Travelling from Jeddah to Makkah to pray the Taraaweeh prayer
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Question: What is the ruling regarding the people of Jeddah travelling to Makkah to pray the Taraaweeh prayer?

Response: There is no harm for a person to travel to al-Masjid al-Haraam (in Makkah) to pray the Taraaweeh prayer, since al-Masjid al-Haraam is from those (masaajid) which it is permissible to exert oneself in travelling to.

However, if the person is a worker or an imaam in a masjid, then they should not leave their work or their position as an imaam in order to go to al-Masjid al-Haraam to pray because (to travel so as) to pray in al-Masjid al-Haraam is a Sunnah.

As for maintaining a job, then it is obligatory and there is no possibility of leaving that which is obligatory so as to do something which is a Sunnah.

And it has reached me that some imaam's leave their masaajid and travel to Makkah so as to perform the i'tikaaf in al-Masjid al-Haraam or to pray the Taraaweeh prayer. This is a mistake since carrying out an obligation is obligatory and travelling to Makkah to pray the Taraaweeh prayer or perform the i'tikaaf is not obligatory (rather it is from the Sunnah).

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Fataawa Ramadhaan - Volume 2, Page 837, Fatwa No.832
al- Fataawa libni-'Uthaymeen - Kitaab ad-Da'wah - Volume 1, Pages 202-203