by Asma bint Shameem
There’s a widespread misconception that Taraaweeh is a different prayer from Tahajjud and that is a different night prayer than Qiyaam.
But the truth is that these are all just different names given to the NIGHT prayer.
🌷 Qiyaam al-Layl:
Qiyaam al-Layl is the time someone spends at night in ibaadah, praying Nawaafil, reading Qur’aan, making istighfaar, tasbeeh and Duaa, etc.
🌷 Tahajjud:
Tahajjud is the Night prayer.
It’s specifically the Nawaafil that someone reads at night.
The majority of the ulama say that it’s NOT necessary that you sleep in order for you to pray Tahajjud; rather Tahajjud can be prayer any time after Salaat al-Ishaa.
🌷 Taraaweeh:
Taraaweeh is a KIND of Night Prayer or Qiyaam al-Layl, that is ‘specifically’ prayed in ‘Ramadhaan’, at night after Salaat al-Ishaa.
It’s the SAME as ANY Night prayer except that it’s called Taraaweeh because when the Sahaabah used to pray their Night prayers in Ramadhaan, they would stand for LONG periods of time, reading a lot of Qur’aan in each of their rak’aat.
Thus they would get tired because of standing for so long, and would ‘rest’ or ‘yastareehoona’ (in Arabic) after four rak’aat.
Thus they named the night prayers done in Ramadhaan as “Taraaweeh” prayers.
🔺It’s not unusual that the Arabs have multiple names for the same thing.
For example, a camel is called Jamal, or Naaqqah, or Ibl or Ba’eer, or Dahaamij, or Dhaa’il or Suloof etc depending on whether the camel is male or female or pregnant or not or a camel that bears weight, or is one humped, or two humped; it is even given different names depending on the way it drinks water!
And all these words are for the camel!
And there are even MORE.
By the same token, Taraaweeh and tahajjud are the same prayer, just given different names because of the times and reasons why they are read.
📌So Alhamdulillaah, no need to get confused anymore.
Tahaajud, Taraaweeh and Qiyaam al-Layl are ALL pretty much the SAME prayer except that Qiyaam al-Layl is more ‘general’ and includes Nawaafil PLUS other acts of Ibaadah.
While Taraaweeh is a kind of Tahajjud prayer except that it’s prayed in Ramadhaan.
So if you prayer Taraaweeh early at night, then that counts as Qiyaam al-Layl.
And when you wake up later and pray Tahajjud, that ALSO counts as Qiyaam al-Layl, as tahajjud is just an EXTENSION of that Qiyaam that you did earlier at night.
📌 The scholars said:
“There is no difference of opinion among the fuqaha’ with regard to it being Sunnah to pray during the nights of Ramadhaan (Qiyaam al-layl), because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
“Whoever spends the nights of Ramadhaan in prayer, out of faith and seeking the reward of Allaah, his previous sins will be forgiven.”
The fuqaha’ said: Taraweeh is the qiyaam (Qiyaam al-layl) of Ramadhaan.
Hence it is best to spend most of the night in it, because it is Qiyaam al-layl.”
(al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah 34/123)
📌Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
“There is really no difference between them.
Taraaweeh is from Qiyaam al-layl; therefore, we consider the Muslims to be performing Qiyaam al-layl from the very first night of Ramadhaan.
Consequently, his Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam statement:
"Whoever performs [supererogatory] prayers at night during the month of Ramadhaan, with faith and in the hope of receiving Allaah’s reward, will have whatever he has done [from sins] forgiven [i.e. he will have his past sins forgiven]" INCLUDES Taraaweeh, since it is unequivocally performed at night.”
📌And Shaikh al-Albaani said:
“The Qiyaam al-layl prayer is the Taraaweeh prayer.
It is currently called the Taraaweeh prayer, but in the past, the Taraaweeh prayer was known as the Qiyaam al-layl prayer, as he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
"Whoever performs the Qiyaam al-layl prayer [i.e. the Taraaweeh prayer] during the month of Ramadhaan, with faith and in the hope of receiving Allaah’s reward, will have whatever he has done [from sins] forgiven [i.e. he will have his past sins forgiven.]”
📌Shaikh ibn Baaz said:
“With regard to Taraaweeh, the scholars use this word to refer to Qiyaam al-layl in Ramadhaan at the beginning of the night... It may also be called Tahajjud or Qiyaam al-layl.”
(Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 11/317)
So if you prayed ANY extra prayers ANY TIME from after Ishaa until Fajr, that COUNTS as tahajjud or Qiyaam al-Layl even if you prayed it right after Ishaa.
📌 Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan said:
“In the last ten days of Ramadhaan, the Muslims increase their efforts in worship, following the example of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and seeking Laylat al-Qadr which is better than a thousand months.
Those who pray twenty-three rak’ahs at the beginning of the month break it up during the last ten days, so they pray ten rak’ahs at the beginning of the night, calling it Taraaweeh, and they pray ten at the end of the night, making them lengthy, and following it with three rak’ahs of Witr, which they call qiyaam.
This is a variation in naming only.
In fact all of it may be called Taraaweeh or it may be called qiyaam.
As for those who pray eleven or thirteen rak’ahs at the beginning of the month, they add ten rak’ahs to that during the last ten days, which they pray at the end of the night, making it lengthy, making the most of the virtue of the last ten days and increasing their efforts to do good. They have a precedent among the Sahaabah and others who prayed twenty-three rak’ahs, as stated above.
Thus they combine the two opinions: the opinion which favors offering thirteen rak’ahs during the first twenty days and the opinion which favors offering twenty-three during the last ten days.”
(Ithaaf Ahl al-Eemaan bi Majaalis Shahr Ramadhaan)
And Allaah knows best.
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