Recitation in Taraweeh prayer
Question

                Our imam recites from various places in the Qur’aan during Taraweeh prayer each night. 

What is the ruling on choosing passages from various soorahs in Taraweeh?.
Praise be to Allah.
      Firstly: 

    It is better when reciting in Taraweeh to complete the 
    Qur’aan once. This may be understood from the reports in al-Saheehayn 
    which state that Jibreel used to study the Qur'aan with the Prophet  
    (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Ramadaan, and review it with 
    him. 

    Shaykh Ibn Baaz said (15/325): 
It may be understood from 
    this that if the imam recites the entire Qur’aan to the congregation during 
    Ramadaan, this is a kind of this studying together, because this lets them 
    benefit from hearing the entire Qur’aan. Hence Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have 
    mercy on him) used to like to complete the Qur’aan with those whom he led in 
    prayer, and this is akin to what the salaf did, namely liking to hear the 
    entire Qur’aan. But this does not mean that he should rush and not be 
    deliberate in his recitation, and not seek to be focused and calm, rather 
    seeking these things is better than seeking to complete it. 

    Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 
    11/331-333 

    It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (27/148): 
The Hanbalis and most of 
    the Hanafi shaykhs – and it was also narrated by al-Hasan from Abu Haneefah 
    – are of the view that the Sunnah is to complete the Qur’aan in Taraweeh 
    prayer so that the people can hear the entire Qur’aan in that prayer. The 
    Hanafis said: The Sunnah is to complete it once. So the imam should not 
    forsake completing it because of the people’s laziness, rather he should 
    recite ten verses or so in each rak’ah, and thus he will be able to complete 
    it. (This is based on the assumption that he prays twenty rak’ahs each 
    night.) And it was said that in each rak’ah thirty verses should be recited, 
    because ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) enjoined that. In that case 
    the Qur’aan can be completed three times in Ramadaan. 

    Al-Kaasaani said: What ‘Umar enjoined was by way of doing 
    more of a good thing, which is to complete the Qur’aan more than once. This 
    is what was suitable for their time. But in our time it is better for the 
    imam to recite on the basis of the people’s situation; he should recite 
    whatever will not put them off from joining the congregation, because 
    increasing the size of the congregation is better than lengthening the 
    recitation. End quote. 

    What al-Kaasaani said is good, and the imam should pay 
    attention to the situation of the people behind him. 

    It is not permissible for the imam to put people off by 
    making the prayer so long that it becomes difficult for them and to think 
    that if he does not do that he has done badly! What he should do is to 
    encourage the people to pray even if that is by making it shorter, so long 
    as the prayer is complete. 

    It is better for the people to offer a short but complete 
    prayer than not to pray at all. 

    Abu Dawood said: Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked about a man who 
    recited the Qur’aan twice in Ramadaan, leading the people in prayer. He 
    said: In my view this depends on the people’s energy level, and whether 
    there are workers among them. 

    Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said: The words of Imam Ahmad indicate 
    that attention should be paid to the state of the people with regard to 
    recitation; he should not make it too hard for them. This view was also 
    echoed by other fuqaha’ among the companions of Abu Haneefah and others. 

    Lataa’if al-Ma’aarif, p. 18 

    Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz was asked: 

    What is your opinion about what some imams do, choosing a 
    certain amount of Qur'aan to recite in each rak’ah each night? 

    He replied: 
I do not see anything 
    wrong with that, because it depends on the imam’s own assessment of the 
    situation. If he thinks it is better to recite more on some nights and in 
    some rak’ahs, and that this will benefit those who are praying behind him, 
    and he feels that he has the energy for that and he feels that he is 
    enjoying the recitation and wants to recite more verses to benefit himself 
    and others, then he may do so. If his voice is good and he started to enjoy 
    the recitation and feels humble and focused and hopes that this will benefit 
    himself and those who are praying behind him, then if he recites some extra 
    verses in some rak’ahs or on some nights, we do not know of any reason why 
    he should not do so. The matter is broad in scope, praise be to Allaah. 

    Fataawa al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, 
    11/335, 336

    Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz was also asked: 

    Should the imam pay attention to the situation of the weak 
    such as the elderly etc when praying Taraweeh? 

    He replied: 

    This is something which is required in all the prayers, in 
    Taraweeh and in the obligatory prayers, because the Prophet  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you leads the people 
    in prayer, let him make it short, because among them are the weak, the young 
    and those who have needs.” So the imam should pay attention to the 
    congregation and be kind to them with regard to praying qiyaam in Ramadaan 
    and during the last ten nights. People are not all the same, rather they 
    vary. So he should pay attention to their different situations and encourage 
    them to come. When he makes the prayer too lengthy, he makes it difficult 
    for them and puts them off from attending. He should pay attention to that 
    which will encourage them to attend and pray, even if that is by making it 
    short and not making it long. If the people concentrate during the prayer 
    and find peace in it only for a short time, that is better than a long 
    prayer in which there is no concentration and people only feel bored and 
    tired. 

    Fataawa al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, 
    11/336, 337 

    Thirdly:  
In the answer to question 
    no. 20043, we stated that reciting part of a soorah in prayer is 
    permissible, but it is better to recite the soorah in full, because this is 
    what the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) usually 
    did. 

    Some scholars – such as Ibn al-Salaah – made an exception in 
    the case of Taraweeh prayer, and said that it is better to recite part of a 
    soorah in them, so that (the imam) may achieve the Sunnah of completing the 
    Qur'aan in these prayers. 

    It says in Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj Sharh al-Manhaaj (2/25): 
From this it may be 
    understood that if he wants to recite the whole Qur’aan in Taraweeh it is 
    better to recite part of the soorahs (in each rak’ah), otherwise it is 
    better to recite the whole soorah (in one rak’ah). End quote. 

    It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 33/49: 

    In one of the two reports narrated from him, Maalik regarded 
    it as makrooh to recite only part of a soorah, 

    The Shaafa’is and Hanbalis are of the view that it is not 
    makrooh to recite only part of a soorah, because of the general meaning of 
    the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “So, recite you of the Qur’aan as much as may be easy for 
    you”

    [al-Muzzammil 73:20]

    And Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated 
    that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to 
    recite “Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allaah and that which has been 
    sent down to us” [al-Baqarah 2:136] in the first rak’ah of Fajr and 
    “Say (O Muhammad): O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to 
    a word that is just between us and you” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:64] in the 
    second. But the Shaafa’is clearly stated that a complete soorah is better 
    than a passage of equivalent length from a long soorah… This applies in 
    prayers other than Taraweeh. But in Taraweeh reciting part of a lengthy 
    soorah is better. They explained that by saying that the Sunnah in Taraweeh 
    is to complete the whole Qur’aan in this prayer. End quote. 

    In conclusion: So long as your imam is not going to complete 
    the Qur’aan in Taraweeh prayer, it is permissible for him to recite from 
    various places in the Qur’aan and that is not makrooh, although it is better 
    for him to recite a soorah in full. And Allaah knows best.