Saturday 07/March/2026 – 02:06 PM
Many Muslims wonder about the ruling Tahajjud prayer after TarawihThis is a few days before the last ten days of Ramadan, during which Muslims strive to perform the night prayers specifically to obtain the good news of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, “Whoever performs the night prayers in Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” Therefore, we will explain to you more information about the Tahajjud prayer and the rulings on the night prayers, with the difference between Tarawih, Tahajjud, and night prayers.
Tahajjud prayer after Tarawih
According to the Egyptian Fatwa House, the Tahajjud prayer is performed after Tarawih, after a short sleep during which the Muslim wakes up in the middle of the night to perform Tahajjud. Tahajjud prayer is not required to be in the mosque, nor is it specific to the last ten days of Ramadan. Rather, it is a voluntary prayer with great reward, permissible in Ramadan and at other times, and it is counted among the night prayers. However, it is specific to prayer after lying down.
Al-Tabarani narrated through his path on the authority of Al-Hajjaj bin Amr, may God be pleased with him, that he said: Does any of you think that he has performed tahajjud when he has risen all night? Indeed, tahajjud is only the prayer after a night of prayer, then the prayer after a night of prayer, then the prayer after a night of prayer. This was the prayer of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.
Dr. Ali Jumaa, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, said during one of the episodes of the “Know Your Religion” program that Tarawih, Tahajjud, and night prayers are names for different prayers, and the truth is that night prayer is a general name for every prayer that is prayed at night after dinner until dawn. If you pray five, seven, or more after dinner, and conclude with Witr… then you have risen from the night.
Tarawih prayer
As for Tarawih, it is in fact part of the night prayer. It is mostly used in Ramadan, and is often prayed immediately after dinner. Because people organize their day with it and do not wait for midnight or the last third.
Tahajjud prayer
As for Tahajjud, its linguistic meaning is: prayer after sleep from “Hajjud,” meaning he slept and then got up, but in the legal usage among many people, it is often applied to the night prayer in the middle of the night or at the end of it, whether it was preceded by sleep or not, and what is often meant is: the late part of the night prayer, adding that these names in many uses were put in place for distinction and organization so as not to confuse the words among people:
- Tarawih is usually after dinner
- You often pray late at night
- And it all ends up being a night.
The number of rak’ahs of Tahajjud prayer
Regarding the number of rak’ahs of the Tahajjud prayer, Tahajjud does not have a limited number of rak’ahs that must be adhered to according to the most correct opinion of the scholars. Rather, the basic principle is that it is a voluntary prayer from which the Muslim prays whatever he can, based on what he, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: The night prayer is two by two. He prays as many rak’ahs as he can, then prays Witr if he has not already performed Witr.
Is it permissible to perform Tahajjud after Witr?
Among the rulings related to the Tahajjud prayer are also what many Muslims wonder about: Is it permissible to perform Tahajjud after Witr?? According to the majority of scholars, there is nothing wrong with praying Tarawih prayer in the mosque with the congregation, then delaying the Witr prayer to pray it at the end of the night at home, if the Muslim thinks most likely that he will wake up, because delaying the Witr prayer until the end of the night is better for those who are secure than missing it, based on what was narrated in what is agreed upon that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: Make your last prayer at night a Witr prayer.
If the imam is performing the Witr prayer in the mosque, one of two things is best for the Muslim:
- The first: That he prays Witr with him and says the salutations, so he attains the virtue of standing with the imam until he leaves, and the reward for standing up for the night is written for you. When Al-Tirmidhi narrated that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: Whoever stands with the imam until he leaves, it will be recorded for him that he spent the night in prayer. Then, when you get up at the end of the night, you pray whatever you want in the morning without repeating the Witr prayer. When Ahmad narrated in Al-Musnad that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: Do not see each other in a night.
- The second: If he intends to leave him in the Witr prayer, he does not say the salutation with him, but rather he gets up after the salutation and performs a rak’ah with which he intercedes his Witr prayer, so what he prayed in the mosque is an intercession, then he performs the Witr prayer at the end of the night in his house.
