SECTION ON PRAYER · 116 – Matters Related to Beginning Prayer
Salim, may Allah be pleased with him, reported from his father:
I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, raising his hands to the level of his shoulders at the time of the opening takbir, when he went into rukūʿ, and after he raised his head from rukūʿ. Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated that (in this hadith) he said, “while raising his head,” and in most cases, he would raise them after raising his head from rukūʿ, and not between the two prostrations. [458]
**Explanation:**
This honorable hadith reports that the hands should be raised to the level of the shoulders at the beginning of prayer. Ash-Shafi’i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Malik ibn Anas have taken this hadith as evidence and defended raising the hands to the level of the shoulders. Imam al-Awwal (Abu Hanifa) holds the view that raising the hands to the level of the earlobes is sunnah, based on the hadith of Bara’.
This honorable hadith also touches upon a second matter: that the hands are raised not only during the opening takbir but also at the takbir when going into rukūʿ and when raising the head from rukūʿ to go into prostration.
The jurists have differed regarding this issue as well. Imam al-Awwal preferred that the hands be raised only during the opening takbir, relying on a report from Ibn Mas’ud, and maintained the view that the hands should not be raised when going into rukūʿ or after rising from rukūʿ. Ash-Shafi’i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Malik held the opinion that the hands should be raised to the level of the shoulders at the beginning of prayer, when going into rukūʿ, and after rising from rukūʿ, based on this hadith. (Ma'a al-Sunan. Vol. 1, p. 351)
Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would raise his hands to the level of his shoulders when he began the prayer with the initial takbir. Then, while his hands were in that position (at the level of his shoulders), he would say takbir and proceed to rukūʿ. When he wished to straighten up from rukūʿ, he would raise his hands to the level of his shoulders and then say, “Semiallahu liman hamidah” (Allah hears those who praise Him). He would raise his hands in all the takbīrs he made before rukūʿ, and he did not raise his hands in prostration.
عبدالجبار بن وائل بن حجر رضی الله عنه سے روایت ہے کہ انہوں نے فرمایا: میں ایک لڑکا تھا، مجھے میرے والد کی نماز یاد نہیں ہے۔ وائل بن علقم نے میرے والد وائل بن حجر رضی الله عنہ سے مجھے خبر دی کہ:
میں حضور صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے ساتھ نماز پڑھا۔ جب وہ تکبیر کہتے تو اپنے ہاتھ بلند کرتے۔ پھر چھپ گئے۔ پھر بائیں بازو کو دائیں ہاتھ سے پکڑ لیا۔ دونوں ہاتھوں کو کپڑے میں ڈال دیا۔ جب رukuء کرنے لگے تو اپنے ہاتھوں کو کپڑے سے نکال کر بلند کر لئے۔ اور جب رukuء سے سر اٹھانے لگے تو اپنے ہاتھوں کو (دہر) بلند کر لئے۔ پھر اپنے چہرے کو دونوں ہتھیلیوں کے درمیان رکھ کر سجدہ کیا۔ اور جب سجدے سے سر اٹھائے تو اپنے ہاتھوں کو (دہر) بلند کر لئے۔ اور جب تک نمازمیں سے نکلا تو اسی طرح کرتا رہا۔
محمد (بن جہاد) کہتے ہیں: میں نے یہ واقعہ حسن بن ابوالحسن کو بتایا۔ انہوں نے کہا: یہ حضور صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی نماز ہے۔ جو اس پر عمل کرے گا، اس نے سنت پر عمل کیا ہوگا۔ جو اس پر عمل نہیں کرے گا، اس نے سنت پر عمل نہیں کیا۔
ابوداؤد کہتے ہیں:
ہمام ابن جہاد سے اس حدیث کی روایت کی ہے اور انہوں نے سجدے سے اٹھتے وقت ہاتھوں کو بلند کرنے کا ذکر نہیں فرمایا ہے۔ [459]
عبدالجبار بن وائل بن حجر (رضی اللہ عنہ) has narrated:
I was a little boy and I do not remember my father’s prayer. Wāil bin ‘Alqamah narrated to me from his father, Wāil bin Hujr (RA):
I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When he said Takbir, he would raise his hands. Then he would cover himself [i.e., lower them]. Then he would hold his left wrist with his right hand and put both his hands into his garment. When he intended to perform Ruku’, he would take out his hands from his garment and raise them. And when he wanted to raise his head from Ruku’, he would raise his hands (again). Then he placed his face between the palms of his hands and prostrated. And when he raised his head from prostration, he raised his hands (again). And he continued like that until he finished the prayer.
Muhammad (bin Jahdah) says: I narrated this to Hasan bin Abu’l-Hasan. He said: This is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Whoever performs it has followed the Sunnah. Whoever does not perform it has not followed the Sunnah.
Abu Dawud says:
This hadith was narrated to me by Hammam bin Jahdah. He did not mention raising his hands when rising from prostration. [459]
ʿAbd al-Jabbār b. Wāʾil has narrated from his father, Wāʾil b. Hujr:
I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stand for prayer, raising his hands to the level of his shoulders, and his thumbs to the level of his earlobes, then saying Takbir.
From Abdulcebbar bin Wā’il:
Our people have narrated to me from my father. My father informed them that he saw my grandfather raising his hands along with the utterance of “Allahu Akbar.”
Wail ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
I said, "I will certainly observe how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) performs prayer." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) stood up, faced the qibla, and raised his hands to the level of his ears. He then said “Allahu Akbar.” Afterwards, he held his left hand with his right. When he intended to bow down, he raised his hands as he had initially done. Then he placed his hands on his two knees. When he intended to raise his head from bowing, he raised his hands again as he had initially done. When he prostrated, he placed his forehead on the ground before him. Then he sat down placing his left foot flat. He placed his left hand on his left thigh, and raised his right elbow upon his right thigh, curling his two index fingers into a ring. Wail said, “I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) doing it in this manner.”
One of the narrators, Bishr, formed a ring with his thumb and forefinger. He pointed with his index finger while reciting the testimonies of faith.
It is related on the same chain of narration as the preceding hadith from Asim ibn Kulayb, that in his narration, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, placed his right hand and wrist upon his left hand. In that narration, he said: “Then I came on a day when there was severe cold. I saw people clothed in very large garments, their hands moving beneath [them].”
Wail ibn Hujur (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) raise his hands to the level of his ears when he began praying. Then I came back to the companions and found them wearing *buranīs* and cloaks, and raising their hands to their chests at the beginning of the prayer. [462]
COMMENTARY:
*Buranīs*: The plural of *birnus*. It is like the bathrobe we wear after leaving the bathhouse, and this name is given to all clothing items that are attached to the head. They were worn in the early days of Islam. Today, they are still worn in the Maghrib countries.