Ramadan 2020 Under the Shadow of Clovid 19 Fasting sans Feasting and Festivity

Ramadan 2020 Under the Shadow of Clovid 19

Fasting sans Feasting and Festivity

The Clovid 19 pandemic is a great scourge  on us and indeed on all the mankind. But just as WW2, another global disaster had some blessings for mankind, the Clovid 19 has probably done us, the Muslims some good service! It has compelled us to practice the holy month of Ramadan according to the dictates of the Holy Text and the Holy Prophet: to concentrate more on fasting and less on feasting. How?

Right or wrong, the Congregational Taraweeh prayers has assumed the primary and principal place in the ibaadah during this month for most Muslims. ( I was shocked to hear, there is a shariah opinion that fasting is incomplete without praying Taraweeh!) A lot of favorite activities and fun revolve round it. The notorious virus has denied us all this pleasure of  praying and compelled us to the confines of our homes with our close family instead of the Masjid with its environment of radiance and rapture. But cheer up. With this change in venue, we will be following in the footsteps of our beloved Holy Prophet; an intense desire of every Muslim. Let me explain.

The notorious virus has cast real dark shadows on our activities in  Ramadan and specially on our mosques. An article in New York Times dated April 25, 2020 “A Ramadan Like No Other: Images From Around the World” ( https://nyti.ms/3azQvzP )  has elaborated this point with its  beautiful and graphical photographs from the world over. The image above is one of them, depicting the grand mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina leading the Friday sermon at the empty Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque.

As I was growing up in Mumbai, India, I was constantly bombarded by the advice to take to the mosque for prayers. What about praying at home? “Oh that!” was the reply and added with a wry face, “that will fulfill your obligation to offer the fard but NO MORE.” Fazilat or piety gushes forth only in the masjid. Partly true, any way. But it is also true that sunnah and nawaafil prayers should be offered at home in preference to masjid. We will discuss hereunder this statement  is based on many ahaadith. But not once in my life did I hear this directive to pray nafl at home from any mullah, maulvi, imam or aalim or at any discourse. Obviously, because of conflict of interest. Masjid is the domain and arena of the Ulemaa. It is here that they rule and control. Five times a day, once every Friday and twice a year on Eids the faithful flock and herd dutifully to houses of God. This is the delight and strength of the Ulema. No wonder the stress on the masjid for fard namaz  but complete silence on the house for sunnah and nawaafil. 

Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid is a Syrian scholar and is considered a respected intellectual in the Salafi movement. He has founded the website Islam QA.info which is one of the most popular websites and is according to Alexa.com the world's most popular website on the topic of Islam generally. The issues are discussed rationally, supported by ahaadith with the reference numbers. I take advantage of this website profusely.

 The article “Is it better to offer nawaafil prayers at home or in the mosque? Please quote the evidence (daleel)”   https://islamqa.info/en/answers/22209/it-is-better-to-offer-naafil-prayers-at-home — divulges numerous ahaadith to establish that nawaafil prayers, as a preference should be offered in the house. For brevity I am quoting here just one of them: 

“It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Shaqeeq said: I asked ‘Aa’ishah about the voluntary prayers of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). She said: He used to pray four rak’ahs before Zuhr in my house, then he would go out and lead the people in prayer, then he would come in and pray two rak’ahs. And he used to lead the people in Maghrib prayer, then he would come in and pray two rak’ahs. And he would lead the people in praying ‘Isha’, then he would come into my house and pray two rak’ahs. And he would pray nine rak’ahs of night prayer (qiyaam al-layl), including Witr. He would pray long prayers at night standing and long prayers at night sitting. If he recited Qur’aan standing, he would bow and prostrate from a standing position and if he recited Qur’aan whilst sitting he would bow and prostrate from a sitting position. Wand when dawn came he would pray two rak’ahs.” 

Narrated by Muslim. 730

What is Taraweeh? Is it a Fard, wajib, sunnate mo’kadaa,  sunnate ghair mo’kadaa, nafl or mustahib. Our religion is very simple. Generally, the ibadah are only of two types: Fard: mandatory/obligatory and Nafl:  supererogatory/optional. The former calls for retribution; it is a huge sin if left out; the latter does not; but is endowed with great blessings if performed. If the Holy Prophet has offered a nafl, it naturally becomes a sunnah for us. If he performed it diligently and regularly, its importance for us is enhanced. Therefore our jurists have labelled it as sunnate mo’kadaa. If he was casual about some nawaafil, these were labelled by them as  sunnate ghair mo’kadaa. By this definition Taraweeh is a nafl prayer and a sunnate mo’kadaa because our beloved Holy Prophet performed it routinely and consistently. 

Shaykh Muhammad Saalih Munajjid and his students in response to a question “What is the ruling on a person who does not pray Taraaweeh at all during the month of Ramadaan with no valid excuse? Is there any sin on him because of that?” have stated: “If a Muslim does not pray Taraaweeh, there is no sin on him for that, whether he has an excuse or not, because it is not obligatory. Rather it is a confirmed Sunnah which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did regularly and encouraged the Muslims to do as he said: “Whoever prays qiyaam in Ramadaan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” ( al Bukhaari, 37; Muslim, 760). Further they added  “But the Muslim should not neglect Taraaweeh prayer. If he cannot pray it with the imam in the mosque, then he should pray it at home. If he cannot pray eleven rak’ahs then he should pray as much as he can, even if it is only two rak’ahs, then he should pray Witr.”

As Taraweeh is nafl prayer, it should be offered at home in the first place as per ahaadith quoted earlier. What do the riwayaat say about it. Apart from two or at the most three occasions, the Holy Prophet offered it by himself in his hujra—room—all his life. All the four Guided Caliph did the same, including Umer bin Khattab RA. even though he arranged and organized the congregational taraweeh prayers for a reason during his time. He saw sahaabaa offering taraweeh in masjid-e-nabwi in groups behind different imaam. He therefore appointed a single imaam to lead them and called it a bidat-e-hasanah—a desirable novelty.

Why does collective taraweeh prayers have such an immense appeal and attraction for we Muslims. Many reasons stand out. First, after a days work in the fasting state and a heavy sumptuous Iftar dinner it is very difficult to stand alone in the home for prayers. It is far easier to stand in a row in a crowd in the well lighted and decorated masjid and just listen; no need even to understand what you are listening. I must admit, I am also a culprit here. Through out my professional life, I offered taraweeh in nearby masjid. I was not happy about it. But I was sure, with the long hours and heavy responsibilities during the day, saying twenty rakah by myself was beyond me. May Allah Ta'aala Subhaanahoo forgive me for that. Second and more important is the assumed importance of reciting the full Quran during taraweeh. This obviously cannot be done at home. 

Is it necessary to complete the Quran in taraweeh in Ramadan? Let us look at the relevant ahaadith.  First, ahaadith, as shown hereunder support the very basic and elementary Common Sense of any sixth grader that parroting the Quran cannot be regarded as reciting or reading the Quran. I am sorry for the blunt language, but the situation demands it. Engineer Mohammed Ali Mirza, good and capable aalim in the social media specializes in Hadith. He states that in the full hadith literature there is no mention of  the word “hafiz-e-Quran”. “Sahib-e-Quran is the term used there-in meaning the one who reads, understands and practices the Quran. Second the stress is on reading, understanding and practicing the complete Quran in the full month of Ramadan; but the present day craze is to confine this line and work to taraweeh prayers and that too just listening to rapid voicing and verbalization of our Holy Text.

There are reports in al-Saheehayn which state that Jibreel used to study the Qur'aan with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Ramadaan, and review it with him.” It is derived from this record that “It is better when reciting in Taraweeh to complete the Qur’aan once”. Please note that the report says study, the derivation is saying reciting and the actual practice of  (non-Arab) Muslims is parroting.

On the same basis, it is concluded that completing the Qur’aan in Ramadaan, whether during prayer or outside prayer, is something that is praiseworthy. Jibreel (peace be upon him) used to review the Qur’aan with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) every Ramadaan, and in the Prophet’s last year he reviewed it with him twice.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz, a Saudi Arabian Islamic scholar, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1993 until his death in 1999 has said (15/325): “It may be understood from this that if the imam recites the entire Qur’aan to the congregation during Ramadaan, this is a kind of this studying together, because this lets them benefit from hearing the entire Qur’aan. Hence Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) used to like to complete the Qur’aan with those whom he led in prayer, and this is akin to what the salaf did, namely liking to hear the entire Qur’aan. But this does not mean that he should rush and not be deliberate in his recitation, and not seek to be focused and calm, rather seeking these things is better than seeking to complete it.  (Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 11/331-333 )

It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (27/148): The Hanbalis and most of the Hanafi shaykhs – and it was also narrated by al-Hasan from Abu Haneefah – are of the view that the Sunnah is to complete the Qur’aan in Taraweeh prayer so that the people can hear the entire Qur’aan in that prayer.

Hence, as I understand, it may be stated: it is recommended that recitation of  Quran be completed in the month of Ramadan. It is better and mustahab but not compulsory to complete the Quran in Taraweeh. But the stipulations and restrictions cautioned by the Grand Mufti and highlighted by me completely reject the way and type of congregational taraweeh offered by us in the Indo-Pak subcontinent.

Taraweeh—Individual or Congregational— has been a matter of discussion, debate, or dispute. This problem has been thrashed out very well in the pages of this QA website as a response to three questions:

“I have heard from some people that it is recommended to pray taraweeh individually as the prophet preyed it individually except 3 times, is this true? I also heard that it is a bid'ah to recite the whole Quran during taraweeh in ramadan as the prophet never did this, is this true?”

“Is praying Taraaweeh in congregation considered to be a bid’ah (innovation), because it was not done at the time of the Prophet and the first one who established that was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him)?”

“Is it better to do Taraweeh in congregation in the mosque, or to pray it at home?”

The answers build up into a lot of reading. I have edited some clear and important ones and left the others in the footnotes for the inquiring and inquisitive mind:

Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’, 3/526: Praying Taraweeh is Sunnah according to scholarly consensus… It is permissible to offer this prayer alone or in congregation, but which is better? There are two well-known opinions on this matter. The correct view according to the consensus of our companions is that praying it in congregation is better. The second view is that it is better to pray it individually. 

The author of al-Shaamil said: Abu’l-‘Abbaas and Abu Ishaaq said that praying Taraweeh in congregation is better than praying it individually, because of the consensus of the Sahaabah and the consensus of the scholars of the regions on this point. 

Al-Albaani said in Qiyaam Ramadaan: Rather it (praying Taraweeh in congregation) is better than praying it alone, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did it himself and explained its virtue. I personally would like to comment here that the author does not specify that our beloved Holy Prophet did this in the initial three nights only out of his ten years in Madinah. 

After the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) prayed Taraweeh in small groups or individually, until ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) united them behind a single imam. 

It was narrated that ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Qaari’ said: I went out with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) one night in Ramadaan to the mosque, and the people were scattered, with one man praying by himself and another with a group of men following his prayer. ‘Umar said: “I think that if I gather them behind one reader, it will be better.” Then he decided to unite them behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b. Then I went out with him on another night, and the people were praying behind their reader. Umar said: “What a good innovation this is. But the prayer that they forget about and sleep is better than the one they are offering.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1906.

The view that (congregational) Taraaweeh prayer is a bid’ah is not valid. Rather we should ask whether it was one of the Sunnahs of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, because it was not done at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) but it was done in ‘Umar’s time, or was it one of the Sunnahs of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? 

Some people claim that it (congregational taraweeh)was one of the Sunnahs of ‘Umar, and they base that on the fact that ‘Umar “commanded Ubayy ibn Ka’b and Tameem al-Daari to lead the people in praying eleven rak’ahs.” He went out the same night and saw the people praying, and he said, “What a good innovation this is.” This indicates that it had not previously been prescribed…

Praying Taraweh in congregation in the mosque is better than praying at home. This is indicated by the Sunnah and the actions of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them). Al-Bukhaari (1129) and Muslim (761) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed one night in the mosque, and the people followed him in prayer. Then he prayed the next night, and many people came. Then they gathered on the third or fourth night, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not come out to them. The next morning he said: “I saw what you did, and nothing kept me from coming out to you except the fact that I feared that it would be made obligatory for you.” And that was in Ramadaan. 

This indicates that praying Taraweeh in congregation is prescribed according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he refrained from doing it because he feared that it would be made obligatory for the ummah. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, this reservation was no longer required, because the shariah was established. My personal comments on this opinion, please note: According to all authentic ahaadith, the Holy Prophet prayed in congregation twice (or thrice) in his full life of ten years in Madinah. On the third night (or fourth) he did  not come out of his hujra for the congregation. Based on this data which is accepted by ijma, the above claim “This indicates that praying Taraweeh in congregation is prescribed according to the Sunnah of the Prophet” I dare say sounds very controversial if not mistaken and misleading.

We Muslims can very conveniently and naturally ignore and bypass some fundamentals of our Deen but  we are very sentimental about minor issues and magnify it as a serious issue. Closing or locking the mosque is one example. Deserted images of our Harmain Sharifain is very gloomy and sad. Naturally so. But these are issues governed by facts of life and should not be treated as serious shari’ah issues. An article “Hajj has been cancelled 40 times in history”  https://www.siasat.com/hajj-has-been-cancelled-40-times-history-1874010/   mentions s0me interesting though painful facts. First, it informs us about the Massacre on the Mount Arafat in 865 CE when the conflict between Ismail Bin Yousuf and the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad executed a serious attack on Mountain Arafat looking on to Makkah. This incident caused the killing of thousands of pilgrims who were present there. Second, we are told that Hajj was suspended straight for 10 years between 930-940 CE. In the year 930 A.D., the cancellation  of Hajj took place when the Qarmatian attack happened. Historians claim that Abu Tahir’s army murdered 30,000 pilgrims present in Makkah. The dead bodies were dumped in the Zamzam well. Consequently, the fight between the Abbasi and Fatimid Caliphate caused the cancellation of the Hajj in the year 983. Their politics kept Hajj closed for eight years till 991 CE.The army of Qarmatian also looted the Black Stone. Due to this, the Hajj was canceled until the Muslims retrieved the black stone from Qarmatia.

FOOTNOTES

Firstly: It is prescribed to offer the night prayers in Ramadaan in congregation or individually, but it is better to do it in congregation than to do it individually. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his companions in offering these prayers in congregation on several nights. 

It is proven in al-Saheehayn that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his companions in prayer (Taraweeh) for several nights, then on the third or fourth night he did not come out to them. When morning came he said: “Nothing prevented me from coming out to you except the fact that I feared that it would be made obligatory for you.” 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1129. According to the version narrated by Muslim (761): “But I feared that night prayers would be made obligatory for you and you would not be able to do them.” 

Offering Taraweeh prayer in congregation is something that is established by the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated the reason why he did not persist in offering this prayer in congregation, which is that he feared that it might be made obligatory. This reason cased to be applicable after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, because when he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, the wahy (revelation) ceased and there was no longer any worry that it might be made obligatory. Once the reason, which was the fear of it being made obligatory, disappeared with the cessation of the wahy, then the fact that it is Sunnah to offer this prayer in congregation resumed.  

See al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 4/78. 

Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This indicates that praying qiyaam in Ramadaan is one of the Sunnahs of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and is recommended and encouraged…….Al-Tamheed, 8/108, 109 

After the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) prayed Taraweeh in small groups and individually, until ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) united them behind a single imam. 

It was narrated that ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Qaari’ said: I went out with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) one night in Ramadaan to the mosque, and the people were scattered, with one man praying by himself and another with a group of men following his prayer. ‘Umar said: “I think that if I gather them behind one reader, it will be better.” Then he decided to unite them behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b. Then I went out with him on another night, and the people were praying behind their reader. ‘Umar said: “What a good innovation this is. But the prayer that they forget about and sleep is better than the one they are offering.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1906. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said, when refuting the view of those who quoted Umar’s words “What a good innovation this is” as meaning that innovation (bid’ah) is permissible: With regard to qiyaam in Ramadaan, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) introduced this to his ummah, and he led them in prayer for a number of nights, because at his time they used to pray in congregation and individually. But he did not persist in leading them in one congregation, lest that be made obligatory for them.    Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/234, 235

But this opinion is da’eef (weak), and those who say this are ignoring the reports proven in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)  “led his companions in praying for three nights, and on the third or fourth night he did not lead them, and he said: ‘I am afraid that it may be made obligatory upon you.’” This was narrated by al-Bukhaari (872). According to a version narrated by Muslim, “But I was afraid that prayer at night may be made obligatory upon you, and you would not be able to do it.” (1271).  So it is proven that Taraaweeh is part of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) referred to the reason why he did not persist in it, which was the fear that it might become obligatory; he did not say that it is not prescribed. This fear no longer applied following the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because when he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, the revelation ceased and there was no longer any concern that it might become obligatory. Once the fear that it might become obligatory was no longer present, because the revelation had ceased, then the reason for not doing it was also removed, and so it was restored to its position of being Sunnah. See al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, vol. 4, p. 78. 

So there is no basis for saying that Taraaweeh prayer is not part of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather it is part of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he forsook it for fear that it may be made obligatory upon his ummah. When he died, this concern no longer applied. Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) was distracted by the wars against the apostates and his reign was short, lasting only two years. When the reign of ‘Umar came and the Muslims became secure and victorious, he commanded the people to gather together for Taraaweeh prayers in Ramadaan, as they used to gather with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). All that ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) did was to go back to that Sunnah and revive it. And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Al-Tirmidhi (806) narrated that Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays qiyaam – i.e., Taraweeh – with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the whole night in prayer.”  

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

Al-Bukhaari (2010) narrated that ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Qaari said: I went out with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) to the mosque one night in Ramadaan, and the people were scattered, each man praying by himself. Some men would pray and have groups of people behind them following them. ‘Umar said: “I think that if I unite all these people with one reader, it will be better. Then he resolved to gather them behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b. 

Al-Haafiz said:  Ibn al-Teen and others said that ‘Umar based this decision on the Prophet’s approval of those who prayed with him on those nights. Although he disliked that for them, that was based on the fear that it might be made obligatory for them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, there was no longer any fear of that happening, and ‘Umar thought, because of the potential division that might arise from people praying separately, and because uniting them behind one reader is more motivating for many people. The majority agreed with ‘Umar’s decision. End quote from Fath al-Baari. 

The author of al-Shaamil said: Abu’l-‘Abbaas and Abu Ishaaq said that praying Taraweeh in congregation is better than praying it individually, because of the consensus of the Sahaabah and the consensus of the scholars of the regions on this point. End quote. 

Ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad and Ishaaq favoured praying with the imam during the month of Ramadaan. It says in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: In the book on night prayer (qiyaam): it was said to Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Do you prefer a man to pray with the people in Ramadaan or on his own? He said: He should pray with the people. He said: And I prefer that he should pray with the imam and pray Witr with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a man prays qiyaam with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the rest of the night (in prayer).” Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “He should pray with the people until he prays Witr with them, and he should not leave until the imam leaves. Abu Dawood said: I saw him (Imam Ahmad) – in the month of Ramadaan, praying Witr with his imam, except on one night when I did not attend. Ishaaq (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I said to Ahmad: Is praying qiyaam in Ramadaan in congregation dearer to you or praying on one’s own? He said: I prefer that this prayer should be offered in congregation, so as to revive the Sunnah. And Ishaaq said the same. End quote. See al-Mughni, 1/457. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in Majaalis Shahr Ramadaan, p. 22: 

At first the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray Taraweeh in congregation in the mosque, then he stopped because he feared that it might be made obligatory upon his ummah…  

Then he quoted the two ahaadeeth quoted above. Then he said: 

No man should keep away from Taraweeh prayer lest he misses out on the reward for it. And he should not leave until the imam finishes Taraweeh and Witr, so that he may attain the reward of spending the whole night in prayer. End quote. 

Al-Albaani said in Qiyaam Ramadaan: Rather it (praying Taraweeh in congregation) is better than praying it alone, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did it himself and explained its virtue.  

Rather he did not lead them in praying it in congregation for the rest of the month because he feared that praying at night during Ramadaan might be made obligatory for them, and they would be unable to do that, as it says in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah which is narrated in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere. This concern no longer applied after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died and Allaah had completed Islam. Hence the reason for not praying in congregation when offering night prayers in Ramadaan was no longer present, and the previous ruling remained in effect, which is that it is prescribed to offer this prayer in congregation. Hence ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) revived it, as it says in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and elsewhere. End quote. 

It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (27/138): 

From the time of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and the Muslims regularly offered Taraweeh prayer in congregation. ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) is the one who united the people in offering the prayer behind a single imam. 

Asad ibn ‘Amr ibn Abi Yoosuf said: I asked Abu Haneefah about Taraweeh and what ‘Umar did. He said: Taraweeh is a confirmed Sunnah, and ‘Umar did not base his decision on speculation and he was not introducing bid’ah (an innovation). He did not enjoin it except because of what he knew from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). ‘Umar introduced this and gathered the people behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b and he offered this prayer in congregation, at the time when the Sahaabah – the Muhaajireen and Ansaar – were still alive, and no one among them objected to that, rather they helped him and agreed with him, and also enjoined it. End quote. 

May 5, 2020