A question: If someone is praying behind an imam who moves so quickly that it prevents the person praying behind him from performing what is obligatory, may he leave the congregation and pray on his own—that is, separate himself from the imam?

The answer: Yes; rather, he must separate himself from the imam, whether in Tarawih or in an obligatory prayer. If the imam moves so quickly that you are unable to perform the obligatory acts with him, then in this case we say: Separate yourself, intend to pray independently, and complete your prayer on your own. For it is impossible to combine following the imam with performing the pillar of stillness and composure. One of the two must therefore be chosen. If the Prophet ﷺ approved of a man separating himself from the congregation because the imam had made the prayer too long (1), then separating oneself in order to perform a pillar of the prayer is all the more warranted.

His statement, “Twenty rak'ahs”: Has the author explained the ruling on Tarawih or not?

The answer: Yes, he explained its ruling at the beginning of the chapter, where he said: “The most emphatically recommended of them is the eclipse prayer, then the prayer for rain, then Tarawih.” Thus, Tarawih is a sunnah.

Note: Is praying Tarawih in congregation something instituted by the Prophet ﷺ, or something done by Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him?

The answer: Some people have claimed that it is among the practices instituted by Umar ibn al-Khattab. They cite as evidence that Umar ibn al-Khattab instructed Ubayy ibn Ka'b and Tamim al-Dari to lead the people in eleven rak'ahs (2). And he went out