Tarawih Prayer consists of twenty rakahs and is performed during the month of Ramadan. Performing this prayer is Sunnah al-Muakkadah for both men and women. It is sunnah to per-form the tarawih prayer even for those who have an excuse not to fast.
Can we perform the tarawih prayer by ourselves?
Yes. Our Prophet performed the tarawih prayer sometimes in congregation and some-times by himself but never abandoned it. After our Prophet, in the time of His Excellency Omar, it started to be performed in congregation and continued thus to this day.
Therefore, just as we can pray the tarawih prayer with congregation in the mosque, we can also perform it alone in our homes. However, performing it with congregation earns higher divine rewards.
How and when do we perform the tarawih prayer?
Tarawih prayer is performed between the Night Prayer (Salat al-‘Isha) and the Odd-Numbered Prayer (Salat al-Witr). Performing it as a twenty-rakah prayer earns greater divine rewards. One performs the prayer in two-rakah sections. However, it can also be performed in four-rakah sections. When we perform it in four-rakah sections, we perform it the same way as the sunnah of the Late Afternoon Prayer (Salat al-Asr). In other words, when we sit at the end of the second rakah, we recite the supplica-tions of “Allahuma Salli” and “Allahuma Barik” after “At-tahiyyatu,” and when we stand up for the third rakah, we recite the supplication of “Subhanaka.”
Our beloved Prophet says: “Whoever stays at a funeral until they perform the prayer earns one load, and whoever stays until the burial is completed gains two loads of divine rewards.” They asked: “How much are the two loads?” The Messenger of God (blessings and peace be upon him) said: “Like two big mountains!” (Bukhari, Jenaiz 59)
Our beloved Prophet says: “Whoever performs the tarawih prayer by believing in the virtue of Ramadan and asks for the divine rewards earned only from Allah, his prior sins are erased.” (Bukhari, Iman 37)