The main Fatwa Committee: Tarawih prayer behind an Imam on television or radio is not valid due to the lack of communication with the Imam, while the Muslim should better pray with his or her household.

     The Fatwa Committee of the Islamic Research Academy in Al-Azhar, in its response to a fatwa on the ruling on praying Tarawih behind the TV or radio due to the closure of mosques due to the spread of the current epidemic, said that the image that some people claim to pray behind the TV or radio is contradicting the intent of the legislator [SWT], which is that Muslims meet in one place, a real meeting, not a virtual one. Jurists have stipulated that the followers in prayer should follow the Imam in the congregational prayers, the spatial communication and they are all have to be in one place.

The committee added that it was stated in Bada’i al-Sanayi 'in the Hanafi jurisprudence: (Including - the existence of the imam and the followers is required, that is because following the example requires dependency in prayer. while the place of prayer is a necessity so dependency in the place is a necessity. when the place differs, there is no dependency in the place, so there is no dependency in prayer due to the lack of its necessity) Bada'i al-Sanayeh (1/145).

It is also stated in Hashiyat El-gmal in Shafi’i jurisprudence: {And the third of them is their meeting, i.e. the Imam and the followers have to be in the same place. If they were in a mosque, that is correct, but if there are walls, buildings or wells, then dependency is invalid, that means the barrier between them has isolated the congregation].

The committee affirmed, based on the above, that prayer is not valid behind television, radio, or through any modern means of communication, while whoever has done this is invalid, due to the lack of communication between the imam and the followers, which is required for the validity of the dependency as what is stated by the jurists.

There for, Taraweeh prayer is not valid behind an imam on television or radio because there is no communication between with the Imam and the followers, {Imam has been legislated to be followed}.

While it is better for a Muslim to pray in his house in congregation with his family and children because it is Sunnah not obligatory so it is an opportunity to locate a corner in the house where to perform prayers so that mercy and blessing will be carried out in the house where the angels descend ,after the permission of their God{SWT}, till the early dawn.