Q: Would you please give the legal opinion on
the proper way to perform tarawih (special supererogatory night Prayer in Ramadan) according to the Qur'an and Sunnah?
In Uganda, Tarawih is performed as follows: the Imam recites the short Surahs of Qur'an, and says between the pairs of Rak`ahs after Taslim (salutation of peace ending the Prayer) "This is from Allah's grace, favor, and mercy." The Ma'mums (persons being led by an Imam in Prayer) respond saying, "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and our master (peace be upon him). I testify that there is no god but Allah. We ask Allah's Forgiveness. O Allah! We ask You for Paradise and seek refuge with You from Hell-fire. O Allah! You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive us.In the second interval, the Imam says after Taslim, "Glory be to Allah". In reply, the Ma'mums say, "In praise; Glory be to Allah, the Great," three times. The Imam then says, "Allah", "Muhammad", and they respond, "Peace be upon him, I testify that there is no god but Allah... Till the end as mentioned before.In the third interval, the Imam mentions Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthman, and `Aly in addition to the said supplication. When I listened to a live broadcast of Tarawih on the radio of Uganda, I found that it was completely different from the prayer that we perform.Would you please demonstrate the method of performing Tarawih according to authoritative evidence and recommend a book on it?
A: First:
His Eminence Shaykh `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz previously wrote (Part No. 7; Page No. 210) about Tarawih and its merits.
(Part No. 7; Page No. 211) (Part No. 7; Page No. 212) (Part No. 7; Page No. 213) (Part No. 7; Page No. 214) (Part No. 7; Page No. 215) Second: The supplication mentioned in the question and recited by the Imam and Ma'mums after Salah are Bid`ahs (innovations in religion) that neither the Prophet nor his Sahabah (the Prophet's Companions) did. It was authentically narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
Whoever introduces something extraneous to our matter (i.e. Islam), will have it rejected.
(Part No. 7; Page No. 216) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.