Two Juristic Positions on Hand Placement After Rukūʿ: A Scholarly Analysis
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 1, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Page 374
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
Regarding the position of the hands in the standing posture after rukūʿ, scholars have expressed two differing opinions, each grounded in general evidences and scholarly reasoning.
This is the view of Shaykh Abū Muḥammad Badīʿ al-Dīn al-Rāshidī al-Sindhī and some other scholars. The esteemed Shaykh authored several treatises on the subject, including:
“Ziyādat al-Khushūʿ bi-Waḍʿ al-Yadayn fī al-Qiyām baʿd al-Rukūʿ”
The Shaykh derives this view from general narrations regarding folding the hands in the standing position during prayer.
The narration prohibiting sadl in Ṣalāh appears in Sunan Abī Dāwūd (632) and is attributed to Abū Hurayrah and Abū Juḥayfah (رضي الله عنهما). However, it is neither ḥasan nor ṣaḥīḥ, and is weak due to flaws in its chains.
① ʿAsal ibn Sufyān — Declared weak by the majority of ḥadīth critics
⟶ Imām al-Bukhārī, Ibn Maʿīn, and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal considered him discredited
⟶ Although Ibn Ḥibbān authenticated him, he also listed him in al-Majrūḥīn, making his own evaluations contradictory and thus unreliable.
(Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, Vol. 2, p. 552)
② al-Ḥasan ibn Dhakwān → Sulaymān al-Aḥwal → ʿAṭā → Abū Hurayrah
⟶ Found in Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Ḥadīth 643
⟶ Imām Abū Dāwūd himself hinted at the weakness of this narration
⟶ al-Ḥasan ibn Dhakwān is a mudallis (ambiguous transmitter), though considered ḥasan when he explicitly confirms hearing
⟶ In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth 6566, he uses "ḥaddathanā", confirming hearing
⟶ ʿImrān ibn Muslim al-Qaṣīr fully corroborated him (al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by Ṭabarānī, Vol. 18, p. 136, Ḥadīth 284)
⟶ Nonetheless, the narration remains highly weak, even nearing fabrication, due to:
Hence, this chain is weak due to four critical flaws.
⟶ Narrated through al-Ḥusayn ibn Isḥāq al-Tustarī (al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr, Vol. 22, p. 111, Ḥadīth 283)
⟶ Contains Ḥafṣ ibn Abī Dāwūd — abandoned narrator (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, No. 1405)
⟶ Also contains Abū Mālik al-Nakhaʿī — abandoned (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, No. 8337)
⟶ Al-Bazzār declared this narration erroneous
All chains are weak, and thus cannot be used to prohibit the practice of letting the hands hang after rukūʿ.
Even if these narrations were authentic, the term "sadl" refers to letting a cloth hang between the shoulders in a Jewish fashion, not to the position of the hands.
❖ Sayyidunā ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) said:
“It is as if they are Jews returning from their festivals.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 2/295, Ḥadīth 2480, 2483 — authentic chain)
❖ Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī also considered sadl (Jewish-style) disliked
(Ibn Abī Shaybah, 2/295, Ḥadīth 2488 — authentic)
This is the view of Shaykh Abū al-Qāsim Muḥibbullāh al-Rāshidī and the majority of scholars.
This view is supported by general evidence and the practice of hadith scholars.
❖ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) was authentically reported to practice irsāl (leaving the hands down) during prayer.
⟶ Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 2/295, Ḥadīth 3950 — authentic chain
Both positions are based on general evidences, and therefore, this is a matter of ijtihād (independent scholarly judgment).
Whoever follows a conclusion based on genuine scholarly research will, In shā’ Allāh, be rewarded by Allāh.
“Arjū an lā yaḍīqu dhālika in shā’ Allāh.”
“I hope there is no harm in this matter, In shā’ Allāh.”
(Masā’il Ibn Ṣāliḥ ʿan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Manuscript p. 90, Published Vol. 2, p. 205, Statement No. 776)
Based on the research, both practices are valid.
This issue should not be a cause for division, and the cycle of rebuttal literature should cease.
ھٰذا ما عندي، واللّٰه أعلم بالصواب
(Shahādat: February 2000 Edition)
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 1, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Page 374
❖ Introduction:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
Regarding the position of the hands in the standing posture after rukūʿ, scholars have expressed two differing opinions, each grounded in general evidences and scholarly reasoning.
✿ First Opinion: Folding the Hands After Rukūʿ
This is the view of Shaykh Abū Muḥammad Badīʿ al-Dīn al-Rāshidī al-Sindhī and some other scholars. The esteemed Shaykh authored several treatises on the subject, including:
“Ziyādat al-Khushūʿ bi-Waḍʿ al-Yadayn fī al-Qiyām baʿd al-Rukūʿ”
◈ Evidences Presented:
The Shaykh derives this view from general narrations regarding folding the hands in the standing position during prayer.
❖ Clarification Regarding the Ḥadīth Forbidding "Sadl" (Letting a Cloth Hang):
The narration prohibiting sadl in Ṣalāh appears in Sunan Abī Dāwūd (632) and is attributed to Abū Hurayrah and Abū Juḥayfah (رضي الله عنهما). However, it is neither ḥasan nor ṣaḥīḥ, and is weak due to flaws in its chains.
◈ Chains from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
① ʿAsal ibn Sufyān — Declared weak by the majority of ḥadīth critics
⟶ Imām al-Bukhārī, Ibn Maʿīn, and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal considered him discredited
⟶ Although Ibn Ḥibbān authenticated him, he also listed him in al-Majrūḥīn, making his own evaluations contradictory and thus unreliable.
(Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, Vol. 2, p. 552)
② al-Ḥasan ibn Dhakwān → Sulaymān al-Aḥwal → ʿAṭā → Abū Hurayrah
⟶ Found in Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Ḥadīth 643
⟶ Imām Abū Dāwūd himself hinted at the weakness of this narration
⟶ al-Ḥasan ibn Dhakwān is a mudallis (ambiguous transmitter), though considered ḥasan when he explicitly confirms hearing
⟶ In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth 6566, he uses "ḥaddathanā", confirming hearing
⟶ ʿImrān ibn Muslim al-Qaṣīr fully corroborated him (al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by Ṭabarānī, Vol. 18, p. 136, Ḥadīth 284)
⟶ Nonetheless, the narration remains highly weak, even nearing fabrication, due to:
- Transmission from a liar
- The presence of Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā al-Baghdādī (unknown status)
(al-Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ, Vol. 2, p. 164) - Abū Bakr al-Bakrāwī — weak (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, No. 3943)
- Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿArūbah — mudallis with signs of confusion
Hence, this chain is weak due to four critical flaws.
◈ Chains from Abū Juḥayfah (رضي الله عنه):
⟶ Narrated through al-Ḥusayn ibn Isḥāq al-Tustarī (al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr, Vol. 22, p. 111, Ḥadīth 283)
⟶ Contains Ḥafṣ ibn Abī Dāwūd — abandoned narrator (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, No. 1405)
⟶ Also contains Abū Mālik al-Nakhaʿī — abandoned (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, No. 8337)
⟶ Al-Bazzār declared this narration erroneous
Summary of Analysis:
All chains are weak, and thus cannot be used to prohibit the practice of letting the hands hang after rukūʿ.
Even if these narrations were authentic, the term "sadl" refers to letting a cloth hang between the shoulders in a Jewish fashion, not to the position of the hands.
✿ Supplementary Evidence:
❖ Sayyidunā ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) said:
“It is as if they are Jews returning from their festivals.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 2/295, Ḥadīth 2480, 2483 — authentic chain)
❖ Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī also considered sadl (Jewish-style) disliked
(Ibn Abī Shaybah, 2/295, Ḥadīth 2488 — authentic)
✿ Second Opinion: Leaving the Hands by the Sides (Irsāl)
This is the view of Shaykh Abū al-Qāsim Muḥibbullāh al-Rāshidī and the majority of scholars.
◈ Evidence:
This view is supported by general evidence and the practice of hadith scholars.
❖ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) was authentically reported to practice irsāl (leaving the hands down) during prayer.
⟶ Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 2/295, Ḥadīth 3950 — authentic chain
Conclusion and Scholarly Assessment:
Both positions are based on general evidences, and therefore, this is a matter of ijtihād (independent scholarly judgment).
Whoever follows a conclusion based on genuine scholarly research will, In shā’ Allāh, be rewarded by Allāh.
✿ Statement of Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (رحمه الله):
“Arjū an lā yaḍīqu dhālika in shā’ Allāh.”
“I hope there is no harm in this matter, In shā’ Allāh.”
(Masā’il Ibn Ṣāliḥ ʿan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Manuscript p. 90, Published Vol. 2, p. 205, Statement No. 776)
Preferred View:
Based on the research, both practices are valid.
This issue should not be a cause for division, and the cycle of rebuttal literature should cease.
ھٰذا ما عندي، واللّٰه أعلم بالصواب
(Shahādat: February 2000 Edition)
