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Fatwa ID: | 87755 |
Title: | Taraweeh prayers in the midst of the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic |
Category: | Prayer |
Scholar: | AMJA Resident Fatwa Committee |
Date: | 04/23/2020 |
Concerning Taraweeh prayers in the midst of the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic
In the name of Allah,
the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy
All praise is due to Allah, and may His peace and blessings
be upon His Messenger, his family, his Companions, and those who followed.
The Resident Fatwa Committee of AMJA has received several
questions concerning Taraweeh (tarāweeḥ) prayers in the midst of the COVID-19/coronavirus
pandemic as well as the stay-at-home orders which have been imposed on people
to varying degrees. We ask Allah to relieve the world of this disease and to
bring about from it a good outcome.
First, there is a consensus among Islamic
scholars that Taraweeh prayer is a recommended supererogatory act of worship as
well as a confirmed Sunnah. Muslims, past and present, have been very keen on
performing this act of worship in compliance with the hadith of the Prophet
Mohammad (pbuh), which is narrated in both Bukhari and Muslim, in which he said,
“Whoever stands up for prayers during (any) nights of Ramadan out of sincere
faith and hoping for a reward from Allah (SWT), then all their past sins will
be forgiven.”
Second, performing Taraweeh prayers in a
congregation inside the mosque is a supererogatory Sunnah. The scholars have
differed as to whether praying it individually in one’s home is superior to
praying it in a congregation inside the mosque. However, the correct opinion is
that performing it in a congregation inside the mosque is superior to
performing it individually at home. This view is held by a majority of Muslim
jurists from the Ḥanafi, Shāfi‘i, and Ḥanbali schools of thought
(madhāhib),
as well as some Māliki jurists. Nevertheless, contrary to the view held by
some, performing Taraweeh prayers in congregation inside the mosque is not a
condition for the prayer’s validity.
The proofs demonstrating that praying Taraweeh in a
congregation is legislated in Islam are:
- The
fact that the Prophet (pbuh) – as mentioned in the hadith narrated by ‘Ā’ishah
(may Allah be pleased with her) that was recorded by both Bukhari and
Muslim – was the first to establish praying Taraweeh in a congregation
inside the mosque. He prayed it that way for about three or four nights,
and then stopped doing it, as he explained, because he feared it might
become obligatory for his Ummah to pray it in that manner (i.e., inside
the mosque and in congregation).
- The hadith
compiled by al-Tirmidhi and narrated by Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased
with him, in which the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Whoever stands with the imam
(in Taraweeh prayer) until he finishes, it is equivalent to spending the
whole night in prayer.” This hadith was used as a proof by Imam Ahmad that
praying Taraweeh in congregation is superior to praying it individually.
- The
performance of Taraweeh prayers in this manner was also the way of the
rightly guided Caliphs, starting with ‘Umar, and this tradition was
maintained by our righteous predecessors who succeeded the Companions, may
Allah be pleased with them all. Bukhari narrates in his Saheeh, that “when
‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, saw the people praying independently
in scattered groups, he united them behind one imam.”
Third, the current circumstances resulting
from the novel coronavirus pandemic have resulted in restrictions being placed
on gatherings, as well as rules being set in place obligating people to
maintain social distancing while wearing face masks in public. These guidelines
were set in order to prevent contagion and to limit the spread of COVID-19/Coronavirus.
Based on these circumstances, we believe that everyone should follow the
guidelines set by their specialized and reliable health and government agencies
with regard to the number of people that may gather in one place and the manner
in which they may gather. We should stick to these guidelines even if that were
to result in being unable to host Taraweeh prayers in the mosque, or being
permitted to do so while having to greatly limit the number of congregants allowed
inside the mosque at any given time. The latter, if permitted, should be done
in order to ensure that the mosques remain filled with the remembrance of Allah
and the establishment of salat (prayer) in this blessed month, all the while
following the guidelines set by the local authorities.
Fourth, for anyone who is unable to pray
Taraweeh in congregation inside the mosque, that person may pray it at home,
either individually or in a congregation with the members of his/her household.
And we hope that those who do so with the right intention will earn a
multiplied reward while praying at home, because they were prevented (from
going to the mosque) by a valid excuse after having been accustomed to
attending congregational Taraweeh prayers before. That is in addition to the
reward they will gain for leading the members of their household in prayer, as
well as for the care one demonstrates for them by doing so. He/She will also be
rewarded for lessening the harm which could reach other Muslims (from the virus),
as well as for limiting the overall spread of this disease as much as possible
(by staying at home).
Muslims should bear in mind in these circumstances that the
Prophet (pbuh) used to pray Taraweeh in his house, as mentioned previously in
the hadith of ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), except for the few
nights that he prayed it in the mosque for the purpose of demonstrating to the
Ummah the permissibility of doing so. They should also bear in mind, as
previously mentioned, that the Companions would pray Taraweeh individually and
severally in scattered groups until ‘Umar gathered them under one imam. As Ibn
Shihāb
mentioned, “The Prophet (pbuh) passed away, and the people were doing this
(i.e., not praying Taraweeh in congregation behind a single imam). This
continued throughout the Caliphate of Abu Bakr, and the early years of the
Caliphate of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both.”
Fifth, completing the recitation of the entire
Quran in Taraweeh prayers is not a must, though it is preferred to do so
whenever possible, as demonstrated in the narration by Abu Hurairah, may Allah
be pleased with him, in which he said, “Gabriel would review the Quran with the
Prophet (pbuh) once every year, but in the year in which he passed away, he
reviewed it with him twice.” Ibn al-Atheer said in his book, Al-Jāmi‘
fi Ghareeb al-Hadīth, that this means “Gabriel would review with him (pbuh)
everything that was revealed of the Quran.” (Bukhari)
We also know, through mass concurrent reporting, that the
pious predecessors were very keen on reciting the Quran often, frequently
completing it from cover to cover, in the month of Ramadan. However, we do not
know of any scholar who has stated that it is mandatory to complete the Quran
in Taraweeh prayers or in the night prayers of Ramadan, nor has anyone made the
claim that it is a condition for the prayers to be valid.
In addition, it is permissible to recite the shorter soorahs
in his/her prayer, or any verses (āyāt) that are easy for him/her
to recite. He/She can even repeat the verses over and over in their prayer
based on their own individual ability and capacity, because Allah (SWT) says,
“Allah does not burden a soul with more than it can bear.” This is also proven
from the āyah
(verse) in which Allah (SWT) says, “Indeed, your Lord knows [O Muhammad], that
you stand [in prayer] almost two-thirds of the night or half of it or a third
of it, and [so do] a group of those with you. And Allah determines [the extent
of] the night and the day. He has known that you [Muslims] will not be able to
do it and has turned to you in forgiveness, so recite what is easy [for you] of
the Quran…” (al-Muzzammil 73:20). Furthermore, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “When I
command you to do something, do it to the best of your ability.”
It is also narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās,
that the Prophet (pbuh) said, ”If anyone prays at night reciting ten verses, he
will not be recorded among the negligent; if anyone prays at night and recites
a hundred verses, he will be recorded among those who are obedient to Allah;
and if anyone prays at night reciting one thousand verses, he will be recorded
among those who receive huge rewards.” (Abu Dāwood)
It is also permissible to repeat the soorah, or the āyāt
(verses) that they recited, in both units of prayer (rak‘āt).
In addition, they may compensate for their shorter recitations by making plenty
of du‘a (supplication), tasbeeḥ (glorification), and by prolonging
their rukoo‘ (bowing) and sujood (prostration), as well as by increasing their
levels of khushoo’ (submissiveness and attentiveness) in prayer.
Bukhari records on the authority of Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri,
may Allah be pleased with him, that a man heard another man reciting Soorat al-Ikhlāṣ
repeatedly. The next morning, he came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and
informed him about (what he had heard), as if he considered it to be of little
reward. On that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "By Him in Whose Hand is
my soul, this soorah is equal to one third of the Qur'an.” It was also reported
in another narration that Abu Sa‘eed said, “A man performed the night prayer late
at night, during the lifetime of the Prophet (pbuh) and he read 'Say: He is
Allah, (the) One,' (112:1) and read nothing beside that...”.
It was also reported authentically by al-Nasā’i
as well as Ibn Mājah, on the authority of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased
with him, that the Prophet (pbuh) stood reciting a verse and repeating it until
morning came. That āyah was: “If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if
You forgive them, verily You, only You, are the Almighty, the All-Wise” (Al-Mā’idah
5:118).
Sixth, it is permissible, according to the
more correct view of the scholars, for the person praying Taraweeh – whether
leading others as an imam or while praying alone – to recite the Quran in their
prayer while reading from a muṣ-ḥaf (printed copy of the
Quran). This opinion is held by Māliki, Shāfi‘i, as well as Ḥanbali
jurists. The proof for this opinion is found in the narration mentioned in
Bukhari (which he transmits in a seemingly suspended [mu‘allaq] chain, though
it is in fact connected based on Bukhari’s affirmative word) as well as by al-Baihaqi,
in a connected chain of narration attributed to ‘Ā’ishah, may Allah be pleased
with her, that her male servant, Dhakwān, would lead her in prayer in Ramadan
while reading from a muṣ-ḥaf. In addition, al-Zuhri stated, “The best of us
would recite the Quran while reading from a muṣ-ḥaf.” If he/she were to place
the muṣ-ḥaf in front of them while praying – and recite from it without holding
it or making any extra movements in their prayer – their prayer would be valid
according the majority of Muslim jurists from the various schools of thought
(madhāhib).
Seventh, it is not permissible for a woman to
lead a man in Taraweeh prayers, according to the correct opinion among
scholars, even if the man she is leading is unmarriageable to her (maḥram).
Al-Shāfi‘i
mentioned in Al-Umm, “If a woman were to lead men, other women, and male
children in prayer, then the prayer of the women would be valid, however the
prayer of the men and male children would be invalid.” She can, however, lead
woman and children who are still under the age of discernment, according to the
correct scholarly opinion, because it is related that ‘Ā’ishah and Umm Salamah, may
Allah be pleased with them both, led other woman in prayer (as reported
authentically by al-Dāraqutni and al-Baihaqi).
The Sunnah in this regard is for the woman to pray in her own
row – even if she is praying with an unmarriageable man (maḥram)
– based on the narration in Bukhari and Muslim reported on the authority of Mālik,
from Is-ḥāq
ibn Abi Ṭalḥa,
from his father, from Anas ibn Mālik, in which he describes the prayer in
which the Prophet (pbuh) led him (Anas), the orphan, and Anas’ grandmother, Maleekah.
He said, “Allah's Messenger (pbuh) stood up while I and the orphan formed a row
behind him (the Prophet) and the old woman (Maleekah) was behind us: the
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) led us in two units of prayer and then went back
(home).” If a woman were to pray at the side of (instead of behind) her maḥram,
whether in an obligatory or supererogatory prayer, then her prayer is valid
according to the vast majority of scholars, though it would not be in line with
the Sunnah.
Eighth, it is not correct to pray behind a
remote imam, even if the prayer is being broadcast live with video and audio via
television or the Internet. The only exception would be is if this is done
within the confines of the mosque or in an enclosure(s) attached to the mosque,
or if the gap between the imam and the congregation is relatively small, though
Muslim jurists have disagreed over the permissible length of that gap.
This view is not meant to discourage the use of modern
technology and the latest methods of communication; rather, we encourage using
it in a manner that is in line with the spirit of Islamic law (Shari’a) and its
objectives. However we forbid using it for the purpose of praying behind a
remote imam or to pray with a virtual congregation that he/she (the worshipper)
is physically disconnected from and is only connected with through a broadcast
live feed. This is for the following reasons:
1)
The understood implication
of a “congregational prayer” necessitates that the congregants gather in the
same place, and not simply at the same time. This understanding is not
actualized in a ”virtual congregation,” which entails a physical separation of
the worshippers and results in them not having witnessed the actual
congregational prayer in the mosque: in reality, they are absent from it.
2)
This form of prayer goes
against the objectives for which the Shari’a legislated congregation prayers, because
it:
a)
does not involve the ritual
walk one takes to get to the mosque;
b)
does not lead to bringing
about unity and harmony among Muslims by congregating them together for it; and
c)
does not promote “the
mutual enjoining of righteousness and God-consciousness” (al-ta‘āwun ‘ala
al-birri wa al-taqwā).
3)
It is not permissible for
the gap between the rows in salat to be such a long distance, with buildings
and roads acting as dividers between them, and resulting in the “virtual
congregants” not being a part of the actual congregation, either in a literal
or an Islamically legal sense. Acting upon this understanding has been the
practice of the Muslims throughout history. This is also the opinion of the
four followed madhāhib (with the exception of a few Māliki jurists). It has been a
while since the advent of radio and television broadcasting, and since then you
would hardly find a major scholar, legal expert (mufti), or fiqh committee anywhere
permitting this innovated form of prayer, with the exception of a handful of
people of knowledge who inferred its permissibility from the madh-hab of Imam Mālik.
However, this view never became widespread, nor was it ever acted upon
throughout the Muslim world, to the point that this matter (of not permitting
such a view) has reached a level closer to the practical consensus of the
Muslims. It has always been the case around the world that if Muslims wish at
any time to pray in congregation, they would go to a mosque, not to a radio or
television set. We appreciate the view of those who say that this ijtihād
(reasoning) is specific to the current pandemic; however, we nonetheless
disagree with this view and prohibit it because it is an innovation in
religion. The Islamic Shari’a offers expansive ease and alternatives that are enough
for us not to have to resort to such an ijtihād. All the benefits this view
claims to offer are hypothetical, and can be attained in other than this form
of prayer, which in itself contradicts the Islamic understanding of
congregational prayer. In addition, anyone who permits such virtual
congregations must be willing to allow worshippers to pray behind the imam of
any mosque that shares his/her time zone, even if that mosque is in a different
country altogether. Simply being able to entertain such an idea as a result of
holding this opinion should be enough to demonstrate its weakness and deviation
from what is accepted.
4)
The worshipper joining in
on a virtual congregational prayer does not know his/her position in relation
to the imam and whether or not he/she is standing ‘in front’ of him during the
prayer. This is consequential, because standing in front of the imam nullifies
the prayer according to many Muslim jurists. We cannot use the Ḥaram
Mosque (in Mecca) as a basis to deduce a proof by analogy (qiyās)
in order to permit such a prayer. Such an analogy would be flawed because the Ḥaram
Mosque has clear distinct features about it that make it incomparable with any
other mosque.
5)
There is a possibility that
the live broadcast can be interrupted or cut off altogether (due to technical
difficulties). In addition, there is usually a buffer involved in transmitting
sound via broadcast, which results in a delay from the time the imam actually
performs his rukoo‘ and sujood and the time the worshipper at home actually
hears it, thereby resulting in the inability to properly follow the imam in prayer.
6)
Furthermore, if we permit
virtual congregational prayers through broadcast at this time, it will be used
as a pretext to continue permitting these forms of prayer even after this
pandemic ends. People will choose to attend Jumu‘ah and other congregational
prayers through broadcast in their places of residence and/or work, thereby
resulting in a failure to fulfill the intent of the Legislator (Allah) in
congregating the Muslims in the houses that He has permitted to be raised so
that His Name be mentioned therein (i.e., the mosques).
7)
It should not be said this
is a temporary concession, limited to Taraweeh, and is only being done out of
fear of spreading the Coronavirus. Truly, there is no need for such innovations
that are contrary to the intents of the Shari’a, because Taraweeh prayer, at
the end of the day, is a Sunnah that we are permitted to perform at home. We
have also demonstrated how the expansive ease of the Shari’a has made it
possible for most Muslims to perform this prayer in their homes, with their
families.
8)
The fact that there are
prayer spaces (muṣallah) situated around the Ḥaram of Mecca wherein people
pray while following the Imam of the Ḥaram – though they are disconnected
from the actual mosque – is a unique situation specific to the Ḥaram
Mosque and cannot be used as a basis to validate, by analogy, “virtual
congregations” via Internet or television broadcast. We say that for the
following two reasons:
a)
The aforementioned salat which take place in
prayer spaces around the Ḥaram’s vicinity are restricted to the hotels overlooking
and surrounding the Ḥaram. Those who permit this type of salat do so due to the
intense congestion in the Ḥaram, and because the prayer rows are still connected with
one another in this case. They do not permit it simply because the broadcast is
being transmitted live from the Ḥaram Mosque.
b)
Following the Imam of the Ḥaram
in this case is not being made possible through television or radio broadcast,
rather it is because the sound is reaching them in the surrounding hotel prayer
spaces directly from the Ḥaram itself. So it is as if these hotel prayer spaces are
extensions of the Ḥaram. In addition, the administration of the Ḥaram
Mosque does not provide this service to hotels located away from the Ḥaram,
nor would you find anyone inside such remote hotels praying behind the Imam of
the Ḥaram
in any prayer.
In conclusion, we would like to say that we value the
eagerness of many to participate in congregational Taraweeh prayers. However,
Allah (SWT) sometimes tests His servants in order to extract from them various
forms of servitude to Him. Thus, they have the opportunity to demonstrate
different stations of devoutness and worship through which they may perfect
their servitude to Him, all the while remedying their souls and strengthening
their faith. These objectives can be achieved by:
- Striving
to make the performance of salat in and of itself our ultimate goal, with
our ambitions directed toward it and away from that which can render our
intentions impure, such as seeking to socialize with others in the
congregation, which tends to occur in congregational Taraweeh prayers in
the mosque.
- Using
this situation as a catalyst to sit down and look at ourselves critically
with respect to our relationship with the Quran. Indeed, this tribulation
has demonstrated that we need to spend more time with the Quran, in learning
it, memorizing it, and improving our recitation of it.
And Allah knows best.