The status of memorizers and Scholars
It is a common sight that as soon as the new moon is seen,
people begin to realize the importance of scholars and memorizers and as
soon as Ramadaan is over the importance and status of scholars and memorizers
fades away from their minds. The status of memorizers and Scholars remains
high throughout the year or throughout the life. Ironically, nobody
cares about them. This is a clear sign of negligence towards the matters
of religion and not knowing the importance of religious people. It is reported
in Tibraani that 
i.e. the bearers of the Qur`aan (the scholars and the
memorizers) will be the chieftains of the paradise on the Day of Judgment.
It is recorded in Dailmi that "Bearing is" 
i.e. The bearers of the Qur`aan are the allies of Allah (s.w.t.).
Their enemies are the enemies of Allah (s.w.t.) and those who befriend
them befriend Allah (s.w.t.). <Fataawa Ma'hmoodiyah
>
If one has the capacity to stand for a duration equivalent
to that of Takbeer Ta'hreemah then standing (
)
is obligatory upon him
Some old people are incapable of offering prayer while standing.
For such people, it is permissible to offer the prayer in sitting posture.
However, if such a person has the capability to stand for only a certain number
of raka'aah in the taraawee'h prayer or any obligatory prayer then
it is obligatory upon him to stand at least according to his capacity.
(i.e. if he can bear to stand for one raka'aah in a prayer then
he must stand for the beginning one raka'aah and then he can offer
the following raka'aah while sitting).
The importance of the precious time in the month of Ramadaan
One should recite Qur`aan as much as possible during the month of Ramadaan since worshipping in the month of Ramadaan is much superior to
worshipping for the whole year. It was a practice of the companions of
the holy prophet (s.a.w.) and the second and third generation Muslims that
in the month of Ramadaan, they engaged themselves further in worshipping Allah (s.w.t.). It is reported regarding Imam Abu Hanifa
(Allah's mercy be upon him) that during Ramadaan he used to complete one
reading of Qur`aan in the daytime, one in the night and one in the taraawee'h
prayer. In this way he used to complete a total of 61 readings of Qur`aan.
< ta'h`taawi 'alalmaraaqi page 226>
Tasbee'h before starting the taraawee'h prayer
It has become a ritual in most of the mosques that after
offering the sunnah and supererogatory [nafil] prayers of isha and
before starting the taraawee'h prayer, Mu`adhin or some other person
calls a takbeer of 
. Furthermore, it is thought of as a necessary act. However, there is no text
in Islamic Jurisprudence that supports this takbeer. Anyway, it
is much better to shun such acts on account of its being thought of as
an extremely important and necessary element of the taraawee'h prayer.
<fataawa ma'hmoodiyah >
What intention should be formulated before offering the
taraawee'h prayer?
There is a variety of reports recorded in the books of fiqh
concerning this. It seems much better to formulate the intention specifically
for the taraawee'h prayer. Formulating the intention just for sunnah or
a supererogatory [nafil] will not be sufficient.
<maraaqi ul falaa'h page 122>
<Taataar khaaniyah volume 1 page 658>
Is formulation of intention necessary for every two raka'aah?
If a person is offering prayer behind an Imam, it is not necessary
for him to formulate the intention for every two raka'aah. In fact
formulating the intention for the corresponding twenty raka'aah
is sufficient for the entire taraawee'h prayer.
<'Aalamgiri volume 1 page 116>
<
Taataar Khaaniyah volume 1 page 658>
Offering the taraawee'h prayer in sitting posture without
having a valid excuse
It has been become a general custom that people offer the
taraawee'h prayer while sitting with the misconception that since taraawee'h is a sunnah there is no problem in offering it in sitting posture.
It should be noted that offering the taraawee'h prayer in sitting posture
without having a valid excuse deprives a person of half its reward. 
<'Aalamgiri
volume 1 page 118>
It is detestable [makrooh] to recite fast
The Qur`aan curses the memorizer who does not recite it with
composure and clarity.
People generally believe that mere recital of the Qur`aan
and completion of a cycle of reading is enough. They should realize that
not reciting correctly may cause them to be punished instead of being
rewarded. The act of hasty recitation of the Qur`aan, such that some sounds
of letters are cut off (not pronounced at all) or mispronounced Or performing
individual steps ( rukoo', Sajdah,Qaedah) in such a way that corresponding
body parts do not gradually adjust to the required posture, is detestable
[makrooh].
<'Aalamgiri volume 1 page 117>
< Shaami volume 2 page 47, Taataar Khaaniyah volume 1 page 659>
It is not proper to recite the Qur`aan speedily or to
offer prayer behind a person just because he finishes off fast. (If people
are not able to get an Imam who recites the entire Qur`aan with clarity
and composure then it is better to arrange for someone who recites at
least from 
with clarity. If even that is not possible then it is better to offer the
prayer individually).
The Imamate of the one who shaves his beard
Islamic Jurisprudence [Shariah] has proclaimed wearing
beard as compulsory [waajib]. It is a great custom in Islam. Growing
beard to the length of one fist is compulsory [waajib] and this
is supported by the practice of all the prophets sent by Allah (s.w.t.),
the companions of the holy prophet (s.a.w.) and the second and third generation
Muslims. A person who shaves or trims his beard to less than a fist length
is termed as Faasiq (A sinful person/ A transgressor) in Islamic
Jurisprudence
[shariah]. The Imamate of such a person is detestable
[makrooh].
Appointing such a person as the Imam is not allowed and prayer behind him
is Makrooh ta'hreemi. The prayer offered behind him should be repeated.
< Shaami volume 6 page 407>
< a'hsan ul fataawa volume 3 page 518>
(Note : Makrooh ( A detestable/reprehensible/disliked
act) is divided into two types makrooh ta'hreemi and makrooh tanzeehi. Makrooh Ta'hreemi is an act which is closer to the unlawful (haraam) or
has a greater inclination towards the unlawful side but is not actually
unlawful and makrooh tanzeehi is an act which is reprehensible or detestable
but approaches the lawful i.e. inclines towards the lawful side.")
The Imamate of a person who wears trousers reaching below
his ankles
Great warnings have been recorded, from the holy prophet
(s.a.w.), against a person who extends his trousers or tahband (a
kind of lower garment) below the ankles. Therefore, in the consensus of
the whole ummah, it is decided that appointing such a person as an Imam
is detestable [makrooh]. <A'hsanul Fataawa volume 3 page 296>
What should a person do if he misses a few raka'aah
of congregational taraawee'h prayer?
If a person misses the beginning few raka'aah
of the congregational taraawee'h prayer then he should offer his missed
prayers individually after the witr prayer. He should not miss further
raka'aah
of congregational prayer for offering the missed raka'aah. In any
case, congregational prayer is superior to praying alone.
<'Aalamgiri volume 1 page 116>
<'Aalamgiri volume 1 page 116>
However, if he wants to offer the missed raka'aah
in tarwee'hah (the interval/pause given after every fourth raka'aah)
then he can offer them and there is no harm in doing so.
(Here a few raka'aah refers to a set of two raka'aah
which comprise the set of complete prayers. If a person (Masbooq)
joins the congregation in the middle of the prayer then he should make
up for the missed raka'aah of the same prayer after the Imam says
salaam.
However, if a person misses the entire prayer of two raka'aah then
he should act according to the above mentioned rule).
The Imamate of a mature person whose beard has not grown
yet
The age of majority/maturity is the main criteria for selection
(of an Imam). If a person has crossed the age of puberty but hair of his
beard have not yet grown out then there is no harm in making him
Imam .
<Fataawa Ra'heemiyah page 368 >
The Imamate of a minor
It is not appropriate to appoint a minor as the Imam irrespective
of whether the prayer is obligatory or sunnah. To this, some people raise
an objection that if he does not recite Qur`aan in the taraawee'h prayer
then he may forget it. The solution is, if he wants to retain the
Qur`aan in his mind by reciting it during the taraawee'h prayer then he
can lead other minors in the taraawee'h prayer.
<Shaami volume 1 page 576>
The Imamate of a woman
The Imamate of a woman is detestable [makrooh] regardless
of those following her or praying behind her.( i.e. no matter whether the
followers are all women or a group of men and women, the Imamate of a woman
is detestable [makrooh].)
<Shaami volume 1 page 592>
<
maala budda minhu (a persian book based on Islamic law) page 35>
The Imamate of a blind person
The reason for considering the Imamate of a blind person
as detestable [makrooh] is his lesser rank in the society and mistrust
of people upon him. However if people trust him and he is careful in keeping
himself clean then there is no reason to detest his Imamate.
<Shaami volume 1 page 560>
Note: Allaamah Shaami (an eminent hanafite Jurist) has
exemplified the Imamate of Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktoom (r.a.a.) and Uthmaan
(r.a.a.), to support the ruling that "The Imamate of a blind person who
is careful in keeping himself clean is not detestable [makrooh]"
The problems with the Imamate of women
It is true that women and girls who memorized the Qur`aan
get an opportunity of retaining it (in their minds) by leading the taraawee'h
prayer. However, there are a number of evils associated with the Imamate
of a woman. Like if she is called for leading the taraawee'h prayer in
someone's house, it is possible for men in that house to hear her voice
when in reality, a woman is a being who is commanded to be concealed. It
is commanded to conceal even her voice. If amplifier is arranged then undoubtedly
her voice will reach the non-ma'hram men outside the house. Such are the
conflicts and difficulties that arise in these situations. Moreover, it
is a rule of shariah that if something involves both benefits and
harms then the harm is given priority (weight) in deriving the conclusion. There are various situations where
this rule can be applied. e.g. Consuming alcohol involves both advantages
and disadvantages. Its advantages include large profits in its business,
it is a good appetizer, keeps the body warm and its disadvantages include
depression, loss of self-control, a person becomes delirious and abusive
and so on. All these disadvantages have been included in the annotation
of 
Similar concept is explained in the passage concerning
Mafsadah and Masla'hah in the book tafseer al jaami'ul a'hkaam lil
qurtubi page 53, page 55 al ashbaah wannazaa`ir.
All in all, the Imamate of a woman is detestable [makrooh].
Sitting of followers while the Imam is reciting
It is a common sight that when the Imam starts the prayer
and begins recital, only a few people join the congregation while others
stay behind waiting (for the Imam to go into ruku'). Some are seen sitting
and conversing while some others are seen lying and taking rest. These
people join the congregation only at the time of ruku'. Such an act of
delaying until the Imam goes into ruku' thinking that they can anyhow catch
up in the first raka'aah, is detestable [makrooh]. Moreover,
such persons will be deprived of the rewards of listening to the recital
of the Qur`aan within the taraawee'h prayer.
<Shaami volume 2 page 48>
Keep in mind that descent of blessings in return of
the recital of Qur`aan is bound by the condition that one listens to it.
< Al-Qur`aan surah a'raaf>
In'saat means "remaining silent". Gossiping while sitting
in the back is detestable [Makrooh] because the obligation of listening
to the recitation of the holy Qur`aan is not offered.
Taraawee'h follows the isha prayer
Taraawee'h is validated only by the correct offering of isha
prayer. If for some reason the isha prayer is invalidated by the Imam and
this is realized later after offering the taraawee'h prayer then it is
necessary to repeat both the isha and the taraawee'h prayer. There is no
need to repeat witr. < Fataawa Ma'hmoodiyah volume 2 page 352>
Going into ruku' directly after performing prostration of
recital
Sometimes, the Imam recites a verse of prostration, performs
the prostration of recital, stands up and directly goes into ruku' without
any further recital. Such an act is detestable [makrooh]. To avoid
this situation one can practice this way. Suppose the last verse of Surah
A'raaf 
is recited and prostration is performed then after standing up, recite
at least three verses of surah infaal and then perform ruku' (instead
of going directly into ruku').
If the surah ends in two or three verses after the verse
of prostration then one can perform ruku' after the completion of surah.
e.g. if he recited the verse 
in surah Bani Israa-eel he can perform ruku' after the completion of surah
or he can start another surah not feeling necessary to go into ruku'.
<badaa`i'u's'sana`h
volume 1 page 188>
Offering two raka'aah individually after each set
of two
raka'aah
Some people offer two raka'aah individually after
every two
raka'aah (offered in congregation). Such an act is based
on ignorance. 'Allaamah Khairuddeen Ramali has strongly condemned
this act.
.
'Allaamah 'Halbi has counted this in detestable [makrooh]
deeds. <min'hatul khaaliq volume 2 page 69>
Note: In this book, wherever the word "detestable [makrooh]"
occurs alone, it refers to makrooh ta'hreemi (unless specifically
mentioned). Any prayer that is offered with a makrooh ta'hreemi method
is Waajibul-i'daa` and repeating it becomes necessary. 
<ta'h'taawi
page 134>
<shaami volume 1 page 457>
There is no harm if the Imam pauses the recital while the
prompter is correcting his mistake
During the taraawee'h prayer, it may happen that the Imam
forgets a verse or gets confused due to fear of incorrect recitation.
In such a case when a follower is prompting at his mistake (reminding him
of his error and trying to correct his mistake), it is permissible for
the Imam to pause during it. Such a pause, on account of its necessity,
will not invalidate the prayer. <Fataawa Ra'heemiyah
volume 4 page 393>
The extent of recitation in the taraawee'h prayer
Some memorizers recite more in the first eight raka'aah
while the remaining 12 raka'aah contain very less recitation. One
should follow a procedure that does not lead to hardship upon people (i.e.
Appropriate distribution of the amount of recitation throughout the twenty
raka'aah
keeps the followers active and enthusiastic otherwise they may easily get
tired and exhausted.).
<Al-Ba'hrurraa-iq volume 2 page 68>
Note: It is advisable for old people to pray taraawee'h
at a place where they can tolerate the quantity of recitation say one and
a half to two sections. Some Imams practice "First more-later less recitation" for these old people while some others recite more quantity per day until
two third of the month of Ramadaan and then the amount of recitation declines
to half a section. (For example a memorizer who was expected to recite
one and a half section each day in the taraawee'h prayer recites 2 sections
each day until the twentieth of Ramadaan and then decreases the quantity
to half a section per day). Such an improper distribution might be burdensome
upon the people. This problem should be brought into focus.
Distracting the Imam with wrong prompts
Some prejudiced memorizers confuse or distract the Imam by
giving wrong prompts or by clearing throat or saying a takbeer etc.
This is termed as
(To make a Muslim commit an error). Shaari' Alaihissalaam has forbidden
such acts. 
<Mishakaat
shareef page 35>
Thus it is necessary to refrain from such acts <Fataawa
Daarul 'uloom volume 4 page 258>
The Imam sits forgetfully after the prostration of first
raka'aah
If the Imam sits instead of standing up ()
after the prostration of first raka'aah and then rises up immediately
after the followers prompt him then the prostration of forgetfulness (
)
depends upon the time for which the Imam stayed in the sitting posture.
e.g. if he kept sitting for the amount of time equivalent to that of performance
of one step in the prayer (e.g. equivalent to reciting 
)
then he must offer the prostration of forgetfulness ()
however if he sits for a lesser amount of time then prostration of forgetfulness
() is
not compulsory for him.
<Shaami page 102 >
<Shaami volume 1 page 438>
The recitation in an invalidated prayer
Most people believe that the recitation of an invalidated
prayer need not be repeated. If the prayer of the Imam is invalidated due
to some reason (like he said salaam in the first raka'aah
itself or said salaam in the third raka'aah or did not
sit after second
raka'aah or due to some other reason) then it is
necessary to repeat the recitation of the invalidated prayer otherwise
"recitation of the entire Qur`aan in the taraawee'h prayer " will not take
place. Since listening to the complete Qur`aan in the taraawee'h prayer
is a sunnah and one of the prayers has been invalidated, the recitation
in that prayer will be unreliable (i.e. recitation is invalidated too).
<Taataar Khaaniyah volume 1 page 660>
What should a person do if he forgets to recite a verse/some
verses?
Sometimes a memorizer may forget to recite a verse or may
omit a verse because he is unable to remember it and sometimes he may jump
across an entire surah. In all these cases, he should repeat the missed
verses. If he forgot to recite a verse and proceeded only to a few more
verses then he should begin from where he missed and continue from there
so as to preserve the sequence of surahs in the Qur`aan. However if he
proceeded too far and then realized that a certain verse or surah was forgotten/missed
then he should pause at his current recital and recite the missed verse/surah
and then resume the current recitation so as to preserve the sequence of
surahs in the Qur`aan which was determined by Allah (s.w.t.).
<Taataar Khaaniyah volume 1 page 660>
Sitting after second raka'aah and saying salaam
after third
raka'aah
If the Imam sits in Qaedah after second raka'aah
and by mistake stands up for third raka'aah, then if he realizes
it before the prostration of third raka'aah then he should directly
go back to sitting posture and offer the prostration of forgetfulness ()
and end the prayer and if he does not realize his mistake and says salaam
after third raka'aah then his first two raka'aah and the
recitation in the first two raka'aah remain valid but the third
raka'aah
and its recitation are invalidated. Therefore, he should repeat the recitation
of this third raka'aah in his next prayer.
<Shaami page 79 volume 2>
Forgot to sit after second raka'aah and said salaam
after third raka'aah
If the Imam forgets to sit after second raka'aah and
says salaam after third raka'aah then all the three
raka'aah and their recitation are invalidated. He must repeat the
prayer along with its recitation.
<imdaadul fataawa
volume 1 page 498>
Sitting after second raka'aah and saying salaam
after fourth
raka'aah
If the Imam sits after second raka'aah, continues
to the third and fourth raka'aah and says salaam then all
the four
raka'aah along with their recitation will be considered
valid. <Imdaadul Fataawa page 498 volume 1>
Not sitting after second raka'aah and saying salaam
after fourth
raka'aah
If the Imam forgets to sit after second raka'aah and
continues unto fourth raka'aah and then sits mistaking it to be
second raka'aah and says salaam then the first two raka'aah
and their recitation are invalidated while the last two raka'aah
along with their recitation are valid. The first two raka'aah should
be repeated along with their recitation.
<imdaadul
fataawa volume 1 page 497>
When should a masbooq stand up to complete his prayer?
(A Masbooq is a person who misses one or more raka'aah
of congregational prayer i.e. he joins the congregation after one or more
raka'aah
are completed)
Masbooq should stand up for offering the missed
raka'aah
only after ensuring the completion of the Imam's prayer. Sometimes a person
stands up to offer the missed raka'aah soon after the Imam says
first salaam when in fact this first salaam could be meant for
prostration of forgetfulness ()
. If such a situation arises then the follower must immediately go back
and catch up with the Imam. <Fataawa Ma'hmoodiyah
volume 2 page 356>
The Imam says salaam before masbooq could complete
his Attha'hiyyath
If a person joins the congregational prayer so late that
before he could finish reciting Attha'hiyyath the Imam said
salaam,
then he should rise up only after completing his Attha'hiyyath.
It is makrooh ta'hreemi to stand up without completing the Attha'hiyyath.
This is one of the most common mistakes among the followers. This problem
needs some attention.
Tasbee'h after every two raka'aah
Reciting 
or a similar tasbee'h after each set of two raka'aah is neither
proven by a'haadeeth nor by the practice of companions nor is it specified
in the books of fiqh. Such a practice is a mere ritual innovated by people.
It is necessary to stop such practices. Moreover, reciting such a tasbee'h
also demands sitting for a while and proof of such pause [tarwee'hah]
after two raka'aah is not available in any book. <Fataawa
Ra'heemiyah volume 4 page 290>
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