How can we reconcile the Hadith: "Whoever prays with the Imam until he departs, it is recorded for him as if he prayed the entire night" with the fact that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not pray Tarawih with the Companions and did not command them to do so, especially since some scholars, like Al-Suyuti, interpreted the Hadith as referring to the 'Isha prayer?

This Hadith (definition) pertains to Tarawih prayer, not obligatory prayers. Al-Tirmidhi and others narrated from Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Indeed, when a man prays with the Imam until he departs, it is recorded for him as the prayer of a night." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said this Hadith when he prayed with his companions one night in Ramadan (definition), and they wished for him to lead them in prayer for the rest of the night. So, he clarified to them that the prayer of the congregant with the Imam until he departs is recorded for him as the prayer of a night, even if their standing was only for a portion of it.

Some scholars are of the view that this virtue is specific to the night prayer of Ramadan, and that the Hadith indicates that the duration they stood with the Imam, which was half the night, is equivalent to praying a full night. Others are of the view that it can also include obligatory prayers, as mentioned in the Hadith of Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him: "Whoever prays Isha and Fajr in congregation, it is as if he prayed the whole night."

What confirms that this Hadith is about Tarawih and not obligatory prayers is that in obligatory prayers, a person does not have the choice to leave or stay, unlike Tarawih, where the worshipper can leave before the Imam finishes all of its prayers. This reward and virtue are evident in Tarawih prayer, and this does not negate the possibility of a similar reward for whoever prays Isha and Fajr in congregation.