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Ramadan 2020 Timetable & Tarawih arrangements
MCEC always has been blessed to receive support from the community and in return, is committed to render assistance and educate the Muslim community based on Islamic teachings and beliefs. MCEC wants to encourage Muslims to learn about and practice their religion and promote peace amongst our neighbours.
In line with the social distancing instructions issued by the UK Government which limit large gatherings of people to prevent the transmission of Coronavirus and given it is possible to pray individually at home we at MCEC – Palmers Green Mosque like many other Mosques and places of worship have taken the decision that:
Tarawih prayers during Ramadan 2020 will only be performed at home as the suspension of prayers at mosques will not be lifted until the end of Coronavirus.
The five daily prayers take precedence over sunnah prayers such as Tarawih, and given the suspension of performing the five daily prayers at mosques, naturally, Tarawih prayers must also be suspended. We ask Allah [AWJ] to accept Tarawih prayers whether held at mosques, or at homes which this year is better for people’s health. We ask Allah the Almighty to accept the prayers from all of us and protect humanity from this pandemic which has hit the entire world.
Hope and Blessing for the Community through Live Tarawih Broadcast
At this time of difficulty, to give hope and an opportunity to be blessed by hearing beautiful recitation we will be live-streaming via social media a Tarawih prayer led by an Imam in an appropriately safe space for them.
In the meantime, we will continue to closely review the situation and take appropriate timely decisions.
Background to Tarawih and Frequently Asked Questions
Tarawih prayers begin from the evening of the first new moon (start) to the evening of the next new moon (last day of Ramadan). Please visit our website for both the beginning and end of Ramadan’s announcements.
This prayer is performed only during the month of Ramadan after the salat of Isha. Tarawih prayers are prayed in pairs of two units (raka’āts) and can be prayed alone or in a congregation, but the latter, if possible, is more rewarding. After every 4 (2+2) raka‘āts, there is a break of a couple of 2 minutes to make supplication (dua). Tarawih can be prayed with at least eight raka‘āts, but the convention is to pray twenty raka‘āts.
Muslims believe it is customary to attempt a khatm (“complete recitation” of the Quran) as one of the religious observances of Ramadan, by reciting at least one juz’ per night in Taraweh, a practice we have maintained in Palmers Green Mosque. If one has not memorised the whole Quran and is praying alone or leading at home, then, whatever verses the reciter is comfortable with from the Quran can be recited.
Tarawih prayers are considered optional (Sunnah), not obligatory.
Some scholars regard the Tarawih prayers as Sunnat al-Mu’akkadah (strongly recommended). Others believe Tarawih is an optional prayer that may be performed at home. According to this tradition, Prophet Mohammad [Peace & Blessings of Allah be Upon Him] initially and briefly prayed the Tarawih in congregation during Ramadan, but he discontinued this practice out of concern it would be considered mandatory. However, he never forbade it from being prayed. During the caliphate of Umar’ [May Allah be pleased with him], he reinstated the praying of Tarawih in a congregation.
Muslims should do their utmost to pray the Tarawih prayer. If a Muslim does not pray Tarawih, it is not considered sinful whether he has a reason or not, because it is not obligatory.
However, it is regarded as a sin if the missing of prayers is out of disregard & disrespect for the traditions of the beloved Prophet. So it is a confirmed Sunnah which the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him) performed and encouraged the Muslims to do as he said: “Whoever prays qiyaam (stands in prayer) in Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” Narrated by al-Bukhari, 37; Muslim, 760.
If one cannot pray Tarawih with the Imam in the mosque, then it should be prayed at home. With regards to the number of raka‘āts; if one cannot pray, twenty or eleven raka‘āts then he/she should pray as much as possible and finish and then Tarawih prayers to be followed by Witr prayer.
Live online Tarawih
This is a time of difficulty and since gatherings are prohibited for health & safety reasons, we at MCEC – Palmers Green Mosque have decided to try and give some hope by broadcasting every evening the prayer and recitation from our Imam from a safe location.
This might bring to one’s mind the following question which we’ve tried to answer below:
This might bring to one’s mind the following question which we’ve tried to answer below:
Is it permissible for me to follow your live stream in prayer?
To answer this, we need to know a few Fiqhi rulings;
- We know that Tarawih prayer is Sunnah-Nafl-Mandoob-Mustahab prayer, i.e. it is rewarding, yet not compulsory.
- You can pray in Jama’a (congregation) which is ideal in normal circumstances and you can pray with your household.
- There is no ruling which allows the following of TV or other mediums from a distance because the following conditions cannot be met:
- Being present in Saff/lines immediately in the vicinity of the Imam
- Eyes must be at the place of Sajda and not at screens. This is especially relevant at occasions when either one’s network is buffering.
- It is not permitted to rise before the Imam and this may happen as a result of poor network coverage or broadcast delays.
Therefore, the current consensus of the scholars is:
It is not permissible for anyone to follow the imam via radio or TV, because prayer in congregation means being together in the same place, so it has to be in one place and the rows should be connected to one another (i.e. immediately behind one another). It is not permissible to pray via radio or TV because they do not meet these criteria. If this were allowed, anyone could pray all five prayers in his house, and Jumu’ah too. This goes against the wisdom behind the prescription of Jumu’ah prayer and prayer in congregation.
Based on above reasons, in summary it is not permissible to pray following the radio, TV or any other type of broadcast. Allah knows the best.
If you have you have further questions or need further clarity, please do not hesitate to contact us at the following numbers:
Mobile: 07442162360 Landline: 02089203990
May Allah make it easy for everyone and enable us to benefit from the blessings of the blessed month of Ramadan.
From the CEO & Board of Trustees, MCEC – Palmers Green Mosque
http://mcec.org.uk/documents/Tarawih-2020-MCEC-Announcement.pdf
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