It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to encourage people to perform Tarawih prayers at night, but did not command it as an obligation. He, peace and blessings be upon him, used to say: "Whoever performs Tarawih in Ramadan, considering it a right and purely for the sake of Allah, his previous sins will be forgiven." Ibn Shihab says that thus the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away and this remained the situation, and it continued in the caliphate of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, and in the early period of the caliphate of Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, as well.