Raising the hands when bowing and when rising from it

(a) It is narrated from Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer, he raised both his hands up to his shoulders, and when he raised his head from the bowing he raised both hands in the same way, and he said 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah' (Allah hears the one who praises Him), 'Rabbana wa lakal-hamd' (Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise). He (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do this in the prostrations (that is, he did not raise his hands).
(b) This narration is also reported from Malik, and in it there is the addition: and when he said the takbir for the bowing (he also raised his hands).

A similar hadith is also reported through another chain.

Salim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from his father (may Allah be pleased with them both): I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When he (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer he raised his hands level with his shoulders, and when he intended to bow he raised his hands, and also after rising from the bowing, but he did not raise his hands between the two prostrations.

(a) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When he (peace and blessings be upon him) stood in the prayer, he raised both hands level with his shoulders and said the takbir. Then, when he said the takbir for the bowing, he did the same, and when he raised his head from the bowing he also did the same and said: 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah' (Allah Almighty hears the one who praises Him). He did not do this in the prostrations.
Ibn al-Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him) used to raise his hands in the five prayers, the voluntary prayers, the two Eid prayers and the funeral prayer.

A hadith like it is reported through another chain.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When he (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer, he said the takbir and also raised his hands until he brought his hands level with his shoulders. Then when he bowed, he did the same. Then when he said 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah' (Allah hears the one who praises Him), he also did the same, and he said 'Rabbana wa lakal-hamd' (Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise). He did not raise his hands like this in the prostrations.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for the prayer, he raised both his hands level with his shoulders, then said the takbir. When he intended to bow, he did the same, and when he rose from the bowing, he did the same, and when he raised his head from the prostrations he did not do so.

A similar hadith is reported through another chain.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when he began the prayer he raised both hands, and when he bowed or rose from the bowing, and when he rose after two rak'ahs, he raised his hands at all of these points. Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) attributed this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as a marfu' report.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer he raised his hands up to his shoulders, and also when he bowed or rose from the bowing (he raised both hands at all of these points).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he would raise both hands when beginning the prayer, also when going into the bowing, and also when he stood up straight after rising from the bowing (at all of these points he raised his hands up to his shoulders), and he would say that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do this.

It is narrated from Abu Qilabah (may Allah have mercy on him): I saw Malik bin al-Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him) praying. He said the takbir and raised both hands, and when he intended to bow he also raised both hands, and also when raising his head from the bowing. And he told us that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also used to do the same.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Malik bin al-Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him): I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raising both hands in his prayer; when he bowed or rose from the bowing, he would bring both hands up to the lobes of his ears.

A similar narration is reported from him through another chain, and in it there is the addition that he said the takbir when raising his hands.

Alqamah bin Wa'il and a freed slave of theirs both narrated from Alqamah's father, Sayyiduna Wa'il (may Allah be pleased with him), that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying the takbir when beginning the prayer. Abu Uthman (a narrator in the chain) says that Hammam also described that he raised both hands up to the level of his ears, then wrapped his hands in his garment and placed the right hand over the left hand. Then, when he intended to bow, he brought his hands out of the cloak and said the takbir while raising his hands. Then when he said 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah' (Allah hears the one who praises Him), he raised his hands as well. Then, when he prostrated, he prostrated between his two palms.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Wa'il bin Hujr al-Hadrami (may Allah be pleased with him): I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I thought to myself: Let me see how he (peace and blessings be upon him) performs the prayer. (So I began watching.) He (peace and blessings be upon him) faced the qiblah, said the takbir and raised both hands until he brought them up to his shoulders. Then he held his left hand with his right hand. Then, when he wanted to bow, he raised his hands level with his shoulders, and when he bowed he placed his hands on his knees. When he was about to rise from the bowing, he raised his hands up to his shoulders. Then, when he prostrated, he placed his hands in the place level with his face. After that, when he sat (for the sitting), he spread out his left leg, placed his left hand on his left thigh, and placed the edge of his right elbow on his right thigh. Then he closed two fingers, made a ring with the middle finger and the thumb, and pointed with the index finger.
In one narration the ears are mentioned instead of the shoulders.

Muhammad bin Amr bin Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) relates that he heard Sayyiduna Abu Humayd al-Sa'idi (may Allah be pleased with him), in the presence of ten Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), among whom was Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah al-Harith bin Rib'i (may Allah be pleased with him), say: "I know the way the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed better than all of you." The Companions asked: "How so? You neither followed him (peace and blessings be upon him) more than we did, nor are you older than us in the honour of companionship." He replied: "Yes, that is indeed so." The Companions said: "Then present the way he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed before us." At this he described it: "When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for the prayer, he would raise both his hands level with his shoulders, then say the takbir until every limb settled in its place in a balanced state. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite, then say the takbir and raise both his hands level with his shoulders, then bow and place both palms on his knees. Then he would straighten his back, such that during the bowing he neither held his head stiffly raised upward nor let it hang right down. Then he would raise his head and say 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah' (Allah hears the one who praises Him), then raise both hands level with his shoulders until every bone straightened and returned to its place. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) would say 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), then bend down to the ground for prostration, keeping his arms away from his sides. Then he would raise his head, spread out his left foot and sit on it, and when prostrating he would keep the toes of his feet facing the qiblah. Then he would go into prostration again, then raise his head and say 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), then fold his foot and sit upright on it until every bone returned to its place in a balanced state. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) would do the same in the second rak'ah. Then, when he stood up after praying two rak'ahs, he would say the takbir and raise both hands level with his shoulders, exactly as he (peace and blessings be upon him) had done when beginning the prayer. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) would do the same in the rest of his prayer, until, when the last rak'ah came at the end of which the salam is given, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would bring his left foot out from under his right shin and sit on his left hip (in the posture of tawarruk)." On hearing this, all those Companions said with one voice: "You have spoken the truth; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray exactly like this." (Hushaym bin Bashir, Abu Usamah, Abd al-Malik bin al-Sabbah al-Sam'i and other hadith scholars narrated this hadith with the same meaning from Abd al-Hamid bin Ja'far, and it has also been reported through another chain from Abu Humayd and his companions.)

It is narrated from Abbas bin Sahl: Muhammad bin Maslamah, Abu Humayd, Abu Usayd and Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with them) gathered and spoke about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I know the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) better than all of you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood, said the takbir and raised both hands. Then he raised both hands when he said the takbir for the bowing. Then he bowed and placed his hands on his knees as though he were gripping them, and he held his arms taut like a bowstring, keeping them away from his sides, and he neither lowered his head nor raised it. Then he raised both hands and stood up straight until every bone settled in its place. Then he prostrated, placing his forehead and nose firmly on the ground, keeping his hands away from his sides and placing his palms level with his shoulders, until he finished. Then he sat, spreading out his left foot and turning the front of his right foot toward his qiblah, placed his left hand on his left knee and his right hand on his right knee, and pointed with his finger.

Abu Isma'il Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Sulami says: I prayed behind Abu al-Nu'man Muhammad bin al-Fadl, and he raised his hands when beginning the prayer, and also raised his hands at the bowing and when raising his head from the bowing. I asked him about this, and he said: I prayed behind Hammad bin Zayd. He raised his hands when beginning the prayer, when going into the bowing and when rising from the bowing, so I asked him about it, and he told me: I prayed behind Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani; he too used to raise his hands when beginning the prayer, when going into the bowing and when rising from the bowing. I asked him and he said: I saw Ata bin Abi Rabah raising his hands when beginning the prayer, when going into the bowing and when rising from the bowing. I asked him and he said: I prayed behind Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both), and he too used to raise his hands when he began the prayer, when he bowed and when he raised his head from the bowing. I asked him about this, and Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I prayed behind Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him); he too used to raise his hands at the start of the prayer, when going into the bowing and when rising from the bowing. And Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When he (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer he raised his hands, and when he bowed and when he raised his head from the bowing he also raised his hands. The narrators of this hadith are thiqat (trustworthy).

(a) Salamah bin Shabib (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I heard Abd al-Razzaq (may Allah have mercy on him) say that the people of Makkah learned the prayer from Ibn Jurayj (may Allah have mercy on him), Ibn Jurayj (may Allah have mercy on him) from Ata (may Allah have mercy on him), Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) from Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both), Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), and Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) learned it from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
(b) Salamah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated the hadith to me from Abd al-Razzaq (may Allah have mercy on him), and in it there is the addition that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) learned it from the trustworthy Jibril (peace be upon him), and Jibril (peace be upon him) learned it from Allah, the Blessed and Exalted.
Abd al-Razzaq (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Ibn Jurayj (may Allah have mercy on him) used to raise his hands.

(a) Shu'bah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that al-Hakam (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated to us that he saw Tawus (may Allah have mercy on him): when he said the takbir he raised both his hands up to his shoulders, and he also raised his hands at the bowing and when raising his head from the bowing. I asked one of his students about this, and he said that Tawus (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates this hadith from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), and he from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
(b) Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Both of these hadiths are preserved (mahfuz): that of Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) from Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and that of Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); for Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) do it and saw his father do it, and he narrated it from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for an obligatory prayer, he said the takbir and raised both his hands up to his shoulders, and when he completed his recitation, or intended to bow, or finished the bowing, he did the same. During the prayer, when he was in the sitting position, he did not raise his hands, and when he stood up after two rak'ahs he raised his hands in the same way and said the takbir.
We have already reported this hadith from Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with them both), Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him). All of these Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) narrate it from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

(a) Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) says that seventeen of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (may Allah be pleased with them) used to raise their hands at the bowing. Among them are Abu Qatadah al-Ansari, Abu Usayd al-Sa'idi al-Badri, Muhammad bin Maslamah al-Badri, Sahl bin Sa'd al-Sa'idi, Abdullah bin Umar and Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), and Anas bin Malik, the servant of the Messenger of Allah, Abu Hurayrah, Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As, Abdullah bin al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam al-Qurashi, Wa'il bin Hujr al-Hadrami, Malik bin al-Huwayrith, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari and Abu Humayd al-Sa'idi al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with them).
(b) The Shaykh, Imam al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him), says that besides the Companions mentioned above, this is also reported from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Umar bin al-Khattab, Ali bin Abi Talib, Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari, Uqbah bin Amir al-Juhani and Abdullah bin Jabir al-Bayadi (may Allah be pleased with them).

Qatadah narrates from al-Hasan that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) (may Allah be pleased with them) used to raise their hands when they bowed, and also when they raised their heads from the bowing; it looked as though their hands were like fans.

It is narrated from Sa'id bin Jubayr (may Allah have mercy on him) that someone asked him about raising the hands in the prayer, and he said: It is something by which a man adorns his prayer.
The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) (may Allah be pleased with them) used to raise their hands when beginning the prayer, and also at the bowing and when raising their heads from the bowing.

(a) Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) says: It is reported from a large number of the people of Makkah, the people of the Hijaz, the people of Sham, the people of Iraq, and the inhabitants of Basrah and Yemen that they used to raise their hands at the bowing and when raising the head from it. Among them are Sa'id bin Jubayr, Ata bin Abi Rabah, Mujahid, al-Qasim bin Muhammad, Salim bin Abdullah bin Umar, Umar bin Abd al-Aziz, al-Nu'man bin Abi Ayyash, al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Sirin, Tawus, Makhul, Abdullah bin Dinar, Nafi', Ubaydullah bin Umar, al-Hasan bin Muslim, Qays bin Sa'd, and a very large number of people besides them.
(b) The Shaykh (al-Bayhaqi) (may Allah have mercy on him) says: We have reported it from Abu Qilabah, Abu al-Zubayr, Malik bin Anas, al-Awza'i, al-Layth bin Sa'd, Ibn Uyaynah, Imam al-Shafi'i, Yahya bin Sa'id al-Qattan, Abd al-Rahman bin Mahdi, Abdullah bin al-Mubarak, Yahya bin Yahya, Ahmad bin Hanbal and Ishaq bin Ibrahim al-Hanzali (may Allah have mercy on them), and from a very large group of the scholars of narrations (athar) in various cities.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that when "Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice." [Surah al-Kawthar: 1-2] was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Jibril (peace be upon him): "What is this sacrifice that my Lord has commanded me to make?" Jibril (peace be upon him) said: It is not that sacrifice (of an animal and the like); rather, by it Allah has commanded you that when you say the takbir for the prayer, you should raise your hands at that time, and when you bow or raise your head from the bowing you should also raise your hands. This is our prayer and also the prayer of the angels who are in the seven heavens. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Raising the hands is part of the humbling about which Allah Almighty says: 'Yet they did not humble themselves before their Lord, nor did they submit with humility.' [Surah al-Mu'minun: 76]"
This narration has also been recorded, but reliance is on what has already been mentioned.