Whilst the opinion of any Sunni Scholar cannot override the commands of our Prophet (s), we have complied a list of those Sahaba and Sunni Ulama who deemed it better to pray Tarawih at home than in a mosque.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Rawas (who is a professor based at a Saudi Arabian University and has compiled a big Encyclopaedia upon Fiqh of Sahaba and other early Ulama) writes about Abdullah Ibn Umar:
“Abdullah Ibn Umar (the son of Umar Ibn Khattab) did not pray Tarawih with people in the Mosque, but he used to offer them individually at home”.
Encyclopedia of Fiqhs, Volume 7, Under the topic of ‘Fiqh of Abdullah Ibn Umar’
Then he has relied on an incident which we are quoting directly from Musanaf Abdulrazaq, Volume 4 page 264:
‘Mujahid reported that one person came to Abdullah Ibn Umar and asked: ‘Shall I pray during Ramadhan behind an Imam?’ He (Abdullah Ibn Umar) asked: ‘Can you recite the Quran?’. He answered: ‘Yes’. Upon this (Abdullah Ibn Umar) said: ‘Then why do you want to stand quietly like a donkey, go and pray at your home’
Abdullah Ibn Umar deemed those that prayed behind an Imam during Tarawih to be ‘Donkeys’! Can one estimate the number of Sunni devotees of his fathers have become donkeys on account of this fatwa?
By now we know that the Bidah of Tarawih in congregation was started by Umar and Abi bin Ka’ab was appointed to be the first Imam to lead this Bidah. Let us now read about the level of interest Abi bin Ka’ab had regarding the said Bidah:
“Ubaid bin al-Hassan reported that Umar Ibn Khattab gathered people behind Abi bin Ka’b and he used to lead them in 20 Rakah prayers,… but during the last ten days of Ramadhan, then Abi bin Ka’b used to stay in his home and offer his prayers there, while other people used to say that Abi bin Ka’b ran away”.
Sunnan Abu Daud, Volume 1 page 154
Maulana Waheed uz Zaman Khan in his commentary of Sunnan Abu Dawud stated:
“Imam Abu Yousuf and Malikia preferred to offer this prayer at home”.
Sunnan Abu Dawud, vol 1, page 557, published Lahore (translated by Mawlana Wahiduz Zaman)
Imam of Deobandies Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri stated:
“Imam Malik, Imam Yousuf, Imam Tahawi and some companions of Imam Shaf’i prefer that like other Nawafil it is better to offer Tarawih at home without a congregation, while Rasool (saw) said that prayers are better at home except those that are compulsory.”
Anwar-ul-Bari (the commentry of Sahih Bukhari), vol. 2, page 88, published in Gujranwala, Pakistan
Similarly Imam Nawawi stated:
“The scholars agree on its merit but they differ on whether it is better to pray it at one’s home individually or in congregation in a mosque”
We further read:
“Malik, Abu Yusuf, some Shafi’i scholars and others say that it is better to pray it individually at home”
Sharh Sahih Muslim, Volume 6 page 39
In the end we deem it apt to mention that a modern day Salafi scholar namely Sheikh Adil al-Marshood wrote a booklet “al-Salah fi al-Beuoot adham men al-Salah fi al-Masjid” in which he proved that praying Tarawih in congregation is an innovation (Bidah).