How to Pray Taraweeh: Rakats and Steps

How to pray taraweeh: every night of Ramadan, after Isha, pray two rakats at a time, usually 8 or 20 in all, and finish with witr. Taraweeh is the Ramadan night prayer. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever stands in prayer in Ramadan out of faith and hoping for reward, his previous sins will be forgiven" (Bukhari 37, Muslim 759).

When is taraweeh?

After Isha and before witr, on every night of Ramadan. The first taraweeh is the night before the first fast, once the Ramadan moon is sighted. In 2027 that's expected on the evening of Sunday 7 February; see Ramadan 2027.

Is taraweeh sunnah?

Yes. The Prophet ﷺ led it in congregation for a few nights and then stopped coming out, saying he feared it would be made obligatory on his community (Bukhari 2012, Muslim 761). Umar ibn al-Khattab later gathered the people behind one imam, Ubayy ibn Ka'b (Bukhari 2010).

8 or 20 rakats?

Both are practised, and each has a basis:

• 8 rakats (11 with witr) follows Aisha's report that the Prophet ﷺ never prayed more than eleven rakats at night, in Ramadan or outside it (Bukhari 2013, Muslim 738).
• 20 rakats is reported from the time of Umar (al-Bayhaqi; the Muwatta of Imam Malik reports 23 including witr). It is the position of the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools. Imam Malik held 36.

Night prayer has no fixed upper limit, so pray with your mosque or follow your school.

How to pray taraweeh

1. 1

   Pray Isha. Then its two sunnah rakats.

2. 2

   Make the intention. Intend in your heart to pray taraweeh.

3. 3

   Pray two rakats. Pray them like any two-rakat prayer and end with salam. "The night prayer is two by two" (Bukhari 990).

4. 4

   Repeat. Keep going until you reach 8 or 20 rakats. Many mosques pause briefly after every four.

5. 5

   Finish with witr. See how to pray witr.

Praying taraweeh at home

You can pray taraweeh at home, on your own or with your family. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Pray in your houses, for the best prayer of a person is the one he prays at home, except the obligatory prayers" (Bukhari 731).

Checked against its sources on 2026-10-17. Where the schools of fiqh differ, follow the one you practise.