Congregational Performance of Nafl Prayer

Question

Is it permissible in the month of Ramadan to perform a voluntary prayer in congregation after the Tarawih prayer? In our local mosque it is performed with great arrangement. Because of this congregation disagreements have arisen among people, yet some ignorant individuals insist on it and perform it every night. Please provide evidences.

Answer

This type of congregation, when done by deliberate gathering and insistence, is makruh (reprehensible). In “al-Durr al-Mukhtar” it states: “Congregation is a confirmed Sunnah for men.” Al-Zahidi said: “By ‘confirmed’ they intended something close to obligation.” However, in Jumu‘ah and Eid prayers it is a condition. In Tarawih it is a Sunnah kifayah.

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