Imam Mālik’s Defence of the Traditional Tarāwīḥ Practice in Madina: 20 Rakʿahs with Interspersed Nafl

In al-Mudawwana al-Kubrā (1/287) of al-Qāḍī Saḥnūn (d. 240 AH), the following was documented:

قَالَ مَالِكٌ: بَعَثَ إلَيَّ الْأَمِيرُ وَأَرَادَ أَنْ يُنْقِصَ مِنْ قِيَامِ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي كَانَ يَقُومُهُ النَّاسُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ، قَالَ ابْنُ الْقَاسِمِ: وَهُوَ تِسْعَةٌ وَثَلَاثُونَ رَكْعَةً بِالْوِتْرِ سِتٌّ وَثَلَاثُونَ رَكْعَةً وَالْوِتْرُ ثَلَاثٌ، قَالَ مَالِكٌ: فَنَهَيْته أَنْ يُنْقِصَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا، وَقُلْتُ لَهُ: هَذَا مَا أَدْرَكْتُ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهِ وَهَذَا الْأَمْرُ الْقَدِيمُ الَّذِي لَمْ تَزَلْ النَّاسُ عَلَيْهِ.

Meaning: “Mālik said: The Amīr sent for me and wanted to reduce the standing prayer of Ramadan that the people of Madina used to perform. Ibn al-Qāsim said: And it is thirty-nine rakʿahs with the Witr – thirty-six rakʿahs plus three for Witr. Mālik said: So I forbade him from reducing anything from that, and I said to him: This is what I found the people practicing, and this is the ancient practice that the people have always maintained.”

The 39 rakʿahs mentioned in Imam Mālik’s account followed this specific structure:

20 rakʿahs of Tarāwīḥ prayer performed in congregation

After each set of 4 rakʿahs of Tarāwīḥ, worshippers would individually perform 4 rakʿahs of Nafl (voluntary prayer), totaling 16 rakʿahs of Nafl

3 rakʿahs of Witr prayer at the conclusion

This pattern created the systematic rhythm of worship during Ramadan nights in Madinah: 4 rakʿahs Tarāwīḥ in congregation → 4 rakʿahs Nafl individually → 4 rakʿahs Tarāwīḥ in congregation → 4 rakʿahs Nafl individually, and so on, until completing 20 rakʿahs of Tarāwīḥ and 16 rakʿahs of Nafl, followed by 3 rakʿahs of Witr.

This is the practice that Imam Mālik defended as “the ancient practice that the people have always maintained” when the Amīr wanted to reduce it.

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