TARAWEEH SALAAT, IS IT 8 OR 20?

Ramadan is a very blessed month, in this month the last revelation was revealed, the night of power is also in this blessed month. In this month the reward of a nafl (optional worship) act is the same as a fardh (compulsory) act, and the reward of a fardh act is doubled seventy times. (Saheeh ibn Hibban)

NUMBER OF RAKAATS
It is narrated from hazrat Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that only in ONE night during Ramadan the messenger (peace be upon him) performed eight Rakaats with Witr. (Mawaarid uz Zamaan p 230) However in this narration i.e. in the chain of transmission the person by the name of EESA IBN JAARIA is a weak narrator and CRITISIZED by the scholars of hadeeth for his narrations. Imaam Yahya ibn Maeen (demise 233 AH), a famous scholar in (the art and science of checking the authenticity of individual narrators) mentions that EESA IBN JAARIA is not a strong narrator, Imaam Yahya ibn Maeen also quotes with regards to him, that He narrates those ahaadeeth which are classified as Munkar (such a hadeeth which contradicts another whose narrators are more trustworthy whilst its own narrators are not reliable).

Is EIGHT Rakaats proven from the hadeeth of Bukhari? Where in which

Abi Salmata ibn Abdirrahman asks Aisha (may Allah be pleased with both of them) How was the Salaah of Rasulullah (peace be upon him) in Ramadan?, she replied He did not increase in Ramadan, nor OUTSIDE Ramadan upon eleven Rakaats, he would perform four Rakaats, and do not ask about the beauty and the length of it, he will then read another four Rakaats, and do not ask of its beauty and length, then he would perform three Rakaats, thus I asked him, Oh Rasul of Allah do you sleep before you perform three Rakaats of Witr? He replied, Oh Aisha, verily my eyes are sleeping and my heart is not (Bukhari vol 1 p 2)

Answer
The above hadeeth comes under the chapter Virtue for the one who stands in Ramadan, and is not a proof for the Taraweeh being 8 units. Consider the following questions; Q 1 Aisha mentions the prophet did not increase in or outside Ramadan upon 11 Rakaats (3 Rakaats being Witr.) Is there any Taraweeh outside Ramadan? Q 2 The hadeeth in question comes in Bukhari in another chapter Standing of Nabi (peace be upon him) at night in Ramadan and OUTSIDE Ramadan (Bukhari vol 1 p 154) Why is the hadeeth being repeated if Taraweeh is only in Ramadan? Q 3 If the Taraweeh Salaah is of 8 Rakaats, why do people read it in units of 2? Whereas the hadeeth in question mentions it in units of 4. Q 4 Why is this (same) hadeeth (of Abi Salamata ibn Abdirrahman in discussion) mentioned under the chapter of Salaah of the night (without restricting it to any specific time of the year)? (Muslim Vol 1 p254)

NOTE:
Brothers in Islam the messenger (peace be upon him) has mentioned that it is imperative on you to hold firm onto my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Khulafaa (leaders) after my demise, he also said the road to salvation is that method of action which I and my companions are on. Imaam Nawawi said: Our companions take that hadeeth as a proof which Imaam Baihaqi and the like have related from hazrat Saaib ibn Yazeed who has an authentic chain of narrators that the people used to perform 20 Rakaats in the time of Umar (al- Majmu Sharah Muhazzab vol 4 p 32) Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah said: Verily it has been proven that Umar made Ubay ibn Kab lead the people in 20 Rakaats of Taraweeh and 3 Witr in Ramadan. This is the way of the Scholars of this Ummah and this is the Sunnah. This is due to the fact that Ubay ibn Kab led 20 Rakaats Taraweeh in a large congregation of the Muhajireen and Ansaar of the Sahabah and none amongst them objected to this practise. (Majmua Fataawa vol 1 p 191/ Mughni vol 1 p 803) Prepared by Umdah foundation (email umdahfoundation@yahoo.co.uk) copyright