Question:
What is the Sharʿī method of placing the hands when rising after two prostrations?
Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il, Ṣalāh Section, Vol. 1, p.191
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
◈ Evidence from Ḥadīth
In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (Vol. 1, p.114, Bāb: “Kayfa Yaʿtamad ʿalā’l-Arḍ iḏā Qāma mina’r-Rakʿah”), the following narration appears:
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his head after the second prostration, he would sit, and then stand up by leaning on the ground.”
◈ The Method of Placing Hands
Regarding the way of leaning on the ground, Shaykh al-Albānī (رحمه الله) writes in Ṣifat Ṣalāt an-Nabī ﷺ (p.137):
«وكان يعجن في الصلاة، يعتمد على يديه إذا قام»
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up, he would press his hands on the ground in a manner resembling kneading dough.”
Thus, the Sunnah method is to support oneself with both hands on the ground (palms downward), like the kneading motion.
◈ Authenticity of the Ḥadīth
Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله commented in the footnote:
«رواه أبو إسحاق الحربي بسند صالح»
“It was narrated by Abū Isḥāq al-Ḥarbī with a sound chain (sanad ṣāliḥ).”
This narration has also been cited by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Arnaʾūṭ and Shaykh Shuʿayb Arnaʾūṭ in their commentary on Zād al-Maʿād.
◈ Clarification Regarding Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ
As for the claim that “the hands should be placed with the palms downward” based on Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, we do not find any explicit narration in Mishkāt that directly states this wording. Therefore, this reference does not clearly support the statement made by that scholar.
✅ Conclusion
The Sunnah way of rising after two prostrations is:
- To press the hands on the ground with palms downward, similar to the motion of kneading dough.
- This method is authentically narrated and supported by sound evidence.
- No explicit support was found in Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ for the alternative view mentioned.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
