Ramadan is a month of ibadah and increasing our closeness to Allah Almighty by increasing in our worship. Whether it is our recitation of the Quran or by doing additional salah. One of these is the tarawih prayer. The tarawih prayer is a sunnah prayer. Abu Huraira narrated: I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be on him) saying regarding Ramadan: “Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari) Is there a set number you have to pray? It is your choice how many rakahs you pray. You may pray 2, or 4. If you want to pray more reward you can pray 20. If you cannot manage 20, you may pray 8. There is leniency, as it is not an obligation. There are some weak narrations that the practice of the Prophet (peace be on him) was to pray 8 rakahs. We know that the Prophet (peace be on him) feared that tarawih would be made an obligation on the Ummah, which they might find difficult to maintain, so he did not pray with them every night. ‘Urwa narrated: That he was informed by `Aisha, “Allah’s Messenger (peace be on him) went out in the middle of the night and prayed in the mosque and some men prayed behind him. In the morning, the people spoke about it and then a large number of them gathered and prayed behind him (on the second night). In the next morning the people again talked about it and on the third night the mosque was full with a large number of people. Allah’s Messenger (peace be on him) came out and the people prayed behind him. On the fourth night the Mosque … Continue reading How many rakahs should I pray for Tarawih?