Question:
What is the authenticity of the Hadith of Abū Hurairah رضي الله عنه which states: “The Prophet ﷺ would rise in prayer upon his toes”?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
The narration attributed to Sayyidunā Abū Hurairah رضي الله عنه states:
Arabic Text:
كان النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ينهض فى الصلاة على صدور قدميه
Translation:
“The Prophet ﷺ would rise in prayer upon the fronts of his feet (toes).”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 288)
The chain of narration is weak (ḍaʿīf).
① Khālid ibn Iyās — The majority of scholars regard him as weak.
Imām al-Tirmidhī رحمه الله himself said:
ضعيف عند أهل الحديث
“He is weak according to the scholars of ḥadīth.”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, commentary under Hadith 288)
② Ṣāliḥ Mawlā al-Tuʾamah — He experienced confusion (ikhtiḷāṭ) in his later years.
Khālid ibn Iyās is not among those narrators known to have heard from him before this period of confusion.
Hence, due to the weakness of both narrators, the chain is unreliable and cannot be used as proof.
The ḥadīth stating that the Prophet ﷺ would rise in prayer upon his toes is weak and unauthentic.
It cannot be relied upon for establishing a Sunnah or practice.
The established, authentic narrations indicate that the Prophet ﷺ would sit briefly (Jalsah al-Istirāḥah) and then stand up calmly, not specifically rising on his toes.
What is the authenticity of the Hadith of Abū Hurairah رضي الله عنه which states: “The Prophet ﷺ would rise in prayer upon his toes”?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
✿ Answer:
The narration attributed to Sayyidunā Abū Hurairah رضي الله عنه states:
Arabic Text:
كان النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ينهض فى الصلاة على صدور قدميه
Translation:
“The Prophet ﷺ would rise in prayer upon the fronts of his feet (toes).”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 288)❀ Analysis of Authenticity:
The chain of narration is weak (ḍaʿīf).
① Khālid ibn Iyās — The majority of scholars regard him as weak.
Imām al-Tirmidhī رحمه الله himself said:
ضعيف عند أهل الحديث
“He is weak according to the scholars of ḥadīth.”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, commentary under Hadith 288)② Ṣāliḥ Mawlā al-Tuʾamah — He experienced confusion (ikhtiḷāṭ) in his later years.
Khālid ibn Iyās is not among those narrators known to have heard from him before this period of confusion.
Hence, due to the weakness of both narrators, the chain is unreliable and cannot be used as proof.
Conclusion:
The ḥadīth stating that the Prophet ﷺ would rise in prayer upon his toes is weak and unauthentic.
It cannot be relied upon for establishing a Sunnah or practice.
The established, authentic narrations indicate that the Prophet ﷺ would sit briefly (Jalsah al-Istirāḥah) and then stand up calmly, not specifically rising on his toes.
