Raise your hands during prayer. Aqida, hadiths, fiqh inshallah on the path of the Salaf

Question: Can you raise your hands in prayer?

Answer: Raising hands in prayer is the ethics and sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and all Muslim scholars, followers of different madhhabs are unanimous in this. This is supported by evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The Quran says: " Call on your Lord in humility and in secret "(Sura" al-Araf ", ayat 55).

A humble prayer happens in peace, in humility before Allah Almighty. As narrated in the hadith: I ask you as a poor man asks ».

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

Imam al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him), when in his time some raised this issue and claimed that there were no authentic 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 in one hundred percent, as if you yourself were a witness to what they say) ».

Al-Suyuti also cited in the book “Tadribu ar-Rawi” a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he raised his hands in prayer, and this is also mentioned 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 authentically established by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Imam al-Suyuti in his book says: “Raise your hands to the Merciful, begging, asking, crying and humbly. Allah is the most excellent among those who are hoped for, and Great is Allah from leaving those desperate 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 prayer realizes the need for Allah the Merciful.” Because he asks the generous and Almighty. Exalted is Allah from leaving his slave who asks without fulfilling his need.

Also, the texts of scholars who follow various madhhabs (Hanafis, Malikis, Shafiites, Hanbalis) testify to the permissibility of raising hands in prayer.

Who argues some hadiths that say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not raise his hands in prayer, or they cite the words of the companions that they did not see how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands in prayer, except in asking for rain. Also, the hadeeth of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), which is given in both reliable collections, scholars obliged this hadith to be attributed not to an external meaning.

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

قد ثبت رفعُ يديه صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم في الدعاء في مواطنَ غيرِ الاستسقاء، وهي أكثرُ من أن تُحصر، وقد جمعتُ منها نحوًا من ثلاثين حديثًا 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 not possible to list, some I have collected, 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 in not asking for rain, but not in the same way as in asking for rain, when hands are raised high.

Based on this, we say that raising hands in prayer is an urgent sunnah, a Muslim in a humble, humiliated state in front of Almighty Allah raises his hands.

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

Answered Sheikh Muhammad Wasam

It is narrated 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 hadeeth was narrated by Ibn Khuzayma.

Comment:

From this hadith it follows that when performing prayer, you should fold your hands on your chest. It should be noted that several versions of this message have come down to us. Ahmad and Muslim narrated 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 put his right hand on his left. Wishing to make a bow from the waist, he released his hands, raised them, exalting Allah, and bowed. Saying: "Allah listens to those who praise Him," he again raised his hands. Making a prostration, he laid his head between his hands. The version of Ahmad and Abu Dawud says that he placed his right hand on the hand, wrist and forearm of his left hand.

Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Nasai and ad-Darimi reported from his own words: “Once I decided to see how the Messenger of Allah prays, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. I saw that, standing up for prayer, he glorified Allah and raised his hands to the level of his ears. Then he put his hands on his chest: his right hand on his forearm, wrist and left hand. Wishing to make a waist bow, he raised his hands again, as before, and placed his hands on his knees. Then he straightened up, raising his arms in the same way, and then bowed to the ground, placing his hands at the level of his ears. Then he sat down on his left leg, resting his left hand on his thigh and knee. With his right elbow, he touched his right thigh, 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 with prayers. Another time I came to him when it was cold, and I saw how people move their fingers under their clothes from the cold. Al-Albani called the chain of narrators of this hadith authentic according to the requirements of Muslim.

Abu Dawud, al-Nasai and Ibn Maja reported from the words of Ibn Masud that once during prayer he put his left hand on his right. Seeing this, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, shifted his right hand to his left. Ibn Hajar called the chain of hadeeth narrators good, and Ibn Sayyid al-Nas reported that they are all narrators of hadith included in as-Sahih.

These messages indicate that during prayer you need to put your right hand on your left. This view was held by the vast majority of theologians. Ibn al-Mundhir reported that Ibn al-Zubayr, al-Hasan al-Basri and al-Nakha'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 in the name of Imam Malik, but most of his followers relied on the first report. Ibn Sayyid an-Nas said that al-Awza'i considered both actions to be permissible. However, authentic hadiths testify in favor of the opinion of the majority of scholars. Ash-Shawkani 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.

The 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 Samur. We have already mentioned this hadith earlier, and it refers to the fact that the companions raised their hands, pronouncing the words of greeting at the end of prayer. It says nothing about lowering the hands while standing.

Some of our opponents have argued that folding hands interferes with concentration, but even Shia theologians have admitted the failure of this argument. So, al-Mahdi in the book “al-Bahr” called such an argument of his associates senseless. On the other hand, it is easy to find a counter-argument to such an argument: folding hands, the praying one occupies them, and therefore they do not prevent him from concentrating; 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 hadeeth about who made a mistake in prayer, nothing is said about folding hands. However, this may serve as an argument against those who consider the folding of the hands to be obligatory. From the hadith it follows that it is desirable to do so.

Finally, the inconsistency of the assertions that the hands should be lowered 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 subject, they are a strong argument, if, of course, they are reliable. But even in this case, it can be assumed that this applies only to the prophets.

The words of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, here means a hadith transmitted from the words of Abu ad-Darda: “Three qualities relate to the morality of the prophets: early conversation, a late pre-dawn meal and folding the right hand over the left during prayer.” At-Tabarani narrated an interrupted version of this hadeeth, however, due to its content, it has the power of an ascending message. Moreover, it is strengthened by an ascending hadith narrated from the words of Ibn ‘Abbas. See Sahih al-Jami' as-Saghir (3038).

You should be aware that there is disagreement among theologians about exactly where to fold your hands. Abu Hanifa, Sufyan al-Sauri, Ishaq ibn Rakhawayh, Abu Ishaq al-Marwazi and others believed that it is desirable to fold the hands below the navel. Ahmad and Abu Dawood 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 al-Rahman ibn Ishaq al-Kufi. Ahmad ibn Hanbal considered him weak. Imam al-Bukhari was of the same opinion. In addition, the chain of this hadith is confusing, since the aforementioned 'Abd ar-Rahman sometimes retold it from 'Ali ibn Abu Talib through Ziyad and Abu Juheif (Ahmad), sometimes from 'Ali ibn Abu Talib through an-Nu'man ibn Sa 'Yes (ad-Darakutni and al-Beihaki), 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 folding your hands below the navel.

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

On behalf of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, two messages have come down to us supporting the judgments of the Hanafi and Shafi'i schools. It follows from the third message on his behalf that both acts are considered equally permitted. Ibn al-Mundhir and al-Awza'i were of the same opinion.

However, the most reliable report on this subject indicates that folding the arms should be on the chest. Ibn Khuzayma narrated from the words of Wail ibn Hujr: "I performed prayer together 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 the folding of the hands on the chest coincides with one of the interpretations of the words of the Almighty: "Therefore pray 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, 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 chest”. There are other reliable interpretations of this verse, and Allah knows best about it. See Neil al-Autar, vol. 2, p. 482-485; Irwa al-Galil, vol. 2, p. 69-71.

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

The theologians of the Hanafi school believe that during any actions in prayer, with the exception of the introductory takbir, one should not raise one's hands. (Ash-Shibani Muhammad Kitabal Asl T1; p.37) In proof of this, they give the following arguments:

1. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), having once seen how some of his companions raise their hands during prayer, reprimanded them: “Why do I see how you raise your hands, as if they were the tails of stubborn horses ?! Calmly pray." (Sat. Muslim, No. 430).

2. Once Ibn Masud said: “Shouldn’t I make a prayer for you (as it was done) by the Messenger of Allah?” And he prayed, raising his hands only for the first time (i.e. when pronouncing the introductory takbir). (Sat. at-Tirmizi, comments to No. 256).

3. The hadith of al-Bara ibn Azib (RA) says: “When the Prophet (SAW) began a prayer, he raised his hands close to his ears and never returned to it.” (Sat. Abu-Dawud, 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 never returned to it. (These reports were narrated by at-Tahawi from the words of al-Aswad and Asim ibn Kuleyba, respectively).

However, there are hadiths that say otherwise:

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 at shoulder level, and did this when he said the takbir for bowing and when he raised his head from the waist bow, but did not do this in a bow to the ground. (Coll. al-Bukhari, no. 736; Muslim, no. 390).
2. Wail ibn Hujr (RA) narrates that he saw the Prophet (SAW), starting to pray, raised 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 from the waist, he took his hands out of his clothes, raised them, then said takbir and made a bow from the waist. Then, after the phrase: "Samia l-Lahu li-man hamida-x" again raised his hands. And, making a prostration, he laid his head between his palms. (Sat. 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 Wail ibn Hujr (RA), they always stood close to the Prophet (SAW), being in the forefront during prayer, and therefore had a better idea of exactly how it was done. (Ash-Shibani Muhammad Kitabal-hujja Alya Ahl-Madina T1; C;94.)
2. These and similar hadiths are canceled by the above reports.

Thus, it is Sunnah to raise the hands only when pronouncing the introductory takbir. This applies to both obligatory and additional prayers, with the exception of those performed on the holidays of Conversation 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 Kunut prayer.

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

When answering your question, one of the fundamental works on fiqh in the Shafi'i madhhab was used - the book "Mugni al-mukhtaj ilya ma'rifati ma'ani alfaz al-minhaj". It mentions only the raising of hands at the very beginning of the prayer, before and after the waist 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 the four madhhabs with argumentation, with a detailed description of 36 desirable actions (sunnah) in the prayer-prayer in the Shafi madhhab, along with the mention of raising hands at the very beginning of the prayer, before and after the waist bow (item No. 1), there is also a mention of raising hands when you stand on the third rak'yaat after the first tashahhud (item No. 23). The footnote explaining this point does not give the theological source of the Shafi'i madhhab, but stipulates that there is a mention of this in the hadiths. If we raise the question of whether there is any mention in the Sunnah of raising hands with takbir when you stand on the third rak'yaat after the first tashahhud, then it is in the Sunnah. For acquaintance, I refer to the book "Nail al-avtar" by the famous theologian of the past ash-Shavkyan. It contains almost all the hadiths containing canonical provisions (ahkyam). At the same time, details are specified on the authenticity-unreliability of each hadith based on the opinions of authoritative hadith scholars and the conclusions of the canonical order, which were made by faqihs-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, it is definitely necessary to raise hands with takbir at the beginning of the prayer-prayer. “When the Prophet Muhammad stood up for prayer, he stretched out his hands” (hadith from Abu Hurayrah; in five sets of hadiths, except an-Nasai). Here are some statements of scholars on this hadeeth:

- ash-Shavkyani:"There is no mention of it being even partially unreliable";

- an-Nawawi:"There is no disagreement among theologians regarding the raising of hands at the beginning of prayer";

- Ash-Shafi'i:“Perhaps there is no other position that has been transmitted by such a significant number of the companions of the Prophet”;

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

- al-Bayhaqi talked about about thirty companions of the Prophet Muhammad who transmitted this;

- al-Hakim:“The raising of the hands at the beginning of the prayer-prayer is the indisputable Sunnah of the Prophet. Among those who testified there are ten people to whom, during their lifetime, the Prophet promised a heavenly abode in eternity”;

- al-‘Iraqi:“About fifty companions of the Prophet spoke about the need to raise their hands at the beginning of prayer, among them ten of those who were promised a heavenly abode in eternity during their lifetime.” After listing all the mentioned quotations and many other things confirming the authenticity of this Sunnah, Imam ash-Shavkani concludes: “Raising hands at the beginning of prayer-prayer is one of those provisions regarding which ijtihad is unacceptable.” In second place is the "raising of hands before and after the waist bow." This position does not have such a high and unshakable certainty as "raising hands at the beginning of prayer." That is why such theologians as ash-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 stand on the third rak'yah after the first tashahhud” (as Imam ash-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 the opinion about the desirability of doing this. There are hadiths for all the above provisions, but the degree of categoricalness of the narrations and their reliability are different. There is an opinion that it is desirable to raise hands, getting up from the first tashahhud to the third rak'yaat, in the Shafi'i madhhab, but it is not as important as raising hands before and after a waist bow.

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

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

See: al-Khatib ash-Shirbiniy Sh. Mugni al-mukhtaj [Enriching the needy]. In 6 volumes. Egypt: al-Maktaba at-tavfiqiya, [b. G.]. T. 1. S. 247–352.

See: az-Zuhayli W. Al-fiqh al-islami wa adillatuh. In 8 vols. T. 1. S. 743.

He died in 1255 AH.

According to Hanafi theologians, men raise their hands to the level of their ears so that the thumbs touch the lobes, and women - to the level of the shoulders, and pronounce the takbir: “Allahu Akbar” (“God is above all”). At the same time, 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 simultaneously with the raising of hands. 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, to 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 to interpret it in any other way.

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

Attention! The article was written by the "Sunni" scholar of the Maliki madhhab, Muhammad at-Tanwajiyavi ash-Shinkiti. As you know, the Maliki lower their hands during prayer, like the Shiites. We have reproduced this article in its entirety.

Foreword

Muhaddith scholars say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked to follow the People of the Book in what was not revealed, and that this was before the spread of Islam, and that after that he turned away from following the People of the Book.

The most learned Sheikh Muhammad al-Khizr ibn Mayabah in the book “Confirmation of the Lowering” cites that the Imams al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, at-Tirmizi, an-Nasai and Ibn Maja brought out a sufficient number of hadiths, which state that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, loved to agree with the people of the Book in that which was not 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 originally 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. Among the examples of such actions was, for example, that he stopped combing his hair into two partings. 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 many of his works and collections, narrated from Ibn Sirin, a famous Tabi'in, that he was once asked about whether the one who prays with his right hand holds his left to which he replied, "It was only because of the Byzantines." It is also narrated from Hassan al-Basri that he said: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “It is as if I see Jewish confessors laying their right hands on their left in prayer.” And the same hadith was narrated from Abu Majaliz, ‘Uthman al-Nahdi and Abu al-Jawz, and they are all the greatest Tabi’in scholars.

In this way, Jewish confessors and Byzantine high priests hold their hands, as indicated in the aforementioned legends. In addition, the words of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) testify to this: “From what has reached people since the time of the first prophecy: if you are not shy, then do what you want, and put your right hand on your left during prayer.” Imams al-Bayhaqi and ad-Darakutni brought out a similar hadith through 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: “Three things from the prophecy: breaking the fast as soon as possible, eating before fasting until last moment and lay the right hand on the left.”

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

Thus it is established from the six Sahihs that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) initially liked to agree with the People of the Book in that which was not sent down to him. Including it is established that holding hands in prayer is the actions of the People of the Book, and this is what makes us clearly understand the reason for the actions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as well as the reason for leaving this action in the future. We will explain in more detail below.

Some Evidence from the Sunnah on Lowering the Hands

There is a lot of evidence of lowering hands in prayer, here are some of them in brief:

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

From the evidence of lowering hands, there is also a hadith from Abu Hamid al-Saadi, which was deduced by Imams al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud and is given 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 remembered the prayer of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. And Abu Hamid said: "I will teach you the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him." They asked: “Why? We swear by Allah, you follow him no more than we do and no older than us in asceticism.” He said, "No." They said, "Introduce to us." He said: “When he stood up for prayer, he raised his hands in front of his shoulders, then he said takbir until each bone was set exactly in its place, then he read, then he said takbir and bowed from the waist ...” (The Hadith of Abu Hamid is reliable from the point of view Abu Dawud and al-Bukhari).

Then, when he finished, they said, "You're right." And it is also known that the hands of a standing person are 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 leaving the action, he would have reminded that he forgot to lay his hand on his hand, but he told him that he was right. riwayah in the description of the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which describes leaving the hands in place.This riwayah of actions, mentioned by Imams at-Tahawi and Ibn Hiban, is given by Ibn Mayaba in the book "Confirmation of lowering the hands" on page 39) .

Among the proofs of this is also what is cited from Hafiz ibn 'Abdulbarr in the book "Knowledge": "Imam Malik narrated the hadith about lowering the hands from 'Abdullah ibn al-Hasan" (Imam Malik cites the hadith about lowering the hands from 'Abdullah ibn al-Hasan from the words of Ibn 'Abdulbarr, and his condition for the authenticity of the hadeeth in the fourth degree, according to the terminology of the hadeeth (see Ibn Mayyab's Confirmation of Lowering Hands, p. 39).

From the evidence, it is also that scholars confirm that ‘Abdullah ibn Zubair did not hold his hands on his chest and did not see anyone who would hold 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 as-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 lowering hands", p. 38, and also the book "The Decisive Word", p. 24. This is what his actions say, but it is also narrated from him that he kept his hands on his chest, although it is obvious that he did so before.Rivayy from Ibn Abu Shayb and Khatib al-Baghdadi, from Ahmad ibn Hanbal.Source and transmission from Ahmad, as explained by Ibn Mayyab and Sheikh 'Abid).

Among the arguments is also what Ibn Abu Shayba cites from Hasan al-Basri, Ibrahim al-Nakh'i, Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, Ibn Sirin and Sa'id ibn Hubair: "They did not hold their hands during prayer on their chests , and they are among the largest Tabi'ins 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 piety ”(see “Confirmation of lowering hands”, p. 33).
Similarly, 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. Also, Ibn Sirin was asked about laying the right hand on the left in prayer, to which he replied: "It 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 confessors laying their right hands on their left in prayer” (see previous source, p. 34; narrated from Ibn Abu Shayba ).

Also from the evidence about lowering hands in prayer are the words of scholars that this is either allowed or recommended. When one of the Shafi’i scholars tried to say about the undesirability of this, he was given the answer that Imam al-Shafi’i himself in the book “Al-Umm” said that there is nothing terrible if someone does not lay his hand on his hand in prayer. And as for holding hands on the chest, then there is an opinion about desirability, an opinion about undesirability, and an opinion about prohibition. And the main argument of those who demand the abandonment of this action is the hadeeth, which is given in both Sahihs: “The lawful is obviously and obviously forbidden, and between them is doubtful.” The prohibition of this action was spoken of by Muhammad al-Sunavisi in the book "Healing the Breast", al-Khitab and others, when they talked about holding hands in prayer. (See Az-Zad al-Muslim, Volume I, p. 176).

From the evidence, there is also a hadith of a person who performed a prayer poorly, cited in al-Hakim's riwayah, which corresponds 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 hadeeth says: “After a person who had performed a 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 say the takbir, and make a bow from the waist, placing the palms on the knees, until all parts of the body calm down and align. Then say: “Sami’ Allah liman hamidah,” and take a standing position so that each bone returns to its place. Then align the spine, then pronounce the takbir and bow to the ground, resting on the forehead, until all parts of the body calm down. Then straighten up and, after saying takbir, raise your head and sit straight and straighten your spine. And he described the prayer like that until he finished. After that, he said: "And nothing is a prayer of one of you without performing these actions." This is the riwayah of al-Hakim, which explicitly covers fards and desired actions in prayer, but does not mention the holding of hands. And Ibn al-Kisar and others said that this is one of the most striking evidence 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 mufti of the Maliki in Mecca).

Of similar hadiths indicating the absence of a mention of holding hands among the recommended actions in prayer, there is one that deduced, assuring its authenticity, Abu Dawud from Salim al-Barrad, who said: "We came to 'Uqba ibn Amir and said to 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 lower than this and his elbows were apart until every member of the body was established, and then he said: "Sami' Allah estuary hamidah", and stood up until each member is not established. Then he said the takbir and bowed to the ground, placing his palms on the ground, and spread his elbows, and so on - until each member was established in its place. Then he said the takbir and, raising his head, sat down until each member was established, then repeated the action. Then he performed four rak'ahs in the same way as the first. Then he said: “In this way he performed the prayer, may Allah bless him and welcome him.” And for the scholars, this hadeeth is enough, and there is no need for an additional argument that holding the hand does not apply to the desirable actions in prayer, because here they were presented in full. It indicates that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) left the holding of hands, if it had existed before that moment.

And from the evidence also the prohibition of binding in prayer. And for scholars, holding hands means binding them, as it is said 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 prayers with braided hair on his head: “What are you doing? I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Verily, it is like praying when he is bound.” p. 243).

From the evidence is also that lowering hands is in the nature of people. And following the natural feeling is the rule of most scholars of the Ummah, from which an argument is taken if there is no contradiction in Shariah, such as the presumption of innocence. And it was said in "Murtaka al-Usul":

And one of the types of following nature -
Leave everything in its place
Like the presumption of innocence,
Until proven otherwise.
And this is based on the evidence from the Shari'ah,
Rebutting the presumption of innocence.

See the interpretation of Muhammad Yahya al-Walati in Murtaq al-Usul on page 315. This rule is used, for example, if someone claims money from a person, 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 derived 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 liked to follow them in that about which nothing was revealed. And to hold hands, this is from the actions of the People of the Book, because Abu Shayba brought this from Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Sirin and other imams, as we said about this above. Here is what we have cited 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 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 - the abandoned (matruk). An-Nasai said: "Imam Malik did not transmit hadith from the weak, except from Abu al-Muharik, he is truly denied." Ibn Hajar in "Tahdhib at-Tahdhib" said: "He is weak and his words are not used as evidence."

The hadith that al-Bukhari brought out in the commentaries (ta'aliq). This hadith was reported by al-Kanabi from Malik, from Abu Hazm, from Sahl ibn Sa'ad, that he said: "People were ordered to put their right hand on their left in prayer." Abu Hazim said: “I do not know him. I think it 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, because it has 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: "Rivayat with "attributes" from Abu Hazim" (see Sharh al-Muwatta by al-Zarqawi). Ibn ‘Abdulbarr in At-Takassi reported that he is a mawquf. And he reported that, probably, this action comes from the caliphs and amirs (see "Justification of lowering hands", p. 7).

And from the evidence also what al-Bayhaqi deduced from Ibn Abu Shayb, 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 - lay the palm on the palm under the navel. An-Nanawi in "Sharh al-Muslim" said: "'Abdurrahman al-Wasiti is weak according to the unanimous opinion of the scholars of the hadith" (see "Confirmation of lowering hands", p. 13). Mahmoud al-‘Aini said: “The isnad of this hadeeth to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not authentic” (see the book “The Decisive Word” by Sheikh Muhammad ‘Abid al-Makki, p. 7). Also ‘Abdurrahman al-Wasiti reports from Zay ibn Zayd as-Sawai, but he is unknown. The treatise "At-Takrib" identified him as unknown.

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

Also hadith: “We are prophets, and we were ordered to break the fast as soon as possible, delay suhoor (reception of breakfast on the day of fasting) and lay our right hands on our left.” In the book “Confirmation of Lowering the Hands” it is cited from Imam Baykhaki that this hadith came only from Abdulhamid, known under the name Talha ibn Amr, from Ata’i, from Ibn ‘Abbas. About this Talha Ibn Hajar in "Tahzib at-Tahzib" said that he was left (matruk). It is also narrated from Yahya ibn Ma'in and from al-Bukhari that it does not mean anything (see Confirmation of Lowering Hands).

Also hadith from al-Bayhaqi about His words, may He be exalted: "Pray to your Lord and slaughter" - from Rukh ibn Musayyib, from 'Umar ibn Malik an-Nakri, from Abu al-Jawz, from Ibn 'Abbas, what he said : "He laid his right hand on his left." About Rukh, one of the narrators of the hadith, Ibn Hibban, said that he transmits false hadith and it is not allowed to transmit from him. And about the second transmitter, Amr ibn Malik, Ibn Hajar said that he had errors. And in the book “Confirmation of Lowering Hands” from Ibn Adi, it is stated that his hadith is denied and that he himself stole hadith. In addition, Abu Ya'la al-Mausuli considered him weak. This hadeeth is incredibly weak (see Confirmation of Lowering the Hands, p. 15).

Also from this 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 Alkam ibn Wail, from his father Wail ibn Hajar, that he saw, how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands at the moment of entering the prayer to the height of his ears, then covered himself with his clothes, then laid his right hand on his left. The author of "Affirmation of Lowering the Hands" said: "This hadeeth is not authentic from three sides. The first is Alqama ibn Wail, the transmitter of the hadith from his father, did not reach the age of transmission of the hadith. Ibn Hajar in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib said: “Alqama ibn Wail did not hear from his father (see Volume II, p. 35).

The second reason is that there is a lot of confusion in the chain of narrators (isnad) in the narrations of the hadeeth from Abu Dawud; who wants to be convinced of this, let him look at “Confirmation of lowering hands” on page 6. The third weakness lies also in the text of the hadith itself, specifically in the verses of the hadith transmitted by Abu Daud, who said: “Two verses come from Wail, in the second of which there are no retention is mentioned. Also riwayat, which comes from Kulyaib with the same words, but with various additions. And he said, "Next, during the intense cold, I saw people moving their hands under their clothes." Ibn Mayaba said: “This increase, if you accept it, makes the last part cancel the first, since holding does not mean movement, and moving the hands does not mean their movement in the tongue, and Asim ibn Kulayb, the transmitter of this hadith, was a Murjiit.” Ibn al-Madini said about him: “His words are not proof if there is no confirmation” (see Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abid al-Makki’s “The Decisive Word”, p. 4).

Also from the evidence of holding is what al-Bayhaqi deduced in riwayah from Yahya ibn Abu Talib, from Ibn al-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 umbilicus." Bayhaqi said: "This is the most authentic hadeeth on the subject." Ibn Mayabah said: “This is surprising, because about Yahya ibn Abu Talib, the narrator of the hadith, Musa ibn Harun said that he testifies to the lie in his words. And it is narrated from Abu Dawud that he crossed out everything that he had written down from his transmission, and thus his weakness became obvious” (see Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abid al-Makki’s “The Decisive Word”, 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 the laying of 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 Mukhallid, Ibn Hajar in "Tahdhib at-Tahdhib" reports that al-Uqayli mentioned him among the weak (see "Tahdhib at-Tahdhib", Volume I, p. 347). Thus, the weakness of the transmitter becomes clear.

And from the evidence, what Imam ad-Darakutni narrated from 'Abdurrahman ibn Ishaq, from Hajjaj ibn Abu Zainab, from Abu Sufyan, from Jabir, who said: “Somehow the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by a man, praying, laying his left hand on his right, and taking his right, he laid it on his left.” In this isnad there is ‘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 weaknesses. The isnad of this hadith also contains Hajjaj ibn Abu Zainab, whose weakness was also mentioned in the fourth paragraph of this chapter. Al-Madani said of him that he was among the weak, and an-Nasai said that he was not strong, Ibn Hajar in Tahdhib at-Tahdhib said that he was wrong (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 scholars of hadith considered him weak. Ibn Ma'in was asked about him and he said: "He is like nothing" (see Confirmation of Lowering Hands, p. 14, and also Taqrib al-Tahzeeb, Vol. I, p. 339).

And also, a hadith from Khulb at-Ta'i, who deduced ad-Darakutni from Sammak ibn Harb, from Kabis ibn Khulb, from his father, who said: “The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 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 hadeeth alone, then this is not proof. Shaykh ‘Abid says that Sammak came alone with this hadeeth. It also contains Qasib ibn Khulb, who is said in Tahzib to be an unknown transmitter. Imam at-Tirmidhi adds that this hadeeth is broken (see "The Decisive Word", p. 6).

We have completed what we wanted to collect, and there is nothing left worth mentioning. We wanted, on the one hand, to educate students, increase their knowledge, direct them to study hadith and the words of scholars-muhaddis about them, before using them as evidence in asserting any provision from the provisions of the Shari'ah.

Conclusion

After that, it became clear to us the superiority of the evidence from the Sunnah about lowering the hands and the fame 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 comes with a word about the condemnation of lowering hands in prayer; it is in their middle position between permission and desirability, in contrast to holding. Concerning NNR, there is a word about censure, a word about prohibition, which are 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 doubtful deeds ...". This hadith clearly presents the holding of hands as doubtful, which if left, then this will be a positive moment for religion, because in holding hands there is a doubt of the prohibition and the possibility of desirability. This point was explained by the most learned Shaykh 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 down from movement, and if a person does not play with them while holding them down, then there is no need to lay them on . So, it becomes clear that he does not consider holding 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 al-Nahhal that holding hands in prayer was mentioned during his time, to which he said: “ What good servility in the face of power.” Something similar is given from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. This is clear from the fact that Ahmad did not do what ash-Shafi'i did. He believed that this is the position of God-fearing one who acts in this way. Artificial piety is one of the reasons for the condemnation of this action in the malikist madhhab. Look at the conclusion of the book The Decisive Word by Sheikh Muhammad Abid al-Makki.

And we have finished reviewing what we have collected from the Sunnah on the subject under consideration, which clarifies 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 welcome him, his family and all his companions.

Muhammad al-Mahfuz ibn Muhammad al-Amin ibn Ubb at-Tanwajiyavi ash-Shinkiti, who collected these hadiths, is a slave of his Lord and a prisoner of his sin, may Allah accept his repentance, his parents and all Muslims.