Question
There is a Masjid in my area where only eight units of Tarawih are held every Ramadan. Can I pray eight units with them, leave the Witr prayer in the congregation, and perform the remaining twelve units of Tarawih and Witr prayers alone at home?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah guide every dimension of our lives to that which pleases Him.
The Tarawih prayers are an emphasised sunna for both men and women, consisting of twenty units (rak‘at). While the congregation is recommended for men, it is by no means a requirement. Similarly, while meritorious, completing or reciting long portions of the Quran is not necessary for the tarawih prayer.
Therefore, you may pray the eight units at your Masjid and the remaining prayers at home, and Allah knows best.
Please see this video answer by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani:
Can I Pray Tarawih at Home?
Shafi‘i Source
It is recommended to perform tarawih, which is twenty units of group prayer on each night of Ramadan. (As well as being sunna to pray tarawih alone, it is also sunna to pray it in a group.) One finishes each pair of rak‘as with salam. It is recommended to pray witr in a group after tarawih, unless one intends the night vigil prayer (tahajjud), in which case one should postpone witr until after it. [Keller, Reliance of the Traveller]
I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.