Assalam Aleikum brothers and sisters in Islam. I hope you all are just as excited as I am as Ramadan approaches. With Ramadan so close, today I was once again of two hearts when thinking about Taraweeh prayer. For years now I kept wondering whether Taraweeh should be offered in 8 rakat or 20 rakat. Sometimes I would pray 20, and other times, due to lethargy, or sleepiness, or some other reason I would offer 8. But as I kept searching for the correct number of rakat, I realized that I simply couldn't find a satisfactory answer. So, today, I was most humbled to find a YouTube video in which Dr. Zakir Naik explained and answered my question wonderfully.
In short, you may pray as many rakat as you wish. 8 or 20 or something in between, or even more than 20, followed by Salatul-Witr, making the total number of namaz/salat offered an odd number. Our beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) used to offer 11 rakat on most occasions as I understand. 8 rakat of Taraweeh followed by 3 rakat of Witr - making it a total of 11 rakat. However, that does not mean it has to be 8 rakat. As I mentioned before, it can be more than 8. It can be 12 or 20 or 24... anything really. As long as you are offering your salat at home in your privacy. If you are offering Taraweeh in the Masjid, then you are required to follow the Imam. If the Imam choooses to offer 8 rakat, then you need to offer 8 rakat also. If the Imam offers 20, then you will also need to offer 20. In congregation, you are always to follow the Imam's lead.
And Allah (SWT) knows best.
JazakAllah Khair.
Here's the video: