What is the prescribed time for performing the Tarawih prayer? Is it valid to perform it after the Maghrib prayer and before the ʿIshaʾ prayer?

Performing supererogatory acts of worship in abundance is a means of attaining Allah's love. Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) reported that Allah Almighty said, “My servant continues to draw closer to Me through supererogatory acts of worship until I love him” (recorded by al-Bukhari in his Sahih).

Among the voluntary prayers that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) encouraged Muslims to observe regularly is the Tarawih prayer offered during the blessed month of Ramadan. It is a confirmed Sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah) for both men and women, having been established by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his Family) through both his words and his practice. Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, “Whoever prays during the night in Ramadan out of faith and in seeking its reward, will have his previous sins forgiven” (recorded by Bukhari And Muslim).

The majority of jurists adopt the view that the time for Tarawih prayer begins after the ʿIshaʾ prayer and extends until the break of dawn, before the Witr prayer. This is supported by the practice passed down from the early generations of Muslims to later generations, as well as the fact that the Companions established its practice by performing it after the ʿIshaʾ prayer and before the Witr prayer. Moreover, since Tarawih is a Sunnah prayer that follows the ʿIshaʾ prayer, its prescribed time falls before the Witr prayer.

According to the majority of jurists, performing Tarawih after the Maghrib prayer but before the ʿIshaʾ prayer does not count as Tarawih; in the Maliki school, however, it is regarded as a voluntary (nafl) prayer. Hanbali jurists explain that Tarawih must follow the obligatory ʿIshaʾ prayer, so performing it beforehand is invalid, just as it is invalid to perform the Sunnah prayer associated with ʿIshaʾ before the obligatory prayer. They further maintained that Tarawih should be performed after both the obligatory ʿIshaʾ prayer and its regular Sunnah prayer. The Hanbali scholar Al-Majd stated that since delaying the Sunnah of ʿIshaʾ beyond its preferred time is disliked, it is more appropriate that Tarawih follow it.[1]

Based on the above, the Tarawih prayer is to be performed after the ʿIshaʾ prayer and before the Witr prayer. Performing it before the ʿIshaʾ prayer does not fulfill the Sunnah of Tarawih.

And Allah Almighty knows best.