QUESTION: During the last 10, my masjid prays 11 units for Taraweeh, then 11 units for Tahajjud (2 different groups of imams). So what are my options?

ANSWER: Here are the different options: 1⃣. Pray Tarawih with the first group. This option is suitable for those who cannot attend Tahajjud. If you pray Tarawih with the imam until the end, you get the reward of praying the entire night, as the Prophet ﷺ said: ((مَنْ قَامَ مَعَ الإِمَامِ حَتَّى يَنْصَرِفَ كُتِبَ لَهُ قِيَامُ لَيْلَةٍ)) [رواه الأربعة وصححه الألباني] "Whoever prays with the Imam until he finishes, then it is recorded for him that he prayed the whole night." 2⃣. Pray Tahajjud with the second group. This option is suitable for those who wish to pray during the last part of the night, which is the best time to offer the night prayers. If you pray Tahajjud with the imam until the end, you get the reward of praying the entire night just like option 1. This option is better than the first because the Prophet ﷺ said: ((أَفْضَلُ الصَّلاَةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ الصَّلاَةُ فِي جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ)) [رواه مسلم عن أبي هريرة] "The best prayer after the obligatory prayer prayer is the prayer offered in the middle of the night." NOTE: These 2 options are closest to the Sunnah in that you would be offering 11 rak‘ah with your chosen imam. Ai'shah Radhiyallahu 'anhā said: (مَا كَانَ يَزِيدُ فِي رَمَضَانَ وَلاَ فِي غَيْرِهِ عَلَى إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً) [متفق عليه] 3⃣. Pray some units with the first group and then pray the rest, including Witr, with the second group (equalling a sum of 11). NOTE: I've placed this as option 3 because I'm not sure if praying with alternating imams is the same as praying with one imam till the end; Because the imams from both groups in this case will be alternating, so if one departs after the alternation of an imam, does it count as departing with his imam?! الله أعلم but Sheikh Uthaymeen rahimahullah says praying behind alternating imams is the same as praying behind 1 imam. OTHER PERMISSIBLE OPTIONS: The evidence for the following two options is the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: ((صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى، فَإِذَا خَشِيَ أَحَدُكُمُ الصُّبْحَ صَلَّى رَكْعَةً وَاحِدَةً، تُوتِرُ لَهُ مَا قَدْ صَلَّى)) [متفق عليه من حديث ابن عمر] "The night prayer is offered as two Rak'ah followed by two Rak'ah and so on and if anyone is afraid of the approaching dawn (Fajr prayer) he should pray one Rak'ah and this will be a Witr for all the Rak'ahs which he prayed before." 4⃣: Take the advice of Sheikh Uthaymeen: https://t.me/madrasatuna/3545 NOTE: It's permissible to pray an even number of units after Witr due to the following ḥadīth: https://sunnah.com/muslim/6/168 5⃣. Pray Tarawih with the first group EXCLUDING Witr, then pray Tahajjud with the second group including Witr. NOTE: It's not permissible to pray Witr twice in one night because the Prophet ﷺ said: ((لا وترانِ في ليلةٍ)) [أخرجه الثالثة من حديث طلق بن علي، وصححه الألباني] "There are no two Witr in one night." 6⃣. Pray Tarawih with the first group including Witr, then pray Tahajjud with the second group EXCLUDING Witr. NOTE: Option 5 is better because the Prophet ﷺ said: ((اجْعَلُوا آخِرَ صَلاَتِكُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وِتْرًا)) [حديث عمر متفق عليه] "Make witr as your last prayer at night." 7⃣. According to most scholars, the minimum to fulfil the night prayer is one rak'ah, due to the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “Witr is a single rak'ah at the end of the night.” [Muslim] And there's no maximum number, as indicated by the hadith of ’Amr ibn ’Abasah As-Sulami raḍhiyallāhu ’anhu, who said: “I asked: O Messenger of Allāh, in which part of the night is the supplication more likely to be answered? He replied: In the last part: Pray as much as you like, for the prayer is witnessed by the angels and it is recorded till you offer the dawn prayer...” [Abū Dāwūd (1277); graded "Sahih" by Sheikh Albani]