The Tarawih Prayer
As is narrated by Nadr Ibn-i Shayban, may Allah be pleased with him, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, said:
Allah ordained fasting in Ramadan as fard (obligatory) on you, and I ordained it as sunnah (an act which the Prophet performed; not required but carries much reward) on you to stay awake at night to pray tarawih (extra prayers in Ramadan after the Isha/Night prayer) and to recite/read the Qur'an.Whoever fasts the Ramadan fast, believing and acting with sincerity and expecting its reward only from Allah; and stays awake at its night and performs the tarawih prayer and reads/recites the Qur'an, he becomes purified of his/her sins just as on the day s/he was born of his/her mother. (Nasai, Siyam: 40; Musnad, 1:195)
The prayer of tarawih is a beautiful type of worship, which adds meaning to and enlightens the nights of Ramadan. Believers cleanse their hearts with this spiritual aura.
Moreover, at the table of iftar (a meal eaten by Muslims breaking their fast after sunset during the month of Ramadan), a heaviness settles on the body. Yet, thanks to the prayer of tarawih, this trouble wears off, digestion becomes easier, and one finds bodily and spiritual relief.
The prayer of tarawih is a muakkad (strong) sunnah for all male and female Muslims.
The prayer of tarawih is the sunnah of waqt (time) not of fasting. Therefore, those who could not fast on such grounds as illness and journey should also try to perform the prayer of tarawih.
The prayer of tarawih means enlivening, evaluating the night and passing the whole night with worship.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) expresses this truth in one of his hadiths as follows:
The one who completes the prayer of tarawih with the imam acquires so much reward as if one has passed that whole night with worship. (Tirmidhi, Ibn-i Majah, Ibn-i Huzayma)
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