Q. If someone committed a grave sin and is ashamed of himself, what should he do to rectify his position and earn God’s forgiveness?

(Name and address withheld)

A. The first thing that we must understand is that Islam acknowledges man’s weakness in the face of temptation, and it accepts man with his weaknesses, opening before him the way to redress his mistakes and repair what he damages. Hence, the relation between man and God is based on forgiveness, rather than permanent sin, disobedience and eventual punishment. God’s attributes make mercy, grace and forgiveness available in increasing degrees, while punishment is much narrower. Thus God describes Himself as “much-forgiving; superior in forgiveness; forgives all sins, etc.” This is to encourage everyone who commits grave sins not to despair of God’s forgiveness, because nothing will stop such forgiveness when sought in earnest.

We need also to understand that God’s forgiveness applies even to the most serious of sins, including the ones that incur specified punishments of the sternest type, such as theft and adultery. It is also important to make clear that in saying so we do not wish to give a sense of complacency that accepts such sins, or even lighter ones. All sinful actions must be avoided with all one’s energy. Even the smallest of sins is an act of defiance and disobedience to God Almighty. As such it cannot be condoned in any way. However, when one slips, yields to temptation, or gets misguided and commits a sin, the way is open to repentance and earning God’s forgiveness.

The first thing that is needed is to genuinely regret having committed such an act that incurs God’s displeasure. This is what is called in Islam “repentance”, i.e. to feel ashamed of having disobeyed God and to want to do anything to redress the fault. This regret should be coupled with a firm resolve not to repeat that sin, no matter how strong the temptation of a repeat may be. One should then earnestly pray to God to accept one’s repentance and forgive one’s sin.

The Taraweeh Prayer

Q. Could you please explain about the Taraweeh prayer and how many rak’ahs it should be? Some people maintain that it must be only 8 rak’ahs while it is offered in the two mosques of Makkah and Madinah in 20 rak’ahs. Which is the correct view?

Reza

A. Taraweeh is the name given to voluntary night prayer during the month of Ramadan. As such it is not different from other night prayer, normally called qiyam al-layl, or qiyam for short. Thus, we have to be clear: it is voluntary, or Sunnah. As such, it is not obligatory at all. This means that if a person does not offer a single rak’ah of Taraweeh prayer throughout the month, he does not incur a sin. He will have missed out on rich reward from God, but he will not have to account for his omission.

Bearing this in mind, to ask: how many rak’ahs we should pray in Taraweeh, is the wrong question, because there is no obligation. Since it is voluntary, a person may volunteer whatever he is pleased to volunteer. If he prays two rak’ahs he does well, and if he prays four he does better. This means that it is up to every individual to choose, according to personal circumstances, and the choice may differ from one day to another, according to how energetic or tired a person may be.

This leaves us with the frequently asked question of how many rak’ahs the Taraweeh prayer consists of. There are two views, both of which are supported by strong evidence. The first is that it is eight rak’ahs.

The advocates of this view cite several Hadiths confirming that the Prophet did not offer more than 11 or 13 rak’ahs of night worship on any night in Ramadan or at any other time. The 11 would consist of eight rak’ahs of Taraweeh in Ramadan and three in witr. The 13 would add two short rak’ahs of Sunnah before Taraweeh. The second view says that Taraweeh consists of 20 rak’ahs other than the witr. This relies on the common practice established ever since the time of the Prophet’s companions and maintained over the centuries.

Whichever view we take is good enough. If we prefer the first view, that it is eight rak’ahs we should not say that the other view is wrong. Likewise, if we uphold the second view, we should not criticize those who prefer the first one. What we should remember is that there is wide scope in Islam to accommodate both views, and that since this is a voluntary worship, it is left to the individual to decide.