be mandated, yet he never forbade it. During the time when Umar was the caliph, he reinstated the praying of Tarawih in congregation. Shia Muslims regard Tarawih as bid‘ah, introduced after the death of Muhammad by Umar ibn al-Khattab, according to his own words. A hadith from (Shia) kitab al-kafi: ‘Abu ‘Abdallah, peace be upon him, has said that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, would increase his prayer during the month of Ramadan. After Al-‘Atmah (late evening prayer, he would perform more prayers. People behind would stand up (for prayer), but he would go inside and leave them. Then, after he came out, they would come and stand up behind him (for prayer), but he would leave them and go inside several times’. He (the narrator) has said that the Imam then said: ‘You must not perform prayer after late evening prayer during the times other than the month of Ramadan’. [ِAl-Kafi by Al-Kulayni, vol. 4, p. 154-155, declared SAHIH by Majlisi in his Mir’ah Al-‘Uqul 16/378a] Muhammad al-Bukhari narrated regarding the Tarawih prayer in Sahih al-Bukhari: Instead, Twelvers believe in the Tahajjud prayer or Salat al-Layl ("night prayer"), which is recommended throughout the year, especially during the nights of Ramadan. See also All-night vigil in Orthodox Christianity References Further reading John L. Esposito: The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford University Press US 2004, , p. 276 () External links Fasting in Islam Salah Ramadan Salah terminology