Compiled by: Tawheed.com
Raf‘ al-Yadayn (raising both hands to the level of the shoulders or ears) during ṣalāh is an established Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, which he consistently practiced. Numerous Companions narrated it, and it is recorded in the Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah and many other Hadith collections. Despite this, some claim that it was later abandoned by the Prophet ﷺ and is no longer applicable.
This article presents authentic proofs affirming the continuity of Raf‘ al-Yadayn and addresses, point by point, the narrations used by those who oppose it.
Arabic Text:
«كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا قَامَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى يَكُونَا حَذْوَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ، ثُمَّ كَبَّرَ، وَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ فَعَلَ مِثْلَهُ، وَإِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ فَعَلَ مِثْلَهُ…»
Translation:
“When the Prophet ﷺ stood for prayer, he raised his hands until they were in line with his shoulders, then said the takbīr. When he intended to bow, he did the same, and when he rose from bowing, he did the same…”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Adhān, ḥadīth no. 736; also in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, ḥadīth no. 390)
This indicates that Raf‘ al-Yadayn was done at the start, before bowing, and after rising from bowing — and that it was the Prophet’s ﷺ continuous practice until the end of his life.
Arabic Text (abridged):
“…رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حِينَ دَخَلَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ… وَإِذَا رَكَعَ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ… وَإِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ…”
Translation:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raise his hands when he started the prayer… and when he bowed, he raised his hands… and when he rose from bowing, he raised his hands…”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, ḥadīth no. 734; also in Musnad Aḥmad and others)
All chains combined give this narration a strong status.
Had Raf‘ al-Yadayn been abrogated, there would be explicit narrations commanding its abandonment, especially in such a central act as prayer. No such instruction exists. The majority of muḥaddithūn and fuqahā’ — including Imām Mālik, Imām al-Shāfi‘ī, Imām Aḥmad, and their followers — upheld it as Sunnah. Even some Ḥanafī scholars, upon investigation, preferred this view.
Summary: Ibn Mas‘ūd reportedly prayed showing the Prophet’s ﷺ prayer by raising his hands only at the start and saying Abū Bakr and ‘Umar did likewise.
Criticism by the Muḥaddithūn:
Reasons for Rejection:
Contains ‘Abdullāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Laylā — weak memory, frequent mistakes.
Outcome: The weakness of the narrator and contradiction with mass-authenticated ḥadīth render this narration unsuitable as proof.
The hadith:
“Why do I see you raising your hands like the tails of restless horses? Be still in prayer.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
Clarification: Context shows it refers to unnecessary waving during salām, not Raf‘ al-Yadayn. Imām al-Nawawī explicitly states this hadith is unrelated to raising the hands at rukū‘.
Reports that ‘Umar, ‘Alī, or Abū Bakr abandoned Raf‘ al-Yadayn are either:
Therefore:
The Sunnah is to raise both hands at the start of prayer, before rukū‘, and after rising from rukū‘ — as consistently done by the Prophet ﷺ and transmitted by numerous Companions.
وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِين
Introduction
Raf‘ al-Yadayn (raising both hands to the level of the shoulders or ears) during ṣalāh is an established Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, which he consistently practiced. Numerous Companions narrated it, and it is recorded in the Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah and many other Hadith collections. Despite this, some claim that it was later abandoned by the Prophet ﷺ and is no longer applicable.
This article presents authentic proofs affirming the continuity of Raf‘ al-Yadayn and addresses, point by point, the narrations used by those who oppose it.
Part One: Proofs for Raf‘ al-Yadayn and Evidence It Was Never Abrogated
1) Ḥadīth of Ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنهما) — Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī
Arabic Text:
«كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا قَامَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى يَكُونَا حَذْوَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ، ثُمَّ كَبَّرَ، وَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ فَعَلَ مِثْلَهُ، وَإِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ فَعَلَ مِثْلَهُ…»
Translation:
“When the Prophet ﷺ stood for prayer, he raised his hands until they were in line with his shoulders, then said the takbīr. When he intended to bow, he did the same, and when he rose from bowing, he did the same…”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Adhān, ḥadīth no. 736; also in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, ḥadīth no. 390)
This indicates that Raf‘ al-Yadayn was done at the start, before bowing, and after rising from bowing — and that it was the Prophet’s ﷺ continuous practice until the end of his life.
2) Ḥadīth of Wā’il ibn Ḥujr (رضي الله عنه) — Sunan Abī Dāwūd
Arabic Text (abridged):
“…رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حِينَ دَخَلَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ… وَإِذَا رَكَعَ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ… وَإِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ…”
Translation:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raise his hands when he started the prayer… and when he bowed, he raised his hands… and when he rose from bowing, he raised his hands…”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, ḥadīth no. 734; also in Musnad Aḥmad and others)
All chains combined give this narration a strong status.
3) The Practice of the Ummah
Had Raf‘ al-Yadayn been abrogated, there would be explicit narrations commanding its abandonment, especially in such a central act as prayer. No such instruction exists. The majority of muḥaddithūn and fuqahā’ — including Imām Mālik, Imām al-Shāfi‘ī, Imām Aḥmad, and their followers — upheld it as Sunnah. Even some Ḥanafī scholars, upon investigation, preferred this view.
Part Two: Review and Refutation of the Proofs for Abandoning Raf‘ al-Yadayn
1) Ḥadīth of Ibn Mas‘ūd (رضي الله عنه)
Summary: Ibn Mas‘ūd reportedly prayed showing the Prophet’s ﷺ prayer by raising his hands only at the start and saying Abū Bakr and ‘Umar did likewise.
Criticism by the Muḥaddithūn:
- Imām Aḥmad: “It is a weak (wāhī) ḥadīth.” (Masā’il al-Imām Aḥmad, narration of Abū Dāwūd, p. 50)
- Yaḥyā ibn Ādam: “It is not authentic.”
- Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī: “This ḥadīth is incorrect.” (‘Ilal Ibn Abī Ḥātim, 1/44)
- Al-Bazzār: “It is not authentic from the Prophet ﷺ and does not reach the level of proof.” (Musnad al-Bazzār, no. 2041)
Reasons for Rejection:
- Discrepancy and disturbance in the chain.
- Contradicts multiple authentic narrations from numerous reliable narrators.
- Even students of Ibn Mas‘ūd narrated contrary reports affirming Raf‘ al-Yadayn.
2) Ḥadīth of al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (رضي الله عنه)
Contains ‘Abdullāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Laylā — weak memory, frequent mistakes.
- Yaḥyā ibn Sa‘īd al-Qaṭṭān: “He was weak in everything.”
- Ibn Ḥibbān: “He had a poor memory and made many errors.”
Outcome: The weakness of the narrator and contradiction with mass-authenticated ḥadīth render this narration unsuitable as proof.
3) Ḥadīth of Jābir ibn Samurah (رضي الله عنه) — “Tails of Restless Horses”
The hadith:
“Why do I see you raising your hands like the tails of restless horses? Be still in prayer.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
Clarification: Context shows it refers to unnecessary waving during salām, not Raf‘ al-Yadayn. Imām al-Nawawī explicitly states this hadith is unrelated to raising the hands at rukū‘.
4) Reports Attributing Abandonment to the Khulafā’ al-Rāshidūn
Reports that ‘Umar, ‘Alī, or Abū Bakr abandoned Raf‘ al-Yadayn are either:
- Weak in chain,
- Or contradictory to authentic reports (e.g., Ibn ‘Umar’s consistent Raf‘ al-Yadayn despite being ‘Umar’s son).
Part Three: Summary and Conclusion
- Raf‘ al-Yadayn is an authentic and continuous Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
- No ṣaḥīḥ narration proves its abrogation or permanent abandonment.
- Proofs cited for abandoning it are mostly weak, irregular, or contradict stronger narrations.
- The majority of scholars and muḥaddithūn uphold its practice.
Therefore:
The Sunnah is to raise both hands at the start of prayer, before rukū‘, and after rising from rukū‘ — as consistently done by the Prophet ﷺ and transmitted by numerous Companions.
وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِين
