Should we intend for the tarawih prayer at the beginning or should we intend again at the beginning of every four rak’ahs?

- The twenty rak’ahs of tarawih prayer is performed by giving salutation after every two / four rak’ahs...

Dear Brother / Sister,

Hanafi fiqh scholars disagreed about the answer to the question, “Is it necessary to intend separately for each four rak'ahs of tarawih prayer?”

Ibn Abidin explains the disagreement and the fatwa about the issue as follows:

The following answer is given in “Khulasa: ‘According to the sound view, it is necessary to intend at the beginning of every four rak'ahs because each four rak'ahs is a separate prayer.’ The following answer is given in Haniya: ‘According to the sound view, it is not necessary.'

“For, the whole tarawih is regarded as one prayer. The same thing is written in Tatarhaniya.’ If the apparent aspect is taken into consideration, the disagreement is about the essence of the intention. In my opinion, the former is sound because when a person who performs tarawih prayer salutes, he exits the prayer. Therefore, it is necessary to intend again to start the prayer.”(see. Ibn Abidin - Raddu’l Mukhtar- Ist: 1983, III/89)

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