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Is it true that performing Tarawih prayer individually is recommended, and that reciting the entire Quran during Tarawih is an innovation (bid'ah)?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Standing Prayer (Qiyam) is legislated for performance in congregation and individually during Ramadan, and performing it in congregation is superior. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed it in congregation for several nights, then left it out of fear that it would be made obligatory upon his Ummah. This fear ceased with his passing. Umar gathered the Companions behind a single Imam, and his action was considered a Sunnah. His statement, "What a good innovation (bid'ah) this is," refers to innovation in the linguistic sense, not the legal (Shari'ah) sense. Completing the Qur’an in Ramadan, both during prayer and outside of it, is recommended.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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