Derived from: Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Mustafa Zaheer Amunpūrī
❖ Question:
What is the authenticity of the narration that mentions raising the hands (Rafʿ al-Yadayn) at seven specific occasions?
❖ Answer:
A narration is attributed to Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما in which it is stated:
“The hands should be raised at seven places: when standing for prayer, upon seeing the Kaʿbah, at Ṣafā and Marwah, at ʿArafāt, at Muzdalifah, and near the Jamārāt.”
📚 (Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/235–236)
✿ Analysis of the Chain (Isnād):
① The chain is weak (ḍaʿīf).
- The narrator ʿAṭāʾ ibn as-Sāʾib (who is usually considered ḥasan al-ḥadīth) became “mukhtaṭiṭ” (confused due to old age) in his later life.
- The narrator Ibn Faḍl (who transmits this report from ʿAṭāʾ) narrated from him after his memory had deteriorated, thus making the report unreliable.
Scholarly Comments on ʿAṭāʾ ibn as-Sāʾib’s Weakness:
❖ Imām Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn رحمه الله:
“ʿAṭāʾ ibn as-Sāʾib became mukhtaṭiṭ (confused).”
📚 (al-Jarḥ wa at-Taʿdīl by Ibn Abī Ḥātim: 6/334)
❖ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Imām Abū Ḥātim ar-Rāzī, and Imām ad-Dāraquṭnī also considered him mukhtaṭiṭ.
📚 (al-ʿIlal: 5/186, 8/288)
❖ Imām Abū Ḥātim ar-Rāzī further clarified:
“Whatever Ibn Faḍl narrated from ʿAṭāʾ ibn as-Sāʾib contains errors and disorder.”
📚 (al-Jarḥ wa at-Taʿdīl: 6/334)
This is a mufassal jarḥ (detailed criticism), which renders the chain weak (ḍaʿīf) and unfit for establishing rulings.
Additional Note:
This narration does not mention raising the hands during Qunūt of Witr or ʿEid prayers. If this narration were reliable, how would one justify the Rafʿ al-Yadayn in those acts?
✿ Contradictory Practice of Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:
② Abū Ḥamzah (ʿImrān ibn Abī ʿAṭāʾ al-Qaṣṣāb, a narrator regarded as trustworthy by the majority), said:
“I saw Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما raise his hands when beginning the prayer, when going into rukūʿ, and when rising from rukūʿ.”
📚 (Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/239 – Chain is ḥasan)
✔ Two Key Points Derived:
① Sayyidunā Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما himself practiced Rafʿ al-Yadayn in prayer, which opposes the claim in the earlier weak narration.
② His continued practice after the death of the Prophet ﷺ is a clear indication that Rafʿ al-Yadayn was not abrogated.
✿ Additional Note on the Marfūʿ Version:
- A marfūʿ (Prophetic) version of this narration also exists, but its chain is also weak.
- It includes Ibn Abī Laylā, who is regarded as ḍaʿīf in memory (ḍaʿīf al-ḥifẓ) by the majority of Hadith scholars.
✔ Summary:
◈ The narration stating “Raise the hands at seven places” is not authentic due to a weak chain involving confused narrators.
◈ Sayyidunā Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما himself practiced Rafʿ al-Yadayn in all the known places within Ṣalāh, which confirms the invalidity of any supposed restriction to only seven places.
◈ The narration lacks reference to commonly known instances of Rafʿ al-Yadayn like Witr Qunūt and ʿEid prayers, further weakening its claim.
◈ Therefore, this narration cannot be used as a valid evidence to limit or define the occasions of Rafʿ al-Yadayn.
