How many rakats is Taraweeh?

Detailed answer

Taraweeh has no fixed number of rakats that you must pray. The two most common practices are 8 rakats and 20 rakats, each followed by Witr (usually 3 rakats, making 11 or 23 in total). Both are valid, both have strong support from scholars, and Muslims have prayed them side by side for centuries.

Where the numbers come from

• 8 rakats (11 with Witr): Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), said that he did not pray more than eleven rakats at night, in Ramadan or outside it (Bukhari and Muslim).
• 20 rakats (23 with Witr): this has been widely practised since the time of the caliph Umar, and it is the position of most of the classical schools of law.

The Prophet also said that night prayer is "two by two" (Bukhari and Muslim), without setting a limit. This is why most scholars say the number is flexible: what matters is praying with presence of heart and good recitation.

In practice

• Pray with your local mosque and complete the prayer with the imam. The Prophet said that whoever prays with the imam until he finishes is rewarded as if he had prayed the whole night (Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi).
• If your mosque prays 20 and you can only stay for 8, that is fine. You can leave quietly and pray Witr later at home.
• If you pray at home, choose a number you can keep up every night. See praying Taraweeh at home.
• Fewer, calm rakats with longer recitation are just as good as many quick ones. Quality matters more than counting.

Avoid arguments

Scholars have accepted each other's views on this for over a thousand years. It should never become a reason to criticise another mosque or to divide a community during Ramadan, a month of unity and mercy.

For the steps of each pair of rakats, read how to pray Taraweeh, and for the final prayer of the night see Witr in Ramadan.