Hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud (RA) and the Abandonment of Raf‘ al-Yadayn

❖ This article is derived from the book "Raf‘ al-Yadayn Kyun Karoon?" authored by Abu Hamzah Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi.

✿ Hadith of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas‘ud (RA)​

Among the primary arguments of those who deny Raf‘ al-Yadayn (raising the hands during Salah) is the renowned narration of Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA), in which he stated:

❝ أَلَا أُصَلِّي بِكُمْ صَلَاةَ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَصَلَّى، فَلَمْ يَرْفَعْ يَدَيْهِ إِلَّا فِي أَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ ❞
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Book of Prayer, Hadith 257; Sunan Abu Dawood 747; Mishkat 809)
"Shall I not lead you in the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?" Then he prayed, and did not raise his hands except at the beginning."

❖ Response:​

① Numerous Hadith Scholars Have Declared This Narration Weak​

Many scholars of Hadith have classified this narration as weak. Among them:
➊ Imam ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak
➋ Imam al-Shafi‘i
➌ Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
➍ Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi
➎ Imam al-Daraqutni
➏ Imam Ibn Hibban
➐ Imam Abu Dawood
➑ Imam Yahya ibn Adam
➒ Imam al-Bazzar
➓ Imam Muhammad ibn Waddah
⓫ Imam al-Bukhari
⓬ Imam Ibn al-Qattan al-Fasi
⓭ Imam Ibn al-Mulaqqin
⓮ Imam al-Hakim
⓯ Imam al-Nawawi
⓰ Imam al-Darimi
⓱ Imam al-Bayhaqi
⓲ Imam al-Marwazi
⓳ Imam Ibn Qudamah
⓴ Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr
(21) Imam Ibn al-Qayyim

Thus, when so many Hadith scholars have declared this narration weak, how can Imam al-Tirmidhi’s grading of it as "Hasan" override that? Furthermore, Imam al-Tirmidhi is known to be lenient in grading Hadiths as Hasan. As stated:

❝ الترمذى يتساهل فى التحسين ❞
[Fath al-Bari, 9/62]
"Al-Tirmidhi is lenient in declaring narrations Hasan."

② Sufyan al-Thawri is a Mudallis in the Chain​

In the chain of this narration, Sufyan al-Thawri appears, who is known for tadlis (concealing the identity of weak narrators by ambiguous transmission). He narrated this Hadith using the term ‘an (عن), which raises doubts about direct hearing. Many scholars have classified him as a mudallis including:

➊ Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan
➋ Yahya ibn Ma‘in
➌ Ibn Hibban
➍ ‘Ali ibn al-Madini
➎ Imam al-Hakim
➏ Abu Hatim al-Razi
➐ Imam al-Bukhari
➑ Ya‘qub ibn Sufyan al-Farsi
➒ Hushaym ibn Bashir
➓ Al-Wazir ibn al-‘Iraqi
⓫ Abu ‘Asim al-Nabil
⓬ Salah al-Din al-‘Ala’i
⓭ Imam al-Nawawi
⓮ Hafiz Ibn Hajar
⓯ Hafiz al-Dhahabi
⓰ Ibn al-Halabi
⓱ Abu Mahmood al-Maqdisi
⓲ Imam al-Suyuti
⓳ Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali
(20) Imam al-Qastallani
(21) Imam al-Kirmani

Even scholars from the Hanafi, Deobandi, and Barelwi traditions have classified him as a mudallis, such as:

➊ Ibn al-Turkmani
➋ Badr al-Din al-‘Ayni
➌ Allama Nīmwi
➍ Maulana Sarfraz Safdar
➎ Abdul Qayyum Haqqani
➏ Mufti Taqi Usmani
➐ Master Amin Okarvi
➑ Maulana Sharif Kotlawwi (Barelwi)
➒ Maulana Abbas Raza (Barelwi)

Important Note:
Any narrator proven to have engaged in tadlis, even once, renders his ‘an‘anah narration weak and rejected unless accompanied by clear evidence of direct hearing (sama‘). Imam al-Shafi‘i states:

❝ لا نقبل من مدلس حديثا حتى يقول فيه حدثني أو سمعت ❞
[Al-Risalah, p. 53 | Edited by Ahmad Shakir, p. 379]

✿ Attempts to Justify the Hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud (RA): Refuted​

❖ First Attempt:​

Claim: Sufyan al-Thawri belongs to the second level of mudallisin, so his narration is acceptable.

Refutation:
Imam al-Hakim, who predates Ibn Hajar, classified him as third level. Hence, this argument holds no weight.

❖ Second Attempt:​

Claim: Since Sufyan al-Thawri’s narrations appear in Bukhari and Muslim, this Hadith must also be sound.

Refutation:
The narrations of mudallis in Bukhari and Muslim are accepted only when accompanied by explicit evidence of hearing or valid corroboration. Scholars say:

❝ أن المعنعنات التى فى الصحيحين منزلة بمنزلة السماع ❞
[Al-Tadhkirah of al-‘Iraqi, 1/186]

❝ ما كان فى الصحيحين ... محمولة على ثبوت السماع من جهة أخرى ❞
[Taqrib al-Nawawi with Tadrib al-Rawi, 1/230]

③ Imam Abu Dawood's Clarification​

Imam Abu Dawood himself said:
"This is an abridged version of a longer Hadith, and these specific words are not sound."
[Sunan Abi Dawood, Hadith 747]

In fact, before citing this narration, he mentions the full Hadith:
❝ فكبر ورفع يديه ❞ — showing that Raf‘ al-Yadayn was indeed performed.

Even the Hanafi scholar Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani in Kitab al-Athar [p. 69] mentions a detailed narration indicating Ibn Mas‘ud (RA) did perform Raf‘ al-Yadayn.

Imam Muhammad concludes:
"We do not act upon the narration of Ibn Mas‘ud (RA) in this matter."
[Kitab al-Athar, p. 69]

④ Inconsistencies in Applying Ibn Mas‘ud’s Narrations​

Even if this narration were assumed authentic, Hanafi scholars themselves reject some of his practices:

➊ He prayed without adhan and iqamah.
➋ He joined his hands between his knees during ruku‘.
➌ He stood in the middle of the row while leading prayer.

Yet, after documenting these, Imam Muhammad said:
"We do not act upon the statement of Ibn Mas‘ud (RA)."
[Kitab al-Athar, p. 69]

So why cling to this weak narration regarding Raf‘ al-Yadayn?

⑤ Double Standards in Treating Sufyan al-Thawri’s Narrations​

Those who declare the Hadith about saying Ameen aloud weak due to Sufyan al-Thawri (as done by Mufti Taqi Usmani in Dars-e-Tirmidhi, 1/521) contradict themselves when declaring this narration of Raf‘ al-Yadayn as Hasan despite the same narrator.