Skip to content

JUG-2026-6E086TTYTD

Praying both tarawih and tahajjud in the same night

Question

Is it permissible to pray both tarawih and tahajjud in the same night (not asking about 20 vs. 8 rak'ahs)?

Published anonymously

The questioner’s identity is hidden publicly. Authorized administrators may access it when necessary to manage the submission.

Answer

There is no prohibition in the hadith of 'A'ishah against doing more than 11 rak'ahs (whether tarawih, tahajjud, qiyam al-layl, or qiyam Ramadan). A prohibition requires a prohibitive principle; it cannot be deduced from a narration that simply mentions what the Prophet did. On the three nights the Prophet prayed tarawih with the people, narrations differ on the number of rak'ahs: some say 20, some 13, some 11. The majority of scholars say there is no rigorously verified (sahih) report on the exact number -- however, the hadith of 'A'ishah is sahih. It is possible she was referring to night prayers other than tarawih; the 8 rak'ahs prayed before the 3 of witr are all called witr in that usage. Tahajjud, technically, is any sunnah prayer performed after 'Isha, after waking from sleep -- so even tarawih prayed then is technically tahajjud. Can one specifically intend tahajjud after tarawih? The majority of the fuqaha' say yes; Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi and al-Thawri are cited supporting no harm in it. To summarize: there is no prohibition against praying both; one understanding of the hadith is she meant tahajjud, not tarawih; and the overwhelming majority of jurists agree on the permissibility of tahajjud after tarawih.

Answered byShaikh MasoodAuthorized Scholar

Published

Ask a private follow-up

Your follow-up is private. Quote reference JUG-2026-6E086TTYTD so the scholar can see which answer you are asking about.

Helpful and Save are kept on this device only. Nothing about you is sent to JUG Q&A, and clearing your browser data clears them.