Is it better to Pray Taraweeh in the Mosque or Home

Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah:

Praying Tarawih in congregation at the mosque is superior to praying at home. This is supported by the Sunnah and the actions of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).

• Al-Bukhari (1129) and Muslim (761) narrated from `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed one night in the mosque, and the people followed him in prayer. Then he prayed the next night, and many people came. Then they gathered on the third or fourth night, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not come out to them. The next morning he said: “I saw what you did, and nothing kept me from coming out to you except the fact that I feared that it would be made obligatory for you.” And that was in Ramadan. 

This shows that praying Tarawih in congregation is recommended according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, he chose not to do it out of concern that it might become obligatory for the ummah. After the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, this concern was no longer necessary because the Shari’ah had been established.

• Al-Tirmidhi (806) narrated that Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays qiyam – i.e., Tarawih – with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the whole night in prayer.”  (Classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Sahih al-Tirmidhi)
• Al-Bukhari (2010) narrated that ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Abd al-Qari said: I went out with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) to the mosque one night in Ramadan, and the people were scattered, each man praying by himself. Some men would pray and have groups of people behind them following them. ‘Umar said: “I think that if I unite all these people with one reader, it will be better. Then he resolved to gather them behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b. 

Al-Hafiz said: 

“Ibn al-Tin and others said that ‘Umar based this decision on the Prophet’s approval of those who prayed with him on those nights. Although he disliked that for them, that was based on the fear that it might be made obligatory for them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died, there was no longer any fear of that happening, and ‘Umar thought, because of the potential division that might arise from people praying separately, and because uniting them behind one reader is more motivating for many people. The majority agreed with ‘Umar’s decision.” (Fath al-Bari) 

Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmu’, 3/526: 

“Praying Tarawih is considered Sunnah according to scholarly consensus. It can be performed either alone or in congregation, but which option is preferable? There are two well-known opinions on this matter. The prevailing view among our companions is that praying in congregation is better. However, the second view holds that it is better to pray individually.”

Our companions mentioned that the difference of opinion relates to individuals who have memorized the Quran. They argued that there is little risk of such individuals becoming lazy or neglecting their prayers when praying alone, and the congregation in the mosque will not be affected by their absence. However, if one of these factors is not present, then praying in congregation is preferable, and there is no disagreement among scholars on this matter.

The author of al-Shamil cited Abu’l-‘Abbas and Abu Ishaq, who stated that praying Tarawih in congregation is better than praying it alone. This view is supported by the consensus of the Sahabah and the agreement among scholars across various regions on this issue.

Ibn al-Mubarak, Ahmad and Ishaq favoured praying with the imam during the month of Ramadan. 

It says in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: 

“In the book on night prayer (qiyam): it was said to Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Do you prefer a man to pray with the people in Ramadan or on his own? He said: He should pray with the people. He said: And I prefer that he should pray with the imam and pray Witr with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If a man prays qiyam with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the rest of the night (in prayer).” Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “He should pray with the people until he prays Witr with them, and he should not leave until the imam leaves. Abu Dawud said: I saw him (Imam Ahmad) – in the month of Ramadan, praying Witr with his imam, except on one night when I did not attend. Ishaq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I said to Ahmad: Is praying qiyam in Ramadan in congregation dearer to you or praying on one’s own? He said: I prefer that this prayer should be offered in congregation, so as to revive the Sunnah. And Ishaq said the same.” (See al-Mughni, 1/457) 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin said in Majaalis Shahr Ramadan, p. 22: 

“At first the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray Tarawih in congregation in the mosque, then he stopped because he feared that it might be made obligatory upon his ummah…”  

Then he quoted the two hadiths quoted above. Then he said: 

“No person should refrain from attending the Tarawih prayer, as doing so might lead to missing out on its rewards. It is also important to stay until the imam finishes both Tarawih and Witr prayers, so that one can attain the reward for spending the entire night in prayer.

Al-Albani stated in “Qiyam Ramadan” that praying Tarawih in congregation is preferable to praying alone, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed it himself and highlighted its virtues. The Prophet refrained from leading the prayer in congregation for the entire month because he feared that it might become obligatory for his followers, who may not have been able to fulfill it. This concern is mentioned in the hadith of Aisha, which is recorded in both Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, among other sources.

After the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away and Allah completed Islam, this concern no longer applied. Therefore, the rationale for not praying in congregation during the nights of Ramadan was no longer valid, and the original ruling that encourages offering this prayer in congregation remained intact. As a result, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) revived the practice, as documented in Sahih al-Bukhari and other texts.

It says in al-Mawsu’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (27/138): 

“From the time of `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and the Muslims regularly offered Tarawih prayer in congregation. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) is the one who united the people in offering the prayer behind a single imam. 

Asad ibn `Amr ibn Abi Yusuf said: I asked Abu Hanifah about Tarawih and what `Umar did. He said: Tarawih is a confirmed Sunnah, and ‘Umar did not base his decision on speculation and he was not introducing bid’ah (an innovation). He did not enjoin it except because of what he knew from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). `Umar introduced this and gathered the people behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b and he offered this prayer in congregation, at the time when the Companions – the Muhajirin and Ansar – were still alive, and no one among them objected to that, rather they helped him and agreed with him, and also enjoined it.”