Chapter #29صَلاَة التّرَاوِيح والوِتْر والضُّحَى والتحيَّةTaraweeh, Witr, Dhuha and Tahiyyat Prayers

 Know rulings of Taraweeh and Witr
 Know Rawatib Mu’akkada and non- Mu’akkada
 Memorize Dua of Witr

Taraweeh, Witr, Dhuha and Tahiyyat Prayers
Taraweeh prayer (صلاة التراوِيح)
On Ramadan nights, it is Sunnah to perform Taraweeh prayer. It is twenty Rak’a with ten Tasleem (تَسْلِيم/saying Salaam) in each two Rak’a. The timing is between Isha prayer and Fajr prayer.
Witr prayer (صَلاة الوتر)
The minimum Rak’a of Witr is one. The less perfect way is to pray three Rak’a. The maximum is eleven Rak’a. It should be done in odd number. Separating last Rak’a of Witr from previous Rak’a is recommended.
When praying three Rak’as, the Surahs are as follows: the Surah الأَعْلَى in first Rak’a, Surah الكَافِرُون in second Rak’a and Surah الإخْلاص والمُعَوِّذَتَيْنِ in third Rak’a.
After Witr it is Sunnah to say three times the following Dhikr:
سُبْحَانَ المَلِكِ القُدُّوس
Then the following Dua:
اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سُخْطِكَ وَبِمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ وَبِكَ مِنْكَ لاَ أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا َأثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ
O Allah, I seek refuge inYour pleasure from Your wrath, in Your forgiveness from Your punishment and in You (your forgiveness) from You (your ability to punish me). I cannot enumerate Your praise, You are as You have praised Yourself.
The time of Witr is between Isha and Fajr prayer. It is Sunnah to delay it and make it one’s last Salaat of the night.
In Ramadan, praying Witr in Jama’a is Sunnah.
Rawatib (صَلاَة الرَّواتِب)
Rawatib prayers are those prayers which are associated with Fard prayers. They are total 22 Rak’as follows:

1. Four Rak’a before Dhuhr and Asr (Total 8).
2. Two Rak’a before Maghrib, Isha and Fajr (Total 6).
3. Four Rak’a after Dhuhr (Total 4).
4. Two Rak’a after Maghrib and Isha (Total 4).
   Among them, the followings are considered as Rawatib Mu’akkada (روَاتِب مؤكَّدَة /emphasized Sunnah prayer):
5. Two Rak’a before Fajr and Dhuhr, (Total 4)
6. Two Rak’a after Dhuhr, Maghrib and Isha (Total 6)
   It is allowed to delay the pre-Fard Rawatib prayer to after Fard prayer.
   Dhuha prayer (صَلاةُ الضُّحَى)
   Dhuha prayer is minimum two Rak’a and the maximum is twelve Rak’a. The best practice is to pray eight Rak’a. Its timing begins when sun has risen up to height of a spear and ends when it reached its zenith (Zawal). The best time is to pray it after passing one quarter of the daytime. It is preferred to sayالتسْلِيم (saying Assalamu Alaikum) after every two Rak’a. Surah Al-Shams (سورة والشمسِ) is read in the first Rak’a and Surah Al-Dhuha (سورة والضحى) is read in the second Rak’a or Surah Kafiroon ((سورة الكافرون and Surah Ikhlas (سورة الإخلاص).
   Tahiyyat Prayer (صَلاَة التَّحِيَّة)
   One who enters Mosque is requested to pray two Rak’a as a salute to the Mosque. It is called Tahiyyat Prayer and this prayer is Sunnah. One will miss Tahiyyat prayer if he sits in the mosque intentionally and knowingly. But sitting for a short period (such as drinking while having severe thirsty) is excused. It is Makrooh not to pray it without any excuse.
   • It is Makrooh for a Khateeb who enters mosque in the time of Khutbah to pray Tahiyyat.
   • It is Makrooh for one who enters Masjid Al Haraam (Makah) to perform تَحِيَّة if he wants to make Tawaf
   One who is not able to perform Tahiyyat can say four times:

This is excerpts from the book Salaat (Brief rulings of Prayer in Shafi Madh’hab) by Abdu Shaheed Azhary. To download the full chapter click the below link. To support us, please consider acquiring the digital copy of the book from Amazon