how many taraweeh did prophet pray

The most authentic answer is that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prayed 11 rak‘ahs in total at night in Ramadan and outside Ramadan: 8 rak‘ahs of night prayer (qiyām/tarāwīh) and 3 rak‘ahs of witr.

Core evidence in hadith

• ʿĀ’ishah (ra) reported that the Prophet ﷺ never exceeded eleven rak‘ahs in night prayer, in Ramadan or otherwise: he would pray four, then four, then three, and she emphasized how long and beautiful they were.

• Scholars explain that these eleven include eight rak‘ahs of qiyām (what we now call “tarāwīh”) plus three witr , making 11 in total.

• Some narrations mention 13 when including the two light rak‘ahs he prayed at the beginning or after Fajr time, but the main consistent number for his regular night standing is 11.

So when you see “how many tarāwīh did the Prophet pray?”, the precise answer is:

He ﷺ prayed eight rak‘ahs of night prayer in Ramadan, followed by three witr, totalling eleven.

Why do many mosques pray 20?

After the Prophet ﷺ, the Companions and early scholars expanded the number of rak‘ahs while keeping the general Sunnah of long, devoted night prayer in Ramadan.

• Reports from the era of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (ra) mention the people praying 20 rak‘ahs in congregation.

• Major jurists (Imam Abū Ḥanīfah, al-Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad in a well-known view, and Mālik with an even higher number) recommended 20 or more , not because they thought the Prophet ﷺ prayed 20, but as an acceptable extension of his night prayer Sunnah.

• A detailed fatwa explains that there is no authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ himself prayed 20 rak‘ahs of tarāwīh; the specific 20-rak‘ah format arose in the Companions’ practice.

So you’ll find:

• Some follow the Prophetic number (11 total) with longer recitation.
• Others follow the Companions’ practice (20+ rak‘ahs) with somewhat shorter recitation.

Both approaches aim at the same Sunnah of standing in Ramadan nights , and scholars across time have considered different counts valid , as long as the prayer is done properly and sincerely.

Simple takeaway

• What the Prophet actually did regularly: 8 rak‘ahs of night prayer + 3 witr = 11 rak‘ahs.

• What many mosques do now: often 20 rak‘ahs of tarāwīh plus witr, following the practice attributed to ʿUmar (ra) and the early generations.

If you want to be closest to his specific practice , pray 11 with more khushūʿ and longer recitation. If your local masjid prays 20 , you can pray with them knowing there is strong scholarly backing for it as well.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.