Taraweeh- 12 rak'as??

[crayon]

I've always known that taraweeh can be prayed as either 8 rak'as, or 20.
Since coming here, I've been seeing people pray 12?

Did the prophet ever pray 12, or is it a bidaa?

 

[Muhammad]

The topic regarding the number of rak'ahs of Taraweeh can cause quite a bit of debate and confusion, as has occurred in the past, so I think it would be best for you to read the words of the scholars and find your answer there Insha'Allaah. See this thread for some useful links:

http://www.islamicboard.com/fasting...giving-useful-information-about-taraweeh.html

What has authentically been reported of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam) suggests that there is much flexibility with respect to the number of raka'aat in the salaat al-layl (the night prayer), and they are not restricted to a certain number...

From: Concerning Taraaweeh, Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Baz

The above treatise then goes on to mention the preferred number of rak'at and so on. The link for it is in the thread above.