Research on the Narrations Abandoning the Raising of Hands

1- Narration of Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (RA)

قال عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه:

ألا أُصلِّي بكم صلاةَ رسولِ اللهِ ﷺ، فصلّى، ولم يرفَعْ يدَيْه إلّا أولَ مرةٍ

Translation: Abdullah bin Masood (RA) says: Shall I not teach you the prayer of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? Then he led the prayer and raised his hands only the first time.

Verification:

This hadith is weak. Some statements of the Muhaddithin on it:

• Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and Imam Yahya bin Adam have declared this narration weak.
  Reference: Reference: Awn al-Ma’bood Sharh Sunan Abu Dawood with Hashiyah Ibn al-Qayyim 2/316
• Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) declared this narration fabricated, false, and not authentic.
  Reference: Reference: Naqd al-Maqool p. 128, Al-Manar al-Munif p. 137
• Allama Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri (may Allah have mercy on him) states: This hadith is weak.
  Reference: Reference: Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 2/93

2- Narration transmitted through another chain

قال عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه:

ألا أصلِّي بِكم صلاةَ رسولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ؟ قالَ فصلّى فلم يرفع يديهِ إلّا مرَّةً

Translation: Abdullah bin Masood (RA) said: Shall I not teach you the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)? Alqama (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Abdullah bin Masood (RA) led the prayer and raised his hands only at the first Takbeer.

Verification:

This hadith is also weak. Statements of the Muhaddithin:

• Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him: اتفقوا على تضعيفه — There is consensus on its weakness.
  Reference: Reference: Al-Khulasa 1/354
• Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak: Weak — narrated by Abu Dawood (748).
  Reference: Reference: Tuhfat al-Ahwazi 1/552
• Sheikh Shu’aib al-Arna’oot: The narrators are trustworthy except for ‘Asim bin Kalib who is truthful.
  Reference: Reference: Takhrij Sunan Abi Dawood (748)
• Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal: Weak
  Reference: Reference: Al-Nafh al-Shadhi 4/398

3- The narration transmitted through the third chain

عن علقمه قال:

قال عَبْد اللَّهِ بْن مَسْعُودٍ: أَلَا أُصَلِّيَ بِكُمْ صَلَاةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ؟ فَصَلَّى فَلَمْ يَرْفَعْ يَدَيْهِ إِلَّا مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً

Investigation:

This narration is also weak.

• Imam Bazzar, may Allah have mercy on him: This hadith is not established and cannot be used as evidence.
  Reference: Reference: Tuhfat al-Ahwazi 2/93, Part of Raising the Hands 307
• Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him: This narration is weak and has many defects that invalidate it.
  Reference: Reference: Talkhis al-Habeer 1/546
• Imam Shams al-Haq Azimabadi, may Allah have mercy on him: The Hanafis present this hadith for the practice of raising the hands, but it is weak and not established.
  Reference: Reference: ‘Awn al-Ma’bud 2/317, Part of Raising the Hands 308

📌 For further clarification, refer to Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, in the book Part of Raising the Hands, page 308.

4- The narration of Hazrat Bara’ bin Azib, may Allah be pleased with him

قال البراء بن عازب رضي الله عنه:

أن رسولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ إذا افتَتحَ الصَّلاةَ رفعَ يديهِ إلى قريبٍ من أذنيهِ ثمَّ لم يعُدْ

Translation: Bara’ ibn Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) started the prayer, he would raise his hands up to the level of his ears, then he would not raise them again.

Investigation:

This hadith is weak.

• Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak: There is consensus among the muhaddithin that the phrase “thumma lam ya’ud” is included in the report and it is the statement of Zaid ibn Abi Ziyad.
  Reference: Reference: Tuhfat al-Ahwazi 1/551, Abu Dawood (749), Ahmad (18696)
• Sheikh Shu’ayb al-Arna’ut: In this, Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad is weak; in his later years he changed and began accepting ta’leem (instruction).
  Reference: Reference: Takhrij Zad al-Ma’ad 1/211
• Abdul Haq al-Ashbili: The part “thumma la ya’ud” is not authentic.
  Reference: Reference: Al-Ahkam al-Wusta 1/367
• Imam Bayhaqi: Muhammad ibn Abdul Rahman is even weaker than Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad.
  Reference: Reference: Ma’rifat al-Sunan wal-Athar 2999
• Hafiz Ibn Hajar: There is consensus among the muhaddithin that “thumma lam ya’ud” is included and it is the statement of Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad; Imam Ahmad and Bukhari also declared it weak.
  Reference: Reference: At-Talkhis al-Habeer

5- Another narration from Bara’ ibn Azib (may Allah be pleased with him)

عن البراء رضي الله عنه:

رايت رسول اللَّهِ ﷺ يرفَعُ يديهِ في أوَّلِ الصلاةِ ثمَّ لم يرفَعْهُما

Translation: Bara bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) raise his hands at the beginning of the prayer, then he did not raise them again.

Investigation:

This narration is weak because it contains a narrator named Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman bin Abi Layla who is very weak and abandoned.

• Imam Bayhaqi: His memory was weak and he made mistakes in the text.
  Reference: Reference: Al-Sunan Al-Kubra 5/544
• Imam Zailai Hanafi: This narrator is even weaker than Yazid bin Abi Ziyad.
  Reference: Reference: Nasb Al-Rayah 1/404, Juz’ Raf’ Al-Yadain 330
• Imam Bukhari: The original chain of this narration reaches up to the instruction of Yazid bin Abi Ziyad, and the authentic narration is the one narrated by Sufyan, Shu’bah, and Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah from Yazid in the early period.
  Reference: Reference: Juz’ Raf’ Al-Yadain 328

6- Narration of Hazrat Wa’il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him)

Abdul Jabbar bin Wa’il bin Hujr says:

I was a child and was not aware of my father’s prayer. Alqama bin Wa’il narrates from his father that I prayed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; when he said Takbir, he would raise his hands, then put his hands inside the cloak and place the left hand over the right. When rising from Ruku, he would also raise his hands. When rising from Sujood, he would raise his hands, until the prayer was completed.

📌 This narration is not evidence for abandoning the raising of hands but rather indicates اثبات رفع الیدین, because it mentions raising hands when rising from Ruku. The reason for presenting it regarding abandoning raising hands is only that it does not mention the time of going into Ruku, although that is established in other authentic narrations.

Reference:

7- Narration of Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (RA)

قال عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنه:

رَأيتُ رَسولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ إذا افتَتحَ الصَّلاةَ يرفَعُ يديهِ حتّى تُحاذيَ منكبيهِ وإذا أرادَ أن يركَعَ وبعدَ ما يرفعُ رأسَهُ مِن الرُّكوعِ ولا يَرفَعُ بينَ السَّجدَتينِ

Investigation:

This hadith has been altered. The original words indicate affirmation of raising hands, but some manuscripts contain altered words such as “ولا يرفع ولا بين سجدتين” or “ولا يرفعهما”.

Imam Abu Awana, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated this hadith from three teachers and recorded the words of each:

1. سعدان بن نصر: “ولا يرفعهما بين سجدتين”
2. شعیب بن عمرو: “ولا يرفع بين سجدتين”
3. عبداللہ بن ایوب: “ولا يرفع بين سجدتين”

📌 Both the original and the altered texts are present in Musnad Humaydi. In the original text, the affirmation of raising the hands is clear.

Reference:

Note: Abu Awana, may Allah have mercy on him, clarified that raising the hands is established when going into and coming out of Ruku from Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. The words denying raising the hands are alterations.

8- The Influence of Imam Mujahid, may Allah have mercy on him

عن ابي بكر بن عياش عن حصين عن مجاهد:

ما رأيتُ ابنَ عمرَ يرفعُ يديهِ إلّا في أوَّلِ ما يفتَتِحُ الصَّلاةَ

Investigation:

This hadith is weak.

• Imam Bayhaqi: Weak
  Reference: Reference: Ma’rifat al-Sunan wal-Athar 2/429
• Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal: The chain of narration of this hadith is invalid.
  Reference: Reference: Mawsu’at Aqwal al-Imam Ahmad 4/330

Reason for Weakness:

It contains ابو بکر بن عیاش who were prone to many mistakes.

• Imam Ahmad: They made many mistakes.
  Reference: Reference: Tarikh Baghdad 14/352
• Ya’qub bin Shaybah: Their narrations are inconsistent.
  Reference: Reference: Siyar A’lam al-Nubala 8/501

📌 Interestingly, Imam Mujahid’s own practice was based on affirming the raising of the hands.

9- The Influence of Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him

أنَّ عليًّا رضيَ اللَّهُ عنهُ:

كانَ يرفعُ يدَيهِ إذا افتتحَ الصَّلاةَ ثمَّ لا يَعودُ

Investigation:

This narration is rejected.

• Imam Sufyan Thawri: The narration with the chain of Asim bin Kalib is rejected.
  Reference: Reference: Juz Raf’ al-Yadain 229
• Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal: This narration is rejected.
  Reference: Reference: Masa’il Ahmad Riwayat Abdullah p. 74
• Imam Shafi’i: This narration is not established.
  Reference: Reference: Al-Sunan al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi 2/115
• Uthman Darimi: The chain is weak.
  Reference: Reference: Al-Sunan al-Kubra 2/114

📌 Reason: Muhammad bin Aban bin Salih al-Kufi is a weak narrator. Imam Yahya bin Ma’in, An-Nasa’i, Abu Hatim, Imam Bukhari all have declared him weak or unreliable.

Note: In authentic hadiths, the affirmation of raising the hands from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is established.

10- The narration of Hazrat Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him)

عن جابر بن سَمُرَةَ رضي الله عنه قال:

خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ: مَا لِي أَرَاكُمْ رَافِعِي أَيْدِيكُمْ كَأَنَّهَا أَذْنَابُ خَيْلٍ شُمْسٍ؟ اسْكُنُوا فِي الصَّلَاةِHe said: Then he came out to us and said: “Do you not raise your hands as the angels raise their hands before their Lord?” We said: “O Messenger of Allah, how do the angels raise their hands before their Lord?”قَالَ: يُتِمُّونَ الصُّفُوفَ الْأُوَلَ وَيَتَرَاصُّونَ فِي الصَّفِّ

Investigation:

Some people use this narration as evidence for abandoning the raising of hands when going into or coming out of Ruku’, but this narration indicates prohibition of raising hands at the time of Salam, not the raising of hands during Ruku’.

Statements of the Muhaddithin:

قال: ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا فَرَآنَا حَلَقًا فَقَالَ: مَالِي أَرَاكُمْ عِزِينَ

1. Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him:

   Whoever prohibits raising the hands at the time of bowing based on this hadith has no knowledge, because it is well known that this prohibition is only at the time of Tashahhud and Salam.

   Reference: Reference: Al-Talkhees Al-Habeer 1/544, Chapter on Raising Hands 332

2. Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him:

   To argue from this hadith that raising the hands is prohibited when going into or coming out of bowing is great ignorance.

   Reference: Reference: Hashiyah Al-Sindi on Al-Nasa’i

3. Allama Nooruddin Al-Sindi Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him:

   This hadith intends to prohibit gesturing with the hand at the time of Salam.

   Reference: Reference: Hashiyah Al-Sindi on Al-Nasa’i 3/4

Classification by the Muhaddithin:

It is very important that the Muhaddithin have mentioned this hadith in the chapters after Tashahhud concerning Salam. If it contradicted raising the hands at bowing, it would not have been mentioned in these chapters.

1. Sahih Muslim (968): باب الامر بالسكون في الصلاه والنهي عن الاشاره باليد و رفعها عند السلام Translation: Chapter on prohibition of gesturing with the hand and raising it at the time of calmness and Salam in prayer.
2. Sunan Abu Dawood (1000): باب في السلام Translation: Chapter concerning turning the Salam.
3. Sharh Ma’ani Al-Athar (Tahawi) 1/268: باب السلام في الصلاه كيف هو Translation: Method of turning Salam from the prayer.

📌 For more details, refer to Imam Bukhari’s book Juz’ Raf’ al-Yadain, page 335.

Summary of Research and Scholarly Conclusion

After a thorough examination of all the above-mentioned narrations and presenting the statements of the Muhaddithin, the following points become clear:

1. All narrations that abandon raising the hands are weak or rejected. Some of them contain inserted words, some have very weak or abandoned narrators, and some have textual distortions.
2. The clear consensus of the Muhaddithin: In authentic and established ahadith, raising the hands from the Prophet ﷺ is proven when going into ruku and when rising from ruku.
3. There is no authentic narration with a sound chain that serves as evidence for abandoning raising the hands. Rather, in authentic ahadith, the affirmation of raising the hands is narrated mutawatirly from numerous companions, such as:

   Abdullah ibn Umar رضي الله عنه

4. Malik ibn Hawarith رضي الله عنه
5. Wa’il ibn Hujr رضي الله عنه
6. Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه and others.
7. Practice of the Companions رضي الله عنهم: Great companions raised their hands throughout their lives and taught their students as well, as is clear in the narrations of Ibn Umar رضي الله عنه and Wa’il ibn Hujr رضي الله عنه.

Reference Books:

• Reference: Raising the Hands — Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him
• Reference: Tuhfat al-Ahwazi — Allama Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri, may Allah have mercy on him
• Reference: Awn al-Ma’bud — Imam Shams al-Haq Azimabadi, may Allah have mercy on him
• Reference: Talkhis al-Habeer — Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him
• Reference: Al-Sunan al-Kubra — Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him
• Reference: Al-Muhalla — Ibn Hazm, may Allah have mercy on him

Conclusion:

Raising the hands when going into and coming out of Ruku is the continuous Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, for which there is no authentic and reliable evidence to abandon it. All narrations presented to abandon raising the hands are weak, rejected, or fabricated; therefore, according to scholars, reasoning based on them is not correct.