Raising of Hands in Prayers
Question:
Is the raising of hands nafl except the first and is it the same as raising finger during the sitting part one mat do it or not.
Answer:
We do not have any definite and categorical instruction from the prophet (pbuh) that would explain when to raise hands and whether this is an obligatory part of the prayer. The hadiths on this subject are mainly from the companions and they seem to suggest different things. In principle three different suggestions can be derived from the hadiths in this regard:
- That the only point where the hands are raised is at the start of the prayer (takbirat al-ihram). This seems to be the view of the scholars from Kufa including Abu Hanifa and Safiyan Thuri. There is also a debate on whether this is an obligatory part of the prayer
- That apart from the above when going to and standing up from the bowing position (ruku) too one raises hands. This seems to be the view of Shafeyee, Ahmad, Malik, Ahl al-Dhahir and most of Ahl al-Hadith.
- That apart from the above when saying each takbir for prostration one raises hands. This seems to be the view of some of Ahl al-Hadith and also the dominating view among the Shia fuqaha.
In my view, since there are no clear consensus about where to raise hands (except at takbirat al-ihram), therefore it is up to an individual to decide about this. The raising of hands at the start of the prayer (takbirat al-ihram) however is what all agree that was practiced by the prophet (pbuh). This therefore can be considered as part of the Established Sunnah. However while doing it is highly recommended, we cannot say that not doing it will nullify the prayer.
July 2014
Is the raising of hands nafl except the first and is it the same as raising finger during the sitting part one mat do it or not.
Answer:
We do not have any definite and categorical instruction from the prophet (pbuh) that would explain when to raise hands and whether this is an obligatory part of the prayer. The hadiths on this subject are mainly from the companions and they seem to suggest different things. In principle three different suggestions can be derived from the hadiths in this regard:
- That the only point where the hands are raised is at the start of the prayer (takbirat al-ihram). This seems to be the view of the scholars from Kufa including Abu Hanifa and Safiyan Thuri. There is also a debate on whether this is an obligatory part of the prayer
- That apart from the above when going to and standing up from the bowing position (ruku) too one raises hands. This seems to be the view of Shafeyee, Ahmad, Malik, Ahl al-Dhahir and most of Ahl al-Hadith.
- That apart from the above when saying each takbir for prostration one raises hands. This seems to be the view of some of Ahl al-Hadith and also the dominating view among the Shia fuqaha.
In my view, since there are no clear consensus about where to raise hands (except at takbirat al-ihram), therefore it is up to an individual to decide about this. The raising of hands at the start of the prayer (takbirat al-ihram) however is what all agree that was practiced by the prophet (pbuh). This therefore can be considered as part of the Established Sunnah. However while doing it is highly recommended, we cannot say that not doing it will nullify the prayer.
July 2014
