Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu alaikum wa rahamathulla wa barkathahu

I would like to know about the Tarawee prayers of ramzan mubarak for the women. The Niyath to be made

The Suras in the rakats If after some rakats, there is a mistake in some rakats, should the complete prayer be repeated. when women are alone at home, can they attend any phone call or door bell in between.

Khuda Hafiz 

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Answer:

Tarawih prayers for women

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: I would like to know about the Tarawee prayers of ramzan mubarak for the women.

Abu Hurairah reports that the Prophet (saws) would encourage people to perform the special night prayers during Ramadan (tarawih) without commanding them as obligatory and he (saws) said: "Whoever prays during the nights of Ramadan [tarawih] with a firm belief and hoping for reward, all of his previous sins would be forgiven."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) encouraged the believing men and the believing women to observe the ‘tarawih’ or voluntary night prayers of Ramadan. The ‘tarawih’ prayers are voluntary and supererogatory and may be observed alone at one’s home or in congregation in the mosques.

Your Question: The Niyath to be made

Before one starts any prayer, one should make intention in one’s heart regarding the prayer one is about to offer, and thus the ‘neeyah’ or intention of the Tarawih prayer should be make likewise. There is absolutely no condition or obligation to make a verbal ‘neeyah’ or intention for the ‘tarawih’ or any other prayers as that was not the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws); the intention in one’s heart would more than suffice to fulfill the obligation of ‘neeyah’.

Your Question: The Suras in the rakats

There is no mention of the recitation of any particular Surah or verses of the Glorious Quran when offering the ‘tarawih’ prayer in the authentic and established traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws); thus one may recite any Surahs or Verses from the Glorious Quran preferably in a descending order of its compilation.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.88

Dhakwan, the protege of 'Aishah, would lead her in prayer during Ramadan while reciting from a copy of the Qur'an.

Related by Malik.

It is absolutely permissible to recite the Verses of the Quran from one’s memory as well as reciting the Quran by looking at a copy of the Quran in any voluntary or supererogatory prayer.

Your Question: If after some rakats, there is a mistake in some rakats, should the complete prayer be repeated.

Just as in any prayer regardless of whether obligatory or voluntary, if one makes a fundamental error in any of the obligatory parts of prayer like praying without wudu, or not reciting Surah Fatihah in the rakah, etc.; then indeed one would have to repeat the prayer. But if one makes an error in any of the non-obligatory parts in prayer, one should perform the ‘sajdah-sahu’ or ‘prostration of forgetfullness’ at the end of the prayer as was the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws). The ‘sajdah-sahu’ or prostrations of forgetfulness would suffice as atonement for any unintentional error made during prayer and one would not need to repeat the prayer again.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.394 Narrated by Abdullah

The Prophet (saws) prayed (and the sub-narrator Ibrahim) said, "I do not know whether he prayed more or less than usual"), and when he (saws) had finished the prayers he was asked, "O Allah's Messenger (saws)! Has there been any change in the prayers?" He (saws) said, "What is it?' The people said, "You (saws) have prayed so much and so much." So the Prophet (saws) bent his legs, faced the Qibla and performed two prostration's (of Sahu) and finished his prayers with Taslim (by turning his face to right and left saying: "As-Salamu'Alaikum-Warahmat-ullah"). When he (saws) turned his face to us he (saws) said, "If there had been anything changed in the prayer, surely I would have informed you but I am a human being like you and liable to forget like you. So if I forget remind me and if anyone of you is doubtful about his prayer, he should follow what he thinks to be correct, and complete his prayer accordingly and finish it and do two prostrations (of Sahu)."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.324 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "When anyone of you stands for the prayers, Satan comes and puts him in doubts till he forgets how many Rakat he has prayed. So if this happens to anyone of you, he should perform two prostrations of Sahu while sitting. "

Your Question: when women are alone at home, can they attend any phone call or door bell in between.

One will be considered to be in the mode or boundaries of prayer once one has raised one’s heads above one’s shoulders and declared the ‘takbeer’ of ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ to signify the start of prayers until one has declared the ‘tasleems’ to signal the end of prayer. If one intends to attend a phone call or answer the door or perform any mundane chore, one should do so either before one declares the ‘takbeer’ or after one has declared the ‘tasleems’ at the end of the prayer.

The ‘tarawih’ prayers like all voluntary prayers are best offered in two-rakah combinations, and regardless of how many rakahs one wishes to perform in ‘tarawih’ there is absolutely no restriction on what one wishes to do between the declaration of ‘tasleems’ that end one combination and the ‘takbeer’ that signals the start of another combination. If one wishes to attend a phone call or answer the door or perform any chore between the ‘tasleems’ of one combination and the ‘takbeer’ of another, there is absolutely no harm.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan