[If you are spending Ramadan at home, here is our beginner’s guide to praying Taraweeh at home]

You can also find our guide to a lockdown Ramadan here

Taraweeh prayers are held in the mosque during Ramadan starting with the night of Ramadan. They are typically offered in sets of 2 rakahs, you can pray them at home if you want to but it is an experience to pray in congregation at the mosque

What to wear. Let’s start with the practicalities because boy it gets hot.

This may seem so trivial but the WRONG Taraweeh outfit will leave you feeling like a hot mess and distracted from your worship.

Socks:

If you’re like me and weird about bare feet, the best sort of socks to wear are these slip on ones.

Shoes:

When crowds of people are trying to get in and out, you do not want to be the person sitting on the floor trying to lace up your trainers. Ballet pumps or slip ons are your best bet. Slip on and keep it moving y’all.

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Bag:

If you want to bring a bag, leave your handbags at home, bring the smallest possible one you can find because every inch of space counts!

And you might want to bring some water. Have I made you aware it is going to be hot yet?

Hijab:

Put those pashmina hijabs away. Cotton is your best friend, the polyester ones that you get in Whitechapel aren’t a bad shout but go for the single wrap!

Finding Space:

If it looks packed. There is still space. Once everyone stands up to pray you will miraculously see space open up and new lines form! If you do see spaces further at the front, fill them up first. Make space for others and inshAllah you will gain rewards from helping others to pray.

The hazard of the headbutt.

Given the packed nature of Taraweeh, you’ve gotta move with caution. The headbutt collide is real. It’s that moment where both you and the person in front get up at the same time from sujood. I guess everyone needs to experience it at some point.

How it works, The agenda

I’m not a scholar so I am just going to explain how Taraweeh prayers work at the mosques that I have been to.

The Taraweeh prayer is prayed two rakahs at a time and the prayer is a loud prayed rather than a quite prayer. When you get into the mosque, they will lead Isha prayer first, have some time (where you can pray your sunnah prayer) or do some dhikr and then start with 2 rakahs of taraweeh.

Some mosques pray 8 rakahs, So 2 rakahs and then another 2 rakahs and then another 2 rakahs and then another 2 rakahs and then finally 3 rakahs of witr prayer.

While others pray 20 rakahs with a witr prayer to end.

When the Imam is reciting for Taraweeh they are working their way through the surahs starting with surah Baqarah. By the end of Ramadan, it is all the short surahs so you could spend Ramadan trying to memorise these. If you attend all prayers at the mosque, by the end of Ramadan you will probably have recited the whole of the Quran!

If it is your first time going to Taraweeh – let us know how you found it!