📌 Ruling on Releasing the Hands After Saying Salām in Janazah Prayer
❖ Answer by: Shaykh Abdul Wakeel Nasir ḥafiẓahullāh
❓ Question:
Is releasing the hands after saying salām in Janazah prayer in accordance with the Sunnah?
📝 Answer:
The practice of dropping the right hand when turning to the right, and the left hand when turning to the left during the salām of Janazah prayer is not based on any Sharʿī evidence or recognized juristic principle.
✔ It appears to be a habitual or unconscious action adopted by people, without foundation in the Sunnah.
📚 Explanation:
➤ Completion of Janazah Prayer:
✔ Janazah prayer concludes with one salām.
✔ If two salāms are performed (as is common in some regions), then:
– Releasing the hands after the second salām is permissible,
– However, it is not obligatory nor a prescribed Sunnah.
➤ Avoidance of Unnecessary Movements:
✔ One should avoid actions that are:
– Not established by any Sunnah, or
– Likely to cause confusion or innovations among people.
✔ Releasing the hands after salām is a neutral act,
✘ But performing it in a specific manner or as a ritual is incorrect.
✅ Conclusion:
✔ Releasing the hands while turning during salām in Janazah prayer is not from the Sunnah.
✔ It is permissible to drop the hands after salām,
✘ But doing so in a ritualized or patterned way has no Sharʿī basis.
