic.This clearly shows that this hadth concerns nafl salt and nottarwh.The Fifth ReasonAt the end of this hadth, Hadrat !isha enquired from Nab(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) whether he slept before witr or notand Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) replied that his eyes slept


17/29

but not his heart. There is absolutely no mention in any hadththat Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) performed eight rakattarwh and then slept while the Sahba (Radiallhu ahhum)remained waiting. However, he used to perform tahajjud at homeand sometimes slept before witr. Furthermore, had it been

tarwh, Hadrat !isha would have stood in the ladies row behindthe men and the men would have known about it first. The factthat the men did not know indicates that it was tahajjud saltbeing performed in the privacy of the home and not tarwh as iswrongly assumed.The Sixth ReasonGenerally the Muhaddithn (Scholars of hadth) categorize everyhadth by giving it a title. The title indicates the subject matter ofthe hadth. The fact that all the Muhaddithn have not given a titleof tarwh to this hadth, indicates that in their opinion it refers tonafl salt and not tarwh.

Imm Muhammad, a renowned jurist, mentions that the cause ofthe following hadith is that Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) didnot make any addition to Tahajjud because of the additional salhof Ramadn viz. tarwh. This is the relation between the hadithof isha (Radiallahu anh) and the chapter heading.This hadth of isha (Radiallahu anh) appears several times inSahh Bukhri in the following chapters:1. Kitbut Tahajjud - Chapter on Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam)'sworship at night in Ramadn and other months. (Vol.1 Page 154)(this reference and the subsequent ones refer to the QadimiKutub Khana print of Sahih Bukhari, Karachi, Pakistan)

2. Kitbus Saum - Chapter on the virtue of worship in Ramadn.(Vol.1 Page 269)3. Chapter - Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam)'s eyes used to sleep,not his heart.(Vol.1 Page 504)4. Chapter on witr. (Vol.1 Page 135)These captions clearly indicate a reference to tahajjud salt.Nowhere is there the slightest indication of tarwh. ImmMuslim, Imm Mlik, Imm Abdur Razzq, Imm Abu Dawd, ImmNisi, Imm Tirmizi, Imm Abu Awnah, Imm Ibn Khuzaimah,Imm Marwazi, Imm Drimi, the author ofBulooghul Marm andMishkthave all mentioned this hadith in their works but not one

of them has mentioned it under the chapter of tarwh.Imm Muslim, Abu Dawd and Tirmizi have narrated this hadithunder Qiymul Layl(worship at night viz. tahajjud) (Muslim vol.1pg254; Abu Dawood vol.1 pg.189; Tirmidhi vol.1 pg.99). ImmTirmizi has not even mentioned eight raka!t under tarwh. Thisindicates that up till the time of Imm Tirmizi, there was noscholar of the opinion that tarwh is eight raka!t nor did anyoneunderstand this hadith to refer to tarwh.


18/29

Imm Mlik and Imm Nisai have narrated this hadith in thechapter of witr. (Muwatta Imam Malik pg.102, Abu Dawood vol.1pg.248)This hadith has also been narrated in the chapter of tahajjud inMishtul Masbh, Musannaf Abdur Razzq, Abu Awnah, Sahh

Ibn Khuzaimah, and Sunan Drimi.Hfiz Ibn Hajar states: "It has appeared to me that the wisdom innot performing more than eleven rakat is that tahajjud and witrare prayers of the night while the prayers of the day which areZuhr (4 rakat), Asr (4 rakat) and Maghrib (3 rakat) also totaleleven. Consequently it was suitable for the salt of the night toconform in number to the salt of the day." (Fathul Bari vol.3pg.16)The Seventh Reasonisha (Radiallahu anh) never used this hadith against those whoperformed twenty raka!t during the eras of Umar, Uthman and Ali

(Radiallhu anhu). In fact, this hadith of tahajjud has beennarrated by many Sahba (Radiallhu anhu) but not one of themhas quoted it against those who performed twenty raka!ttarwh. After the era of the Sahba (Radiallhu anhu), the Tbinand Taba-Tbin also performed twenty raka!t but not one themused this hadith against those who performed twenty raka!t.Even the Ahle Hadith do not practise this hadith according to itspurport. The hadith has the words, besides Ramadn but they donot perform tarwh out of Ramadn. The hadith mentions thesalh in units of four; they perform it in units of two. The hadithmentions the salh being performed at home; they perform it in

the musjid. The hadith mentions three raka!t of witr; theyperform one rakt. The hadith mentions the salh beingperformed individually; they perform it in congregation. Thehadith mentions sleeping before witr; they do not sleep before thewitr.

Chapter FiveTahajjud and Tarawih are Seperate SalatsTahajjud and tarwh Salt differ in the following ways:(1) Tahajjud was ordained by Allh Ta!l. Allh Ta!l told Nab(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam):"O the one wrapped in a blanket,

stand up (in worship) at night except a little..." (Surah 73 Verse 2)The following verse also indicates the compulsion of Tahajjud:"And perform the tahajjud salh at night, it would be an additionalprayer for you." (Surah 17 Verse 79)No other verse informs us that in Ramadn we are exempted fromits compulsion. Regarding tarwh, Nab (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) feared that it would be made compulsory on theummah.


19/29

On the other hand, Tarawh was initiated by Nab (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam). It is mentioned in a hadith, "It is a month in whichAllh has made fasting compulsory while I (NabSallallhu alaihiwasallam) have made the Tarawh sunnah."(Nisai vol.1 pg.308; IbnMajah pg.94) The two acts have been described in comparison to

each other.(2) Tahajjud was ordained in Makkah whilst tarwh wasprescribed in Madinah.(3) It is unanimously accepted that the number of rakat oftahajjud have been transmitted from Nab (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam). They are a maximum of thirteen rakat if witr isincluded and a minimum of 7 rakat including witr. However, asregards tarawh, no fixed number has been narrated with regardto the nights when Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) led the salhof tarawh in the musjid. Accordingly, there is a difference ofopinion among the Mujtahidn. Some say thirty, some thirty six or

more. Thus the narration of Imm Bukhri (in which eight raka!thave been mentioned) cannot refer to tarwh. According to thisnarration it can be deduced that Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam)did not add anything in his Tahajjud Salh in the month ofRamadn, because he intended another prayer in this monthknown as tarwh. What isha (Radiallhu anh) meant in thishadith was that Nabi (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam)s tahajjud wasnot different in Ramadn nor in any other month. However, inRamadn, he increased his worship tremendously by performingtahajjud as well as tarwh. (Durrul Manthur vol.1 pg.185; Bukharivol.1 pg. 271; Muslim vol.1 pg.372; Abu Dawood vol.1 pg.190;

Sunan Darimi vol.1 pg.285)(4) The following statement is mentioned in Muqanna, anauthentic book of the Hanbali Mazhab:"Tarwh is twenty rakat performed in Ramadn incongregation. If a person wants to perform tahajjud as well, thenhe should not read witr after tarwh. Witr should be delayed tillafter the tahajjud." (Muqanna pg.184)From the above quotation it can be clearly seen that even ImmAhmad Ibn Hanbal (241 A.H.), the teacher of Imm Bukhriunderstood tarwh and tahajjud to be separate salts. ImmBukhri also had a similar practice. He used to perform tarwh

salt with his students in the early part of the night during whichhe used to complete one Qur!n. At the time of sehri he used toperform salt (tahajjud) individually. (Tarikh Baghdad)Talq Ibn Ali (Radiallahu anhu) a Sahabi, offered the tahajjud salhafter completing tarwh with other Sahba (Radiallahu anhum).(Sunan Nisai)(5) Tahajjud is normally performed after sleeping while tarwh isperformed immediately after Esha. (Sahih Bukhari vol.1 pg.269.


20/29

Umar radhiallahu anhu encouraged people not to discard tahajjudsalat in the latter portion of the night while also performingtarawih in the first portion.)(6) Tahjjud is performed during the whole year while tarwh isspecific with Ramadn. (Even the Ahle Hadith accept this. See

Fataawa Ulama Hadith vol.6 pg.243) The hadith of isha(Radiallhu anh) mentions the salh which is performed thewhole year viz. tahajjud.(7) Jamt (congregation) is a condition for tarawh. (Fatawa UlamaHadith vol.6 pg.243) If one performs tarwh alone, it will not beaccepted. The hadith of isha (Radiallhu anh) mentions thesalh which is performed individually viz. tahajjud. (MajmauzZawaid vol.3 pg.172 and Atharus Sunan pg.200)There are other differences between these two salts which havebeen ommitted for the sake of brevity. Mouln Rashd AhmadGangoh (1323 A.H) has conclusively proved their differences in

his book Ar-Ray An-Najh. Similarly Mouln Qsim Nanotw hasalso explained their differences in his book Al-Haqq As-Sarh.Allmah Anwar Shh Kashmiri holds the view that if a person doesnot perform tarwh salh but he performs tahajjud salh in themonth of Ramadn, he will be absolved of the liability ofperforming tarwh and will not be accused of neglecting tarwhsalh. This is only Allamahs view and not the view of the majorityof the scholars. He does not claim that Nab (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) did not perform tahajjud salh when he performedtarwh at home in the early part of the night. In this sense hebelieves that tahajjud is not other than tarwh.

However, he clearly gives a warning to those who uphold thepractice of eight raka!t only. He says. "Whoever performs eightraka!t only, and separates himself from the majority and beginsaccusing them of innovation should be careful of his consequence.

Chapter SixThe Second HadithThe second hadth which the proponents of eight rakat quote isas follows:It is narrated by Jabir (Radiallhu anhu) that Nab (Sallallhualaihi wasallam) performed eight rakat and witr. We gathered in

the musjid the following night hoping that Nab (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) would come again. We remained waiting till themorning. Nab (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) said, "I feared that witrwill become incumbent on you." (Therefore he did not come theprevious night).Analysis Of This HadithThe Ahle Hadith have to prove three points from this hadith.Firstly, they must prove that the hadith is correct and authentic.


21/29

Secondly, they must prove that there was continuous practice(muwzabah) on eight raka!t. Thirdly, that Hadrat Jabir used thishadith against all those who performed twenty raka!t tarwh inMusjidun Nabawi in congregation during the eras of Umar, Uthmanand Ali (Radiallhu anhu) and that he (Jbir) made his own musjid

to perform eight raka!t.As for the authenticity of this hadith, one narrator of this hadith isYaqoob Ibn Abdillah Al-Qummi. Ibn Kathr has rejected this hadithand stated that Yaqoob was a Shia and his narrations cannot beaccepted. (Al Bidayah wan Nihayah vol.8 pg.375) This narration ofhis goes against the Ijm of the Sahba (Radiallhu anhum).There is only one person narrating from Jbir viz. Is Ibn Jriyah.Hfiz Dhahabi and Hfiz Ibn Hajr have mentioned this narrator inMiznul Itidl(vol.2 pg.311) and Tahzb-at-Tahzb respectively.They have quoted Yahy Ibn Man, who is the leading scholar inthe science of Jarh wat Tadl (the science of invalidating a hadth

or declaring it reliable). According to him, Is Ibn Jriyah is not anauthentic narrator. Imm Nisai and Abu Dawd regard him asmunkarul hadth.(A technical term meaning narration of anunworthy narrator that contradicts the narration of a group oftrustworthy narrators) Nisai has also called him matrk.(Thenarration of a person that is suspected of fabricating hadith) SajiUqaili regards him as weak while Ibn Adi (365 A.H.) says that hisnarrations are not mahfz.(The narration of a trustworthy personthat is in conflict with the narration of those who are moretrustworthy than himself) Only Abu Zurah and Ibn Hibbn (354A.H.) have given him any credibility. It is a principle of hadth that

jarh (declaring invalid) precedes tadl(declaring reliable). HenceIs will be regarded as majrh (unreliable), especially when oneconsiders the words used by Imm Nisai and Abu Dawd for him.Moulana Abdur Rahman Mubarakpuri (1353 A.H.) [of the AhleHadth sect] has written that the ahadth of a narrator who isknown as munkarul hadth, are worthy of being rejected.(IbkarulMatn pg.191) Accordingly, this hadth of Is is not acceptableespecially when he is the only narrator from Jbir and does nothave any substantiating narrator (mutbi').Muhammad Ibn Humaid Rzi, another narrator in the chain of thishadth is also regarded as a weak narrator, thus rendering this

hadth unacceptable.(Taqrib) It makes one wonder why the AhleHadith mostly depend upon weak ahdith.Moulana Muhammad Amn Safdar once had a debate with HfizAbdul Qdir Ropri of the Ahle Hadith sect. The former very aptlytold him that the Ahle Hadith do not have any right to classify anyhadith as Sahh or dafbecause they do not accept anyonesstatement besides those of Allah and His Rasool. And Allah andHis Rasool have not classified any hadith as Sahh or daf. Since


22/29

they have not classified the ahdith, the Ummah has to make thedecision. This will be by means of examining the hadith if it waspractised in the khairul quroon (the era of the Sahba and Tabin),it will be accepted, but if it was not accepted in the khairulquroon, it will be rejected. The muhaddithn have also accepted

this principle. A maqbool hadith (accepted one) is one which theUmmah has accepted even if it does not have a correct sanad(chain of narration). (Tadribur Rawi of Sheikh Suyuti)

Chapter SevenThe Second ClaimTo substantiate the second claim that Hadrat Umar (Radiallhuanhu) gave the command of eight rakat, the following hadth ofMuwatta Imm Mlik has been quoted: Sib Ibn Yazd has reportedthat Umar (Radiallhu anhu) ordered Ubayy Ibn Kab (Radiallhuanhu) and Tamim Dri (Radiallhu anhu) to perform eleven rakat

(including three witr) for the people. (Muwatta Imam Malik -Asahhul Matabi, pg 98; Qiyamul Layl pg.91)If we analyse the chain of transmission of this hadth, we noticethat Muhammad Ibn Yusuf narrates from Sib Ibn Yazd.Muhammad has five students and the narration of each studentdiffers from the next. The five students are:(1) Imm Mlik(2) Yahy Ibn Qattn(3) Abdul Azz Ibn Muhammad(4) Ibn Ishq and(5) Abdul Razzq

Their narrations are as follows:(1) Imm Malik says that Umar ordered Ubayy Ibn Kab and TamimDari to perform eleven rakat.What practice occurred thereafter is not mentioned nor isRamadn mentioned.(2) Yahy Ibn Qattn says that Umar made the people gather withUbayy Ibn Ka!b and Tamim Dri and both of them beganperforming eleven rakat.Hadrat Umar's command is not mentioned nor is any mention ofRamadn made. It is not clear whether the two performed elevenrakat separately or collectively but it is clear that witr cannot be

led two times while the two Imms are together.(3) Abdul Aziz says that they used to perform eleven rakat inthe era of Umar.Neither is the command mentioned nor are Ubayy, Ka!b orRamadn mentioned.(4) Ibn Ishq says that they used to perform thirteen rakat inRamadn during the era of Umar.Neither is the command of Umar mentioned nor is Ubayy or Tamim


23/29

mentioned. Instead of eleven rakat, thirteen are mentioned.(5) Abdur Razzq says that Umar gave the command of twentyone rakat.In this narration, twenty one rakat are mentioned instead ofeleven.

Besides the narration of Imm Malik, eleven rakat cannot beestablished from the other narrations. Due to this difference, thenarrator, Ibn Ishq gave preference to thirteen while Ibn AbdulBarr Mliki (463 A.H.) also preferred twenty one. Therefore thisnarration is mudtarib with regards to the number and henceunacceptable. (Mudtarib is a hadith that is transmitted indifferent manners so that the contents of each transmissiondiffer and it is not possible to give reference to any particulartransmission) The narration of twenty one is the preferrednarration.The above was an analysis of Muhammed Ibn Yusuf's narration via

Sib Ibn Yazd. Now let us examine the narration of Yazd IbnKhasfah via Sib which is mentioned in As-Sunan Al-Kubr ofBaihaq. (As Sunan Al-Kubra vol.2 pg.496)Abu Zi'b narrates from Yazd Ibn Khasfah who reports from SibIbn Yazd that the people used to perform twenty rakat in themonth of Ramadn during the era of Umar.Imm Nawawi (676 A.H), Iraqi (806 A.H) and Suyuti (911 A.H)amongst others have accepted the authenticity of this hadth.(Tuhfatul Akhyar pg.192 and Irshadus Sari pg.74)Muhammad Ibn Jafar has quoted the same statement from Yazdas Abu Zi'b. This narration is mentioned in Marifatus Sunan of

Baihaqi. Allamah Subki (756 A.H) and Mull Ali Qri (1014 A.H)have stated in Sharh Minhj and Sharh Muwatt respectively thatthe chain of narrators of this hadth is correct. (Tuhfatul Ahwazivol.2 pf.75)From the above narration we can clearly see that both thestudents of Yazd unanimously narrate the fact that during Umar'sera, twenty rakat was the standard practice. On the contrary,the five students of Muhammad Ibn Yusuf quote Sib differently.In such a situation, the correct approach would be to rely on thenarration of Yazid Ibn Khasfa. However the Ahle Hadth haveunjustly discarded this narration and adopted the doubtful one of

Muhammad Ibn Yusuf which has differing versions. This goesagainst the principles of hadth.Sheikh Atiyyah states: "The practise of Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihiwasallam of performing thirteen raka!t as narrated by Ibn AbbasRadiallhu anhu, the six raka!t after the Esha salh and the tworaka!t with which Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam used tocommence the saltul-layl as narrated by Hazrat Aisha Radiallhuanhu, makes a total of twenty one raka!t. This is why Umar


24/29

Radiallhu anhu instructed Ubay bin Kb Radiallhu anhu toperform twenty one raka!t for the people. Thus its (twenty oneraka!t) proof exists in this hadith. It is not merely the opinion ofUmar Radiallahu anhu. (Salatut Tarawih, Sheikh Atiyyah, pg.22)Moulana Fadlur-Rahman Azami states that even if the proof of

twenty one or twenty three raka!t is not from any marf hadith(i.e. a narration containing the actual speech of Nabi Sallallahualaihi wasallam) and is only based on the view of Umar Radiallhuanhu, then also, to adhere to it will be regarded as sunnahbecause Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam has ordered us toadhere to the ways of the rightly-guided Khulaf. Thus to adhereto it in actual fact is to practise on a marf! hadith.

Chapter EightRegarding tarwh salh, the Ahle Hadith and Salafis have notbeen able to answer the following questions using Sahh Ahdiththat do not have any contradictory narrations (mutarid):(1) Is there any salh with the name of tarwh in the Sahhahdth as the other salts have been mentioned like Fajr, Zuhretc?(2) Hadrat isha (Radiallhu anhu) states that Nabi (Sallallhualaihi wasallam) used to perform four raka!t at night and thenrest for a long while. (As Sunanul Kubra of Bayhaqi, vol.2 pg.497)Imm Bayhaqi has regarded this hadith as weak but the entireummah has named this salh as tarwh and have accepted thishadith due to the practice of tarwh being unanimously acceptedby the Sahba (Radiallhu anhu.). Due to this acceptance by theummah, the Ahle Hadith have also named it tarwh.(3) Hadrat Umar (Radiallhu anhu) used to perform four raka!tand relax for the amount of time it took a person to go to MountSila.(4) According to the scholars of the Ahle Hadith, saltut-tarwh isthat salh which is performed in Ramadn after Isha incongregation and it is called tarwh because the people rest(tarwhah) after every four raka!t. (Fataawa Ulama Hadith vol.6pg.241)(5) The scholars of the Ahle Hadith state that Qiyme Ramadn(worship in Ramadn) is more general than tarwh because jamt(congregation) is a condition for tarwh. If one performs it alone,it will not be valid in contrast to Qiyme Ramadn for which jamtis not a condition. (Fataawa Ulama Hadith vol.6 pg.243)(6) They also reiterate that the statement of Allmah Kirmni thatQiyme Ramadn unanimously refers to tarwh is unique.(Fataawa Ulama Hadith vol.6 pg.241)(7) If one performs tarwh during the first part of the night, it istarwh and if one performs it in the latter part, it is tahajjud.


25/29

(Fataawa Ulama Hadith vol.6 pg.329)(8) Tahajjud occurs throughout the year while tarwh is specificwith Ramadn. (Fataawa Ulama Hadith vol.6 pg.230)(9) One who performs tarawh after Ish salh in Ramadn, canperform tahajjud during the last part of the night. Tahajjud is not

performed in the earlier part of the night. (Fataawa Ulama Hadithvol.6 pg.241)If the above-mentioned points from number 4 till number 9 areestablished from any correct hadith, can the Ahle Hadith mentionthose ahdith. If not, then are the writers of these statements notmushriks (polytheists) by making taqld of other human beings.(The Ahle Hadith believe that one who makes taqlid of a human isa mushrik (polytheist).(10) Tarwh and tahajjud are both one. They should prove thisfrom the Qurn or Sahh hadith. They should not use qiys(analogy) and become shaytns or adopt taqldand become

mushriks.(11) Did Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) say that there is a salhwhich is called tahajjud for eleven months and tarwh in thetwelfth?(12) Did Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) say that this salh isnafl for eleven months and sunnat in the twelfth?(13) Did Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) say that the time of thissalh for eleven months is the last part of the night and in thetwelfth month it is immediately after Ish?(14) Did Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) say that one shouldperform this salh individually for eleven months and with

congregation in the twelfth?(15) Did Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) say that for elevenmonths it is not sunnat to complete the Qurn but in the twelfthmonth it becomes sunnat?(16) A person performed tarwh in congregation for three daysonly during his whole life. Now he does not perform it. Is hesinful?(17) Are those muhaddithn and fuqah who have written separatechapters for tahajjud, tarwh and witr rejectors of hadith?(18) Some Ahle Hadith specify the condition that we must provethat Hadrat Umar (Radiallhu anhu) himself participated in the

tarwh. Is this condition according to any hadith? If a person saysthat you must prove that Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) andAbu Bakr (Radiallhu anhu) wrote the Qurn themselves,otherwise I will not accept it, or he says that you must prove thatUthman (Radiallhu anhu) himself gave the first azn of Jumuahotherwise I will not accept this azn, is this statement of hiscorrect?(19) Has it been proven that Umar (Radiallhu anhu) himself


26/29

performed tarwh in congregation, performed tarwh in the firstpart of the night, performed tarwh during the whole month inthe musjid, performed witr with congregation in Ramadn, recitedthe whole Qurn or heard its recital or will these acts also bediscarded?

(20) Moulana Dawd Ghaznaw (of the Ahle Hadith sect) used toannounce that eight raka!t of tarwh is the sunnah of Nabi(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) while the remaining twelve aremustahab. This can terminate all disputes. (Fataawa Ulama Hadithvol.6 pg.265)(21) Madrasah Rahmniyyah (of the Ahle Hadith) announces everyyear that more than eight raka!t of tarwh is correct and ameans of greater reward. (Fatawa Satariya vol.3 pg.19)Are points number 20 and 21 established from a hadith or arethey the isolated (shz) statements of Ibn Humm? (Ibn Humamhas permitted eight raka'at -Fathul Qadir vol.1 pg.334 - Moulana

Zafar Ahmad Uthmani has rejected this view with complete proofs- See I'laus Sunan vol.7 pg.68-72)(22) A hadith has been quoted in Fatw Ulam-e-Hadith (vol.6p.47 and vol.6 p.88) in which it is mentioned that if a personperforms an optional act in Ramadn, it will be as if he performedan obligatory duty out of Ramadn. Will a person who performstwenty raka!t tarwh obtain this reward or not?(23) Do those who prevent others from this reward not fall withinthe purview of the verse, "preventer of virtue, have you seen theone who prevents the servant (of Allah) when he performssalh?"(Surah Al Qalam verse 12)

(25) Rahmni Shib (of the Ahle Hadith) has written in AnwrulMasbh (p.262) that why should Umar (Radiallhu anhu) preventthose who performed twenty raka!t from doing so. It was notsome prohibited act. He also reiterates that Umar (Radiallhuanhu) did not reject twenty raka!t. According to him, this is theview of the Ahle Hadith. From this it is apparent that those whowrite booklets and pamphlets against twenty raka!t tarwh arenot Ahle Hadith but are in fact Munkirn-e-Sahba (rejectors of theSahba Radiallhu anhum).(26) Molvi Muhammad Uthmn Dehlwi, a very respected scholar ofthe Ahle Hadith, stated that the one who performs four raka!t of

Maghrib salh, his Maghrib will not be fulfilled although threeraka!t are included in four. Similarly, he states, that the one whoperforms twenty raka!t tarwh, his eleven raka!t have notbeen fulfilled.(Raf'ul Ikhtilaaf pg.5) This satanic analogy of MolviUthmn makes the entire Ummah innovators. Is it mentioned inany hadith that the one who performs twenty, his eight are notperformed?


27/29

ConclusionFrom the facts quoted above it becomes manifestly clear that:(1) The practice of the entire ummah from the era of Umar tillrecently was of twenty rakat or more. If at any point in time,any individual was of the opinion of less than twenty rakat, then

there is no evidence of this practice occurring in any musjid.(2) The establishment of twenty rakat by Hadrat Umar'scommand or by his tacit approval cannot be denied by any scholarof hadth.(3) The Ahle Hadth, by relating eleven rakat tarwh to Nab(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) have differed with the piouspredecessors. Allamah Ibn Taymiyah, Allamah Subki, Shaukani,Ml.Wahduz Zaman and Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan (1307 A.H)amongst others have in no way indicated that Hadrat !isha'shadth (quoted on page 26) refers to tarwh. Are the Ahle Hadthand Salafis of today more learned than the above-mentionedscholars?(4) The objections which the Ahle Hadth raise on the narrations oftwenty rakat are contrary to the principles of hadth. In facteven Nawb Siddiq Hasan (of the Ahle Hadth) admits that aperson who performs twenty rakat has complied with thesunnah. When this is the case, then why should there be such aninsistence on performing eight rakat which does not have theapproval of the learned elders of the ummah.The Ahle Hadith of today have differed with Nabi (Sallallhu alaihiwasallam) in the following practices:

1. The Ahle Hadith begin tarwh in the first night of the monthwith congregation whereas Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam)did not do this throughout his life. This is not a sunnah ofNabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) but a sunnah of the Khulaf(Radiallhu anhu).

2. Nowadays, the Ahle Hadith perform tarwh during the wholemonth of Ramadn with congregation whereas Nabi(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) told the people to perform theirsalh at home. Performing tarwh for the whole month incongregation is a sunnah of the Khulaf and not a sunnah ofNabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam).

3. Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) only performed tarwh incongregation during one year in the last ten days ofRamadn for three nights. Thus performing tarwh everyyear in congregation is a sunnah of the Khulaf and not asunnah of Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam).

4. To perform tarwh immediately after Isha is a sunnah of theKhulaf. The Ahle Hadith perform tarwh immediately after


28/29

Isha whereas Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) did not do so.5. The Ahle Hadith complete the whole Qurn in tarwh which

is not a sunnah of Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) but asunnah of the Khulaf (Radiallhu anhu).

6. The Ahle Hadith sleep away after tarwh which is not a

sunnah of Nabi (Sallallhu alaihi wasallam). Hadrat isha(Radiallhu anhu) states that when Ramadn began, Nabi(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) never used to sleep the wholenight. However, it has been established that the Sahba(Radiallhu anhu) slept.

7. It is reported in Sahh Bukhr (vol.1 p.269) that Nabi(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam) used to awaken his wives duringthe last ten nights. The Ahle Hadith do not awaken theirwives.

8. Nowadays the Ahle Hadith recite the Qurn in tarwh by

holding the Qur!n, turning the pages, leaving it on the floorduring ruku and lifting it up again at the beginning of thenext rakt. This practice is in no way a sunnah of Nabi(Sallallhu alaihi wasallam).

May Allh Tla grant us all the correct understanding of Dn andprotect us from the deviations of the misguided.Al Qur'n

Sahh Bukhr

Sahh Muslim

Sunan Ab Dawd

Sunan Ibn Mjah

Sunan Nis

Muwatta Imm Mlik

Sunanul Kubr - Baihaqi

Sharh Muwatt - Mull Ali Qr

Mussanaf Ibn Ab Shaibah

Ilus Sunan


29/29

Tahzb - Hafiz Ibn Hajar

Taqrb - Hafiz Ibn Hajar

Tuhfatul AkhyrTanwrul Hawlik - Sheikh Suyuti

Irshdus Sr

Jmi Tirmiz - Zurqan

Dars-e-Tirmizi - Mufti Muhammad Taqi Uthmani

Khairul Masbh F Adadit-Tarwh - Moulan Khair Muhammad

Jalandr

Raka!te Tarwh - Moulan Habibur Rahmn Azami

Ar-Rayun Najh f Adadi Rakatit Tarwh - Moulana Rashd AhmadGangohi

Fatw Rashidiyyah - Moulana Rashd Ahmad Gangohi

Masbhut Tarwh - Moulana Qsim Nanotwi

Tahqqut Tarwh - Sheikh RiyaPublished by: Madrasah Arabia Islamia, P.O.Box9786, Azaadville, 1750, SouthAfrica

Date post:	30-May-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	ismailchoughule
View:	219 times
Download:	0 times

Is Tarâwîh Salâh 20 Raka

Documents