Question: Is it possible to raise your hands in supplication?

Answer: Raising hands in prayer is the ethics and sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and all Muslim scholars and followers of different madhhabs are unanimous in this. This is indicated by arguments from the Koran and Sunnah. The Koran says: " Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret "(Surah al-Araf, verse 55).

Humble prayer occurs in calmness, in humiliation before Allah Almighty. As reported in the hadith: “ I ask you as the poor man asks ».

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when turning to Allah was in the form of a poor man who asked his Master.

Imam al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him), when in his time some raised this issue and argued that there are no reliable hadiths on this topic, compiled the book “Fazlul Viga fi ahadisirafil-yadayni fi dua”, which says: “ The hadiths about raising hands in prayer are well-known and are tawatur (i.e., reliable hadiths that you need to believe one hundred percent, as if you yourself were a witness to what they say) ».

Also, al-Suyuti cited in the book “Tadribu ar-Ravi” a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he raised his hands in prayer, and this is also stated in almost a hundred hadiths. The message that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands in supplication is included in the category of tawatur in meaning. This practice is reliably established by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Imam al-Suyuti in his book says: “Raise your hands to the Merciful, beseeching, asking, crying and humbly. Allah is the most excellent among those in whom one hopes, and Great is Allah from the abandonment of those in despair who raise their hands to Him.”

Raising hands in supplication is an imperative sunnah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A person in supplication realizes the need of the Merciful Allah.” Because he asks from the generous and the Almighty. Allah is excellent in abandoning his servant who asks without fulfilling his need.

Also, the texts of learned followers of various madhhabs (Hanafis, Malikis, Shafiites, Hanbalites) indicate the permissibility of raising hands in prayer.

Who cites some hadiths that say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not raise his hands in prayer, or cite the words of the companions that they did not see the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raise his hands in prayer, except in asking for rain. Also, the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), which is given in both reliable collections, was ordered by scientists to relate this hadith not to the external meaning.

Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

All rights reserved. All rights reserved. ا من الصحيحين أو أحدهما “شرح النووي على مسلم” 6/ 190

« The raising of hands by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in prayer in places not asking for rain is approved. There are a lot of them, it is impossible to list them, I have collected some, these are about 30 hadiths from both reliable collections or from one of them(see in the book “Sharkhala Muslim”, 190/6).

Ibn Hajar Askalani also says that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands not asking for rain, but not in the same way as in asking for rain, when the hands are raised high.

Based on this, we say that raising hands in supplication is an imperative sunnah, a Muslim in a humble, humiliated state before Allah Almighty raises his hands.

We ask Allah Almighty to give the opportunity for everything good and pleasing, to accept our prayers, to exalt us by receiving an answer to our prayer

Answered Sheikh Muhammad Wasam

It is reported from the words of Wail ibn Hujra: “I prayed with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and he put his hands on his chest: right to left.” This hadith was narrated by Ibn Khuzaimah.

Comment:

From this hadith it follows that when performing namaz, you should fold your hands on your chest. It should be noted that several versions of this message have reached us. Ahmad and Muslim reported from the words of Wail ibn Hujr another version of this hadith that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when starting prayer, raised his hands and exalted Allah. Then he wrapped himself in clothes and placed his right hand on his left. Wanting to make a bow, he freed his hands, raised them, exalting Allah, and bowed. Having said: “Allah listens to those who praise Him,” he again raised his hands. When bowing to the ground, he placed his head between his hands. The version of Ahmad and Abu Dawud states that he placed his right hand on the hand, wrist and forearm of his left hand.

Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasai and ad-Darimi reported from his own words: “One day I decided to watch how the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prayed. I saw that, having stood up for prayer, he exalted Allah and raised his hands to the level of his ears. Then he placed his hands on his chest: his right hand on his forearm, his wrist and his left hand. Wanting to bow from the waist, he again raised his hands as before and placed his hands on his knees. He then straightened up, raising his arms in the same way, and then bowed to the ground, placing his hands at ear level. Then he sat on his left leg, placing his left hand on his thigh and knee. He touched his right thigh with his right elbow and then clenched two fingers into a fist. He connected the other two fingers into a ring, and raised the remaining finger, and I saw how he moved it, calling out prayers. Another time I came to him when it was cold, and I saw people moving their fingers under their clothes because of the cold.” Al-Albani called the chain of narrators of this hadith authentic according to the requirements of Muslim.

Abu Dawud, an-Nasai and Ibn Majah reported from the words of Ibn Mas'ud that once during prayer he put left hand to the right. Seeing this, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, transferred his right hand to his left. Ibn Hajar called the chain of hadith narrators good, and Ibn Sayyid al-Nas reported that they are all narrators of hadiths included in al-Sahih.

These messages indicate that one should place the right hand on top of the left during prayer. This opinion was held by the overwhelming majority of theologians. Ibn al-Mundhir reported that Ibn al-Zubair, al-Hasan al-Basri and an-Naha'i did not fold their hands, but lowered them. An-Nawawi reported that al-Layth ibn Sa'd did this. Ibn al-Qasim reported that Malik did the same. Ibn al-Hakam reported the opposite on behalf of Imam Malik, but most of his followers relied on the first message. Ibn Sayyid al-Nas said that al-Auza'i considered both actions permitted. However, reliable hadiths support the opinion of the majority of scholars. Ash-Shaukani reported that hadiths on this matter have come down to us from eighteen companions and followers. Hafiz Ibn Hajar, referring to Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, said that no other reliable messages from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, have reached us.

Arguments in favor of lowering your hands while standing in prayer can be called strange and even surprising. Among them are the words “Why do you raise your hands?” mentioned in the hadith of Jabir ibn Samura. We have already mentioned this hadith earlier, and it refers to the fact that the companions raised their hands, saying words of greeting at the end of the prayer. It says nothing about lowering your arms while standing.

Some of our opponents argued that folding the hands interferes with concentration, but even the Shia theologians recognized the invalidity of this argument. Thus, al-Mahdi in the book “al-Bahr” called such an argument of his comrades senseless. On the other hand, it is easy to find a counterargument to such an argument: by folding his hands, the prayer occupies them, and therefore they do not interfere with his concentration; Besides this, the intention is always in the heart, and people, as a rule, cover with their hands what they want to save. Ibn Hajar mentioned this.

Some of our opponents refer to the fact that in the hadith about the one who made a mistake in prayer, nothing is said about folding the hands. However, this may serve as an argument against those who consider folding the hands to be compulsory. It follows from the hadiths that it is advisable to do so.

Finally, the inconsistency of the assertion that one should lower one's hands while standing is clearly expressed in the words of the following al-Mahdi: “If the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did this, then perhaps he did it for a good reason. As for his words on this matter, they are a strong argument, if, of course, they are reliable. But even so, it can be assumed that this applies only to the prophets."

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) here mean the hadith reported from the words of Abu ad-Darda: “Three qualities relate to the morality of the prophets: early breaking of the fast, late pre-dawn meal and folding right hand on the left during prayer." At-Tabarani narrated an interrupted version of this hadith, but due to its content it has the power of an ascending message. Moreover, it is strengthened by the ascending hadith reported from the words of Ibn ‘Abbas. See Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir (3038).

You should know that there is disagreement among theologians about where exactly the hands should be folded. Abu Hanifa, Sufyan al-Sauri, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Abu Ishaq al-Marwazi and others believed that it is desirable to fold the hands below the navel. Ahmad and Abu Dawud reported from the words of ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib: “Among the desirable injunctions of prayer is folding the hands below the navel.” One of the narrators of this hadith was ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ishaq al-Kufi. Ahmad ibn Hanbal considered him weak. Imam al-Bukhari had the same opinion. In addition, the chain of this hadith is confusing, since the aforementioned 'Abd ar-Rahman sometimes narrated it from 'Ali ibn Abu Talib through Ziyad and Abu Juhaifa (Ahmad), sometimes from 'Ali ibn Abu Talib through an-Nu'man ibn Sa 'yes (ad-Darakutni and al-Beyhaki), sometimes - from Abu Hureyra through Sayyar Abu al-Hakam and Abu Wail (Abu Dawood and ad-Darakutni). An-Nawawi reported that scholars were unanimous about the weakness of this tradition. There are no reliable reports about placing your hands below the navel.

Shafi'i theologians believed that the hands should be folded below the chest, but above the navel. Abu Dawud narrated that ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib folded his hands above the navel, holding his left hand by the wrist with his right hand. Among the narrators of this hadith was Ibn Jarir ad-Dabbi, who referred to his father. Ibn Hibban considered his father trustworthy, but al-Dhahabi called him unknown.

From the name of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, two reports have reached us that support the opinions of the Hanafi and Shafi'i schools. From the third message on his behalf it follows that both actions are considered equally permissible. Ibn al-Mundhir and al-Awza'i were of the same opinion.

However, the most reliable report on this matter indicates that the arms should be folded across the chest. Ibn Khuzayma reported from the words of Wa'il ibn Hujr: “I performed prayer with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and he kept his hands on his chest: his right hand on his left.” Shafi'i theologians also relied on this hadith, but it does not testify in their favor.

It is noteworthy that folding the hands on the chest coincides with one of the interpretations of the words of the Almighty: “Therefore perform prayer for the sake of your Lord and slaughter the sacrifice.”(108:3). As ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib and Ibn ‘Abbas believed, the verb “nahara” indicates that during prayer the hands should be kept on the chest: the right hand on the left. This is explained by the fact that one of the meanings of the word “nahr” is “ upper part chest." There are other reliable interpretations of this verse, and Allah knows best about it. See Neil al-Authar, vol. 2, p. 482-485; "Irwa al-Galil", vol. 2, p. 69-71.

Please tell me, according to the Shafi'i madhhab, is it necessary to raise one's hands at the beginning of the 3rd rak'yat in the same way as at the beginning of prayer?

To answer your question, we used one of the fundamental works on fiqh in the Shafi'i madhhab - the book “Mughni al-mukhtaj ila ma'rifati ma'ani alfaz al-minhaj”. It only mentions the raising of hands at the very beginning of the prayer, before and after the bow. In the book “Al-fiqh al-Islami wa adillatuh”, which is one of the largest modern encyclopedias on fiqh, which contains the opinions of theologians of four madhhabs with argumentation, with detailed description 36 desirable actions (sunnas) in prayer-namaz in the Shafi'i madhhab, along with the mention of raising hands at the very beginning of the prayer, before bowing from the waist and after it (point No. 1), there is also a mention of raising hands when you get up for the third rakyaat after of the first Tashahhud (point No. 23). The footnote explaining this point does not give the theological source of the Shafi'i madhhab, but stipulates that this is mentioned in the hadiths. If we ask the question of whether there is any mention in the Sunnah of raising one’s hands with takbir when one stands up for the third rak’ah after the first tashahhud, then it is in the Sunnah. To get acquainted, I turn to the book “Neil al-avtar” by the famous theologian of the past al-Shavkyani. It contains almost all hadiths containing canonical provisions (ahkyam). At the same time, details of the reliability and unreliability of each hadith are discussed based on the opinions of authoritative hadith scholars and conclusions canonical order, which were made by the fuqaha theologians of the past. From it we see that among the three positions of raising hands in prayer, the most frequently mentioned in the Sunnah and, according to theologians, the most definitely necessary is raising hands with takbir at the beginning of prayer-namaz. “When the Prophet Muhammad stood up to pray, he raised his hands protractedly” (hadith from Abu Hurayrah; in five sets of hadiths, except an-Nasai). Here are some of the statements of scholars on this hadith:

- al-Shavkyani:“There is no mention of its being even partially unreliable”;

- al-Nawawi:“There is no disagreement among theologians regarding the raising of hands at the beginning of prayer”;

- al-Shafi'i:“There is probably no other position that has been conveyed by so many of the Prophet’s companions”;

- al-Bukhari:“Nineteen Companions of the Prophet conveyed information about this (raising hands at the beginning of prayer)”;

- al-Bayhaqi spoke about about thirty companions of the Prophet Muhammad who conveyed this;

- al-Hakim:“Raising hands at the beginning of prayer is the indisputable sunnah of the Prophet. Among those who testified there are ten people who, already during their lifetime, were promised by the Prophet a heavenly abode in eternity”;

- al-‘Iraqi:“About fifty of the Prophet’s companions spoke about the need to raise their hands at the beginning of prayer, among them ten who were promised an eternal paradise during their lifetime.” After listing all the mentioned quotations and much more, confirming the authenticity of this sunnah, Imam al-Shavkani concludes: “Raising hands at the beginning of prayer-namaz is one of those provisions regarding which ijtihad is unacceptable.” In second place is “raising hands before and after a bow from the waist.” This position does not have such high and unshakable reliability as “raising hands at the beginning of prayer.” That is why theologians such as al-Shafi'i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal spoke about the desirability of this, and, for example, Abu Hanifa said that hands should be raised only at the beginning of the prayer. As for “raising your hands with takbir when you get up for the third rak’ah after the first tashahhud” (which Imam al-Shafi’i spoke about), the desirability of this is not so categorical. An-Nawawi, for example, noted that the most famous opinion of Imam Malik was that it was desirable to do this. There are hadiths on all of the above provisions, but the degree of categoricalness of the narratives and their reliability are different. There is an opinion in the Shafi’i madhhab that it is advisable to raise your hands when standing up from the first tashahhud to the third rak’ah, but it is not as important as raising your hands before and after bowing from the waist.

In any case, this refers to additional (mustahab). According to all theologians, it is definitely not a sunnah muakkyada (obligatory sunnah).

See: al-Zuhayli V. Al-fiqh al-Islami wa adillatuh [Islamic law and its arguments]. In 8 volumes. Damascus: al-Fikr, 1990. T. 1. P. 62, 63.

See: al-Khatib al-Shirbiniy Sh. Mughni al-mukhtaj [Enriching the needy]. In 6 vols. Egypt: al-Maktaba at-tawfiqiya, [b. G.]. T. 1. pp. 247–352.

See: al-Zuhayli V. Al-fiqh al-Islami wa adillatuh. In 8 volumes. T. 1. P. 743.

Died in 1255 AH.

According to Hanafi theologians, men raise their hands to ear level so that their thumbs touch the lobes, and women raise their hands to shoulder level, and pronounce the takbir: “Allahu Akbar” (“God is above all”). It is advisable for men to separate their fingers, and for women to close them. Shafi'i theologians believe that both men and women raise their hands to shoulder level and the takbir is pronounced at the same time as the hands are raised. Read more about this in my book “Muslim Law 1-2”.

Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr commented on this as “raising the hands above the ears,” that is, at the level of the ears.

That is, this provision is so reliable that it is impossible and unacceptable to doubt the need for it or interpret it in any other way.

See, for example: al-Shavkyani M. Neil al-avtar [Achieving goals]. In 8 volumes. Beirut: al-Kutub al-‘ilmiya, 1995. Vol. 1. Part 2. pp. 181–189, hadiths No. 666–672; al-Khatib ash-Shirbiniy Sh. Mughni al-mukhtaj. T. 1. pp. 247–352.

Should you raise your hands when making a bow - hand, returning to the starting position after it, as well as other actions during prayer?

Theologians of the Hanafi school believe that during any actions in prayer, with the exception of the opening takbir, hands should not be raised. (Al-Shibani Muhammad Kitabal Asl T1; p. 37) To prove this, they give the following arguments:

1. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), once seeing how some of his companions raised their hands during prayer, reproached them: “Why do I see you raising your hands as if they were the tails of stubborn horses?! Pray calmly." (Sb. Muslim, No. 430).

2. One day Ibn Masud said: “Should I perform a prayer for you (as it was performed) by the Messenger of Allah?” And he performed the prayer, raising his hands only for the first time (i.e. when pronouncing the introductory takbir). (Sb. at-Tirmidhi, comments to No. 256).

3. The hadith of al-Bara ibn Azib (RA) says: “When the Prophet (SAW) began prayer, he raised his hands close to his ears and did not return to this again.” (Sk. Abu-Daud, No. 749).

4. It is also reported that Umar ibn al-Khattab and Ali ibn Abu Talib (RA) raised their hands only at the first takbir of prayer and did not return to this again. (These messages were reported by al-Tahawi from the words of al-Aswad and Asim ibn Kuleiba, respectively).

However, there are hadiths that say the opposite:

1. Ibn-Umar (RA) said: “I saw that when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) stood up for prayer, he raised his hands until they were level with his shoulders, and he did this when he said the takbir for bowing and when he raised his head from a bow, but did not do this in a bow to the ground.” (Sb. al-Bukhari, no. 736; Muslim, no. 390).
2. Wa'il ibn Hujr (RA) narrates that he saw the Prophet (SAW), starting to pray, raising his hands in front of his ears, saying takbir, then wrapped himself in clothes and put his right hand on his left. Then, when he wanted to make a bow, he took his hands out of his clothes, raised them, then said takbir and made a bow. Then, after the phrase: “Samia l-Lahu li-man hamida-kh,” he raised his hands again. And, bowing to the ground, he put his head between his palms. (Sb. Muslim, No. 390).

The Hanafis respond to these hadiths with the following arguments:

1. Ali bin Abu Talib and Ibn Masud (RA) became companions before Ibn Umar and Wa'il ibn Hujr (RA), they always stood close to the Prophet (SAW), being in the forefront during prayer, and therefore had a better understanding of what exactly how it was accomplished. (Al-Shibani Muhammad Kitabal-hujja Alya ahl-Madina T1; P; 94.)
2. These and similar hadiths have been canceled by the above reports.

Thus, it is sunnah to raise hands only when pronouncing the opening takbir. This applies to both obligatory and additional prayers, with the exception of those performed on the holidays of Breaking the Fast and Sacrifice, in which hands should also be raised during additional takbirs, as well as night prayer - Witr, in which hands are also raised for the Qunut prayer.

Attention! The article was written by the “Sunni” scholar of the Maliki madhhab, Muhammad al-Tanwajiyavi al-Shinqiti. As is known, Malikis lower their hands during prayer, just like Shiites. We have reproduced this article in its entirety.

Preface

Muhaddith scholars say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) loved to follow the People of the Book in something about which nothing had been revealed, and that this was until the time Islam spread, and that after that he turned away from following the people of the Scripture.

The most learned Sheikh Muhammad al-Khizr ibn Mayyab in his book “Confirmation of the Omission” cites that the imams al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasai and Ibn Majah brought out a sufficient number of hadiths in which it is stated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and welcome him, loved to agree with the People of the Book in something about which nothing was revealed in the Qur'an, but left it after the spread of Islam. This was due to the fact that the people of the book were initially on the truth, and, for example, the Zoroastrians did not have any divine basis, and it is possible that such an action on the part of the Messenger of Allah had a specific purpose. Examples of such actions included, for example, the fact that he stopped combing his hair into two parts. Among such questions, according to some scientists, is the topic we are considering. This opinion is supported by what Ibn Abu Shaiba, a muhaddith scholar famous for his many works and collections, related from Ibn Sirin, a famous tabi'in, that he was once asked whether the one praying with his right hand holds his left , to which he replied: "It was only because of the Byzantines." It is also narrated from Hasan al-Basri that he said: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “It is as if I see Jewish confessors placing their right hands on their left hands in prayer.” And this same hadith was transmitted from Abu Majaliz, ‘Uthman an-Nahdi and Abu al-Jawz, and all of them were major Tabi’in scholars.

This is how Jewish confessors and Byzantine high priests hold their hands, as indicated in the above-mentioned legends. In addition, this is evidenced by the words of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “From what has reached people since the time of the first prophecy: if you are not embarrassed, then do whatever you want, and place your right hand on your left during prayer.” A similar hadith was derived by Imams al-Bayhaqi and ad-Darakutni through 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Three things from the prophecy: breaking your fast as soon as possible, eating before fasting until last moment and place your right hand on your left.”

But it is known that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, some time after living in Medina, forbade following the People of the Book and taking business from them, and even got angry with 'Umar ibn al-Khattab when he brought a certain sheet of paper with sermons and religious decisions of the People of the Book; and then he said that if Musa, peace be upon him, was alive, he would have followed him (i.e., the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Thus, it is established from the six Sahihs that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, initially loved to agree with the People of the Book in what was not revealed to him. It has also been established that holding hands in prayer is the action of the people of the Book, and this is what makes us clearly understand the reason for the actions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as well as the reason for abandoning this action in the future. We will explain in more detail below.

Some Evidence from the Sunnah about Giving Up

There are many evidences of lowering one’s hands in prayer; here are some of them in a brief summary:

Hadith from Imam at-Tabarani in his “Big History”: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, during prayer raised his hands to his ears, and, pronouncing takbir: “Allahu Akbar,” he lowered them.” The authenticity of this hadith is confirmed by its agreement with the hadith from Abu Hamid al-Sa'adi, which was derived by the imams al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud. Its meaning corresponds to the hadith of Abu Hamid al-Sa'adi (see the book “Confirmation of the Deposition” by Ibn Mayyab, p. 32).

As proof of giving up, there is also a hadith from Abu Hamid al-Saadi, which was derived by the imams al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud and is cited in the Sunnan of Abu Dawud through Ahmad ibn Hanbal, who said: “Abu Hamid gathered with about ten companions, among whom was Sahl ibn Sa'ad, and they recalled the prayer of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And Abu Hamid said: “I will teach you the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.” They asked: “Why? We swear by Allah, you follow him no more than we do and are no older than us in Companionship.” He said: “No.” They said, “Introduce it to us.” He said: “When he stood up for prayer, he raised his hands in front of his shoulders, then he recited the takbir until each bone was set exactly in its place, then he read, then he recited the takbir and bowed from the waist...” (The Hadith of Abu Hamid is authentic from the point view of Abu Dawud and al-Bukhari).

Then when he finished they said, "You're right." And it is also known that the hands standing man are located on his sides, and not on his chest. And Sahl ibn Saad - the transmitter of the hadith “And people were ordered to lay their right hands on their left” - was among those present, and if he did not know the hadith about abandoning the action, he would have recalled that he forgot to lay his hand on his hand, but he told him , that he was right (see “Sunnan” by Abu Dawud, volume I, p. 194, as well as “Confirmation of giving up” by Muhammad al-Khizr ibn Mayyab, pp. 18-32. Hamid al-Sa'adi gives a different narration in the description of the prayer of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which describes leaving the hands in their place. This rivayat of the action, mentioned by Imams at-Tahawi and Ibn Hiban, is given by Ibn Mayyaba in the book “Confirmation of lowering the hands” on page 39) .

From the evidence of this is also what is given from Hafiz ibn 'Abdulbarr in the book "Knowledge": "Imam Malik cited a hadith about lowering one's hands from 'Abdullah ibn al-Hasan" (Imam Malik cited a hadith about lowering one's hands from 'Abdullah ibn al-Hasan from the words of Ibn 'Abdulbarr, and his condition for the authenticity of the hadith is to the fourth degree, according to the terminology of the hadith (see “Confirmation of giving up” by Ibn Mayyab, p. 39).

The evidence also shows that scholars confirm that ‘Abdullah ibn Zubair did not hold his hands on his chest and did not see anyone holding his hands like that. Khatib al-Baghdadi in the “History of Baghdad” cites that ‘Abdullah ibn Zubair took the description of the prayer from his grandfather, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him. And this is confirmed by the fact that Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, did not hold his hands in prayer (see “Confirmation of the lowering of hands”, page 38, as well as the book “The Decisive Word”, page 24. This is evidenced by his actions, but it is also reported from him that he kept his hands on his chest, although it is obvious that he did so earlier from Ibn Abu Shayb and Khatib al-Baghdadi, from Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the Source and transmission from Ahmad, as explained by Ibn Mayyab and. Sheikh 'Abid).

Among the arguments is also what Ibn Abu Shaiba cites from Hasan al-Basri, Ibrahim an-Nah'i, Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, Ibn Sirin and Sa'id ibn Khubair: “They did not keep their hands on their chests during prayer , and they are from among the largest Tabi'een who took the Sunnah from the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and any knowledge is inferior to the degree of their knowledge and fear of God” (see “Confirmation of giving up,” p. 33).
Likewise, Abu Mujaliz, ‘Uthman al-Nahdi and Abu al-Jawza believed that holding hands on the chest directly concerns the high priests of the Jews and Christians. Ibn Sirin was also asked about placing his right hand on his left in prayer, to which he replied: “This was only because of the Byzantines.” Hasan al-Basri said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is as if I see Jewish spiritual leaders placing their right hands on their left hands in prayer” (see previous source, p. 34; narrated from Ibn Abu Shaybah ).

Also, from the evidence about lowering hands in prayer, the words of scientists are cited that this is either allowed or recommended. When one of the Shafi'i scholars tried to say that this was undesirable, he was given the answer that Imam al-Shafi himself in the book "Al-Umm" said that there is nothing wrong if someone does not lay hand on hand in prayer. As for holding your hands on your chest, there is an opinion about desirability, an opinion about undesirability, and an opinion about prohibition. And the main argument for abandoning this action is the hadith, which is given in both “Sahihs”: “What is clearly permitted and clearly forbidden, and between them is doubtful.” Muhammad al-Sunawisi spoke about the prohibition of this action in the book “Healing the Breast,” al-Khitab and others when they talked about holding hands in prayer. (See Az-Zad al-Muslim, Vol. I, p. 176).

From the evidence there is also the hadith of a person who performed the prayer poorly, cited in the narration of al-Hakim, corresponding to the conditions of imams al-Bukhari and Muslim. This hadith talks about obligatory (fard) and desirable actions in prayer. Among the above there is no indication of holding hands in prayer. This is what the hadith says: “After a person who performed prayer poorly asked to teach him, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that he should first perform ablution, then say takbir, then praise Allah, then read from the Koran what was allowed to him by Allah, then pronounce takbir and bow from the waist, placing his palms on his knees until all parts of the body are calm and aligned. Then say: “Sami’ Allahu liman hamidah,” and take a standing position, so that each bone returns to its place. Then straighten the spine, then say takbir and bow to the ground, resting on the forehead, until all parts of the body calm down. Then straighten up and, having said takbir, raise your head and sit up straight and straighten your spine. And he described the prayer like this until he finished. After this, he said: “And nothing is the prayer of one of you without performing these actions.” This is a narration from al-Hakim that clearly covers fards and desired actions in prayer, but does not mention holding hands. And Ibn al-Kisar and others said that this is one of the most striking proofs of the absence of the need to hold hands in prayer (see the book “The Decisive Word” by Sheikh ‘Abid al-Makki, p. 9, the oldest Maliki mufti in Mecca).

Among similar hadiths indicating the absence of mention of holding hands among the recommended actions in prayer, there is one that was derived, assuring its authenticity, by Abu Dawud from Salim al-Barrad, who said: “We came to 'Uqba ibn Amir and told him: “ Tell us about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." He stood up and said takbir, then, when he bowed from the waist, he placed his palms on his knees, and his fingers were below it and his elbows were apart, until each member of the body was established, and then he said: “Sami' Allahu liman hamidah,” and stood up until each member is not established. Then he pronounced takbir and bowed to the ground, placing his palms on the ground, and spreading his elbows, and so on, until each member was established in its place. Then he said takbir and, raising his head, sat down until each member was established, then repeated the action. Then he performed four rak’ats just like the first. Then he said: “This is how he performed the prayer, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.” And this hadith is enough for scholars, and there is no need for additional argument that holding the hand does not belong to the desired actions in prayer, for here they were presented in full. He indicates that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) abandoned the holding of hands, if it had taken place before that moment.

And from the evidence there is also a prohibition on tying up in prayer. And for scholars, holding hands means tying them, as stated in the book “The Decisive Word” on page 35. In the hadith of Imam Muslim, from 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, it is said that he said to one of the worshipers with braided hair on his head: “What are you doing? I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Verily, it is as if one were bound to pray” (see the book “Taysir al-Wusul al-Jami' al-Usul”, volume II, p. 243).

The evidence also shows that giving up is in human nature. And following the natural feeling is the rule among the majority of scholars of the Ummah, from which an argument is taken if there is no contradiction to it in the Sharia, such as, for example, the presumption of innocence. And it was said in Murtaqa al-Usul:

And one of the types of following nature is
Leave everything in its place
For example, the presumption of innocence,
Until they prove otherwise.
And this is based on evidence from Shari'ah,
Refuting the presumption of innocence.

See the interpretation of Muhammad Yahya al-Walati in Murtaqa al-Usool on page 315. This rule is used, for example, in the case of someone claiming a person’s money, the latter does not have to prove anything unless others testify against him. For the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Either your two witnesses, or your oath.”

Finally, from the evidence there is also a hadith that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal brought out in his Musnad, which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) subsequently forbade following the People of the Book. And this happened after he loved to follow them in something about which nothing had been revealed. And holding hands is from the actions of the people of the Book, because Abu Shayba brought this from Hassan al-Basri, Ibn Sirin and other imams, as we talked about this above. This is what we have presented as evidence sufficient to confirm the correctness of the words cited in the book “Mudavvana” about the undesirability of holding hands in prayer.

Mention of hadiths about holding hands and their weakness

One of these hadiths is the hadith cited by Imam Malik in the Muwatta from 'Abdulkarim ibn Abu al-Muharik al-Basri that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “From the words of the first prophecy: if you are not shy , then do what you want and keep your hands, one of them on the other, during prayer.” ‘Abdulkarim, the transmitter of the hadith - abandoned (matruk). An-Nasai said: “Imam Malik did not narrate hadith from the weak, except from Abu al-Mukharik, truly he is denied.” Ibn Hajar in Tahzib al-Tahzib said: “He is weak and his words are not used as evidence.”

The hadith that al-Bukhari brought out in his commentary (taalik). This hadith was narrated by al-Kanabi from Malik, from Abu Hazm, from Sahl ibn Sa'ad, who said: “People were ordered to place their right hand on their left in prayer.” Abu Hazim said: “I do not know him. I think this is attributed to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." Then al-Bukhari said: “Ibn Abu Uwais said: “Attributed,” not “attributed.” And this hadith was found weak by al-Bukhari, since it contains an unknown transmitter and for this reason it becomes stopped-maukif (from the words of the companions), and not raised-marfa (from the words of the Prophet). Ad-Dani said: “The narration with ‘attributes’ from Abu Hazim” (see “Sharh al-Muwatta” by al-Zarqawi). Ibn ‘Abdulbarr in At-Takassi reported that he is a maukuf. And he conveyed that this action probably comes from the caliphs and amirs (see “Justification for giving up,” page 7).

And from the evidence also what al-Bayhaqi deduced from Ibn Abu Shaib, from 'Abdurrahman ibn Ishaq al-Wasiti, from 'Ali ibn Abu Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: “From the sunnah in prayer - to lay your palm on the palm of your hand under the navel.” An-Nanawi in Sharh al-Muslim said: “‘Abdurrahman al-Wasiti is weak according to the unanimous opinion of the scholars of hadith” (see “Confirmation of giving up”, page 13). Mahmoud al-‘Aini said: “The isnad of this hadith to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is not authentic” (see the book “The Decisive Word” by Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abid al-Makki, p. 7). Also, ‘Abdurrahman al-Wasiti narrates from Zayy ibn Zayd al-Sawai, and he is unknown. The treatise “At-Takrib” identified him as unknown.

And from the evidence that Abu Dawud deduced from Hajjaj ibn Abu Zaynab, who said: “I heard Abu 'Uthman reporting from 'Abdullah ibn Masud that he said: “Once the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw me.” greets, in prayer with his right hand on his left and transferred his left hand to his right.” Imam al-Shaukani said that this hadith is weak. And al-Shaukani was one of those who held his hands, and there is no suspicion about him. The problem with the hadith is in Hajjaj ibn Abu Zaynab, this hadith has no supporting hadith. Ibn al-Madani said that this Hajjaj is weak, and an-Nasai said that he is not strong. Ibn Hajar said in Tahzib al-Tahzib that he sometimes makes mistakes. This isnad also contains ‘Abdurrahman ibn Ishaq al-Kufi, about whom Imam an-Nawawi said that he is weak in the opinion of everyone (see “The Decisive Word” by Ibn ‘Abid al-Makki).

Also hadith: “We are prophets, and we were ordered to break the fast as soon as possible, delay suhur (eating breakfast on the day of fasting) and lay our right hands on our left.” In the book “Confirmation of Giving Up”, it is cited from Imam Bayhaqi that this hadith came only from Abdulhamid, known as Talha ibn Amr, from Ata’i, from Ibn ‘Abbas. Talhah Ibn Hajar said about this in “Tahzib at-Tahzib” that he is a forsaken one (matruk). It is also narrated from Yahya ibn Ma'in and from al-Bukhari that it does not mean anything (see "Confirmation of giving up").

Also a hadith from al-Bayhaqi about His words, may He be exalted: “Pray to your Lord and slaughter” - from Ruh ibn Musayyib, from 'Umar ibn Malik an-Nakri, from Abu al-Jawz, from Ibn 'Abbas, what he said : “Laid his right hand on his left.” About Rukh, one of the hadith transmitters, Ibn Hibban, said that he is transmitting forged hadiths and it is not permissible to transmit them from him. And about the second transmitter, Amr ibn Malik, Ibn Hajar said that he had errors. And in the book “Confirmations of Giving Up” from Ibn Adi, it is stated that his hadith is denied and that he himself stole hadiths. In addition, Abu Ya'la al-Mawsuli considered him weak. This hadith is incredibly weak (see “Confirmation of giving up”, page 15).

Also from this is what he deduced, but did not comment on, from Zuhair ibn Harb, from Athan, from Hamam, from Muhammad ibn Jahad, from 'Abduljabbar ibn Wail, from Alqam ibn Wail, from his father Wail ibn Hajar, that he saw, how the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, raised his hands at the moment of entering prayer to the height of his ears, then covered himself with his clothes, then placed his right hand on his left. The author of “Confirmation of Giving Up” said: “This hadith is not authentic in three ways. The first is Alqama ibn Wa'il, the transmitter of hadith from his father, did not reach the age of transmission of hadith. Ibn Hajar in Tahzib al-Tahzib said: “Alqama ibn Wail did not hear from his father (see volume II, p. 35).

The second reason: in the narrations of the hadith from Abu Dawud there is a lot of confusion in the chain of transmitters (isnad); whoever wants to make sure of this should look at “Confirmation of giving up hands” on page 6. The third weakness also lies in the text of the hadith itself, specifically in the rivayat of the hadith transmitted by Abu Dawud, who said: “Two rivayat come from Wa’il, in the second of which there is no holding is mentioned. Also the rivayat that comes from Kulayb with the same words, but with various additions" And he said: “Next, during the extreme cold, I saw people moving their hands under their clothes.” Ibn Mayyaba said: “This addition, if you accept it, makes the last part abolish the first, since holding does not mean movement, and moving the hands does not mean moving them in the tongue, and Asim ibn Kulayb, the transmitter of this hadith, was a Murjiite.” Ibn al-Madini said about him: “His words are not proof unless there is confirmation” (see “The Decisive Word” by Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abid al-Makki, p. 4).

Also from the evidence of holding is what al-Bayhaqi deduced in the narration from Yahya ibn Abu Talib, from Ibn az-Zubayr, that he said: “Atta' ordered me to ask Sa'id ibn Jabir about the position of the hands in prayer, and he replied: "Above the navel." Bayhaqi said: “This is the most authentic hadith on this issue.” Ibn Mayyaba said: “This is surprising, because about Yahya ibn Abu Talib, the transmitter of the hadith, Musa ibn Harun said that he testifies to the lies in his words. And it is reported from Abu Dawud that he crossed out everything that he had written down from his transmission, and thus his weakness became obvious” (see “The Decisive Word” by Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abid al-Makki, p. 7).

And from the evidence of the hadith from al-Bayhaqi, from Shuja ibn Muhallad, from Hashim, from Muhammad ibn Aban, from 'Aisha, that she said: “Three things from the prophecy: breaking the fast as quickly as possible, delaying eating before fasting until the last moment and laying the right hand on the left.” About Muhammad ibn Aban, Imam al-Dhahabi in Al-Mizan reports from al-Bukhari that he does not know that he heard from ‘Aisha. And about Shuja ibn Muhallid, Ibn Hajar in “Tahzib at-Tahzib” reports that al-Uqayli mentioned him among the weak (see “Tahzib at-Tahzib”, volume I, p. 347). Thus, the weakness of the transmitter becomes clear.

And from the evidence, what Imam al-Daraqutni related from 'Abdurrahman ibn Ishaq, from Hajjaj ibn Abu Zainab, from Abu Sufyan, from Jabir, who said: “Once the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by a man, praying, placing his left hand on his right, and, taking his right, placed it on his left.” This isnad contains ‘Abdurrahman ibn Ishaq, he was mentioned in paragraph No. 4. Imam an-Nawawi said about him in his Sharh al-Muslim that everyone agreed on his weakness. The isnad of this hadith also contains Hajjaj ibn Abu Zaynab, whose weakness was also mentioned in the fourth paragraph of this chapter. Al-Madani said about him that he is among the weak, and an-Nasai said that he is not strong, Ibn Hajar in “Tahzib at-Tahzib” said that he is mistaken (see volume I, p. 159). Also mentioned in the isnad is Abu Sufyan, also known as Talha ibn Nafi' al-Wasiti. Al-Madani said that the hadith scholars considered him weak. Ibn Ma'in was asked about him and he said: "He is like nothing" (see Confirmation of Giving Up, p. 14, and also Takrib al-Tahzib, Vol. I, p. 339).

And also, a hadith from Khulb at-Ta'i, who brought ad-Darakutni from Sammak ibn Harb, from Kabis ibn Khulb, from his father, who said: “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was our imam and took the left right hand." Ahmad ibn Hanbal said about Sammak ibn Harb that he was confused in the hadith, and Shuaba and Sufyan considered him weak. An-Nasai said that if he narrates a hadith alone, then it is not proof. Sheikh ‘Abid says that Sammak came alone with this hadith. It also contains Kasyba ibn Khulb, who is said in the Takhzib to be an unknown transmitter. Imam at-Tirmidhi adds that this hadith is torn (see “The Decisive Word”, p. 6).

We have completed what we wanted to collect, and there is nothing left worthy of mention. We wanted, on the one hand, to educate students, increase their knowledge, direct them to learn hadiths and the words of muhaddith scholars about them, before using them as evidence in asserting any provision from the provisions of Shari’ah.

Conclusion

After this, it became clear to us the superiority of the evidence from the Sunnah about giving up hands and the popularity of this action in the Maliki madhhab. This fame has been recorded by all the ‘alim of other madhhabs, and we want to point out to everyone that not a single scholar of other madhhabs has come a word about condemning lowering one’s hands in prayer; It is in their middle position between permission and desirability, as opposed to holding. Regarding innocence, there is a word about censure, a word about prohibition, which is recognized along with words about permissibility and desirability. In this case, the rule of the hadith applies, on which they agreed: “Halal is obvious and haram is obvious, and between them there are dubious deeds...”. This hadith clearly presents holding hands as doubtful, which if abandoned, then this will be a positive moment for religion, for in holding hands there is doubt about the prohibition and the possibility of desirability. This point was explained by the most learned Sheikh Muhammad al-Sanusi in his book “Shifa’ al-Sadr Bari al-Masail al-Ashr.”

And if we add to this the words that he conveys from Imam al-Shafi'i, who said that the purpose of holding the right hand on the left is to calm them from movement, and if a person does not play with them while holding them down, then there is no need to place them . So, it becomes clear that he does not consider holding as sunnah if the hands are at rest.

We also cite that Ibn Rajab mentioned in the treatise “Sharh al-Bukhari” that Ibn Mubarak reported in his book “Az-Zuhd” from Muhajir an-Nahhal that holding hands in prayer was mentioned in his presence, to which he said: “ What good servility in the face of power.” Something similar is reported by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. This becomes clear from the fact that Ahmad did not do what al-Shafi'i did. He believed that this is a position of piety for one who acts in this way. Artificial fear of God is one of the reasons why this action is condemned in the Maliki madhhab. Look at the conclusion of the book "The Decisive Word" by Shaykh Muhammad Abid al-Makki.

And we have finished considering what we have collected from the Sunnah on the issue under consideration, which explains to us the superiority of lowering the hands in prayer. And praise be to Allah, supplication and prayer for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, his family and all his companions.

The servant of his Lord and captive of his sin, Muhammad al-Mahfuz ibn Muhammad al-Amin ibn Ubb al-Tanwajiyavi ash-Shinqiti, who collected these hadiths, may Allah accept his repentance, his parents and all Muslims.