Compiled by: Abu Hamzah Salafi
الحمد لله وحده، والصلوٰۃ والسلام علی من لا نبی بعدہ۔
All praise is due to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet.
According to Ahl al-Hadith, it is Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would place his right hand over his left and fold them upon his chest during prayer (as authentically reported in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Ḥaḍrat Wā’il ibn Ḥujr رضي الله عنه and Qabīṣah ibn Hulb رضي الله عنه).
In contrast, some individuals hold the view that the hands should be folded below the navel and base this upon fabricated (mawḍūʿ) and rejected (munkar) narrations. In this article, the narrations presented by Dr. Faiz Ahmad Chishti and Muhammad Nazim Abbasi will be examined, and in light of the statements of the scholars of ḥadīth, it will be clarified that:
❖ All these chains are severely weak or fabricated.
❖ There is no authentic narration supporting folding the hands below the navel.
① Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله
«عبد الرحمن بن إسحاق الكوفي متروك الحديث.»
“ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq al-Kūfī is abandoned in ḥadīth.”
② Imām Aḥmad (another statement)
«ليس بشيء، منكر الحديث.»
“He is nothing (not reliable), and his ḥadīth is rejected.”
③ Imām Abū Dāwūd رحمه الله
«سمعتُ أحمدَ بنَ حنبلٍ: يُضعِّفُ عبدَ الرحمنِ بنَ إسحاقَ الكوفيَّ.»
“I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal declare ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq al-Kūfī weak.”
Conclusion:
Since the central narrator is declared abandoned, rejected, and weak, this narration is not suitable as proof.
① Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله
«صدوق سيء الحفظ.»
“Truthful but extremely poor in memory.”
② Shuʿayb al-Arnā’ūṭ
«بل ضعيف الحديث.»
“Rather, he is weak in ḥadīth.”
Conclusion: This report is not reliable as proof.
Moreover, Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī is also authentically reported to have prayed with his hands hanging (irsāl al-yadayn):
«عَنْ الحَسَنِ وَمُغِيرَةَ، عَن إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَنَّهُمَا كَانَا يُرْسِلَانِ أَيْدِيَهُمَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ.»
Translation: “Ḥasan and Mughīrah said: We saw Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī praying with his hands hanging at his sides.”
➊ Imām Aḥmad: «متروك الحديث»
➋ Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn: «غير ثقة ولا مأمون»
➌ Isḥāq ibn Rāhwayh: «كان يضع الحديث»
➍ Abū Ḥātim: «ذاهب الحديث»
➎ Abū Zurʿah: «كان يضع الحديث»
➏ al-Nasā’ī: «متروك الحديث»
➐ al-Dāraquṭnī: «كذاب»
➑ al-Bukhārī: «منكر الحديث»
➒ al-Bayhaqī: «مشهور بالوضع»
Conclusion: This narration is fabricated and cannot be used as proof.
➋ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr and Ibn Ḥajar declared it ḥasan.
➌ Later scholars such as al-Albānī and Shuʿayb al-Arnā’ūṭ graded it ṣaḥīḥ/ḥasan.
This narration is authentic and explicitly proves placing the hands upon the chest.
❖ ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq al-Kūfī — abandoned and rejected
❖ Rabīʿ ibn Ṣabīḥ — poor memory
❖ ʿAmr ibn Khālid al-Wāsiṭī — liar
❖ Saʿīd ibn Zarabī — abandoned
The alteration of “تحت الثندوة” (below the chest) into “تحت السرة” (below the navel) is distortion and scholarly dishonesty.
Authentic and sound chains establish that the Prophet ﷺ folded his hands upon his chest:
✔ Wā’il ibn Ḥujr رضي الله عنه — [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim]
✔ Qabīṣah ibn Hulb رضي الله عنه — [Musnad Aḥmad, Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah]
The consensus of the scholars of ḥadīth is that no authentic narration exists supporting placing the hands below the navel.
الحمد لله وحده، والصلوٰۃ والسلام علی من لا نبی بعدہ۔
All praise is due to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet.
Where Should the Hands Be Folded During Standing in Prayer?
According to Ahl al-Sunnah, the only valid proof in this matter is authentic and established narrations.According to Ahl al-Hadith, it is Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would place his right hand over his left and fold them upon his chest during prayer (as authentically reported in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Ḥaḍrat Wā’il ibn Ḥujr رضي الله عنه and Qabīṣah ibn Hulb رضي الله عنه).
In contrast, some individuals hold the view that the hands should be folded below the navel and base this upon fabricated (mawḍūʿ) and rejected (munkar) narrations. In this article, the narrations presented by Dr. Faiz Ahmad Chishti and Muhammad Nazim Abbasi will be examined, and in light of the statements of the scholars of ḥadīth, it will be clarified that:
❖ All these chains are severely weak or fabricated.
❖ There is no authentic narration supporting folding the hands below the navel.
✦ First Evidence: Attributed to ʿAlī رضي الله عنه (Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
Arabic Text:
«حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَحْبُوبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ غِيَاثٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ زِيَادِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ، أَنَّ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: مِنَ السُّنَّةِ وَضْعُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى الْيُسْرَى فِي الصَّلَاةِ تَحْتَ السُّرَّةِ.»
Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 751
Translation:
ʿAlī رضي الله عنه said: “From the Sunnah is that a man places his right hand over his left in prayer below the navel.”Chain Analysis
The foundation of this narration is ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq al-Kūfī (Abū Shaybah al-Wāsiṭī), upon whom severe criticism exists.① Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله
«عبد الرحمن بن إسحاق الكوفي متروك الحديث.»
“ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq al-Kūfī is abandoned in ḥadīth.”
Reference: al-ʿIlal wa Maʿrifat al-Rijāl: 2278
② Imām Aḥmad (another statement)
«ليس بشيء، منكر الحديث.»
“He is nothing (not reliable), and his ḥadīth is rejected.”
Reference: al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl 5/245
③ Imām Abū Dāwūd رحمه الله
«سمعتُ أحمدَ بنَ حنبلٍ: يُضعِّفُ عبدَ الرحمنِ بنَ إسحاقَ الكوفيَّ.»
“I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal declare ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq al-Kūfī weak.”
Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd (under ḥadīth 748)
Conclusion:Since the central narrator is declared abandoned, rejected, and weak, this narration is not suitable as proof.
✦ Second Evidence: Statement of Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī (Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah)
Arabic Text:
«حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ رَبِيعٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْشَرٍ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ: يَضَعُ يَمِينَهُ عَلَى شِمَالِهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ تَحْتَ السُّرَّةِ.»
Reference: Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 1/3939
Translation:
Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī رحمه الله said: “The worshipper places his right hand over his left below the navel.”Chain Analysis
This chain includes al-Rabīʿ ibn Ṣabīḥ.① Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله
«صدوق سيء الحفظ.»
“Truthful but extremely poor in memory.”
Reference: Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 1895
② Shuʿayb al-Arnā’ūṭ
«بل ضعيف الحديث.»
“Rather, he is weak in ḥadīth.”
Conclusion: This report is not reliable as proof.Moreover, Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī is also authentically reported to have prayed with his hands hanging (irsāl al-yadayn):
«عَنْ الحَسَنِ وَمُغِيرَةَ، عَن إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَنَّهُمَا كَانَا يُرْسِلَانِ أَيْدِيَهُمَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ.»
Reference: Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 1/3949
Translation: “Ḥasan and Mughīrah said: We saw Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī praying with his hands hanging at his sides.”
✦ Sixth Evidence: Musnad Zayd ibn ʿAlī
Arabic Text:
«عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: ثَلاثٌ مِنْ سُنَنِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ: تَعْجِيلُ الْفِطْرِ، وَتَأْخِيرُ السُّحُورِ، وَوَضْعُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى الْيُسْرَى تَحْتَ السُّرَّةِ.»
Reference: Musnad Zayd ibn ʿAlī: 234
Translation:
ʿAlī رضي الله عنه said: “Three things are from the Sunnahs of the Messengers: hastening the breaking of the fast, delaying suḥūr, and placing the right hand over the left below the navel in prayer.”Chain Analysis
This narration contains ʿAmr ibn Khālid al-Wāsiṭī, who has been severely criticized:➊ Imām Aḥmad: «متروك الحديث»
➋ Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn: «غير ثقة ولا مأمون»
➌ Isḥāq ibn Rāhwayh: «كان يضع الحديث»
➍ Abū Ḥātim: «ذاهب الحديث»
➎ Abū Zurʿah: «كان يضع الحديث»
➏ al-Nasā’ī: «متروك الحديث»
➐ al-Dāraquṭnī: «كذاب»
➑ al-Bukhārī: «منكر الحديث»
➒ al-Bayhaqī: «مشهور بالوضع»
Conclusion: This narration is fabricated and cannot be used as proof.✦ Authentic Proof for Placing the Hands on the Chest
Narration of Qabīṣah ibn Hulb رضي الله عنه
Arabic Text:
«عَنْ قَبِيصَةَ بْنِ هُلْبٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ يَضَعُ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى الْيُسْرَى عَلَى صَدْرِهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ.»
Reference: Musnad Aḥmad 5/226
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah: 479
Translation:
Qabīṣah ibn Hulb reported from his father that the Prophet ﷺ would place his right hand over his left upon his chest during prayer.Scholarly Authentication
➊ Imām Ibn Khuzaymah included it in his Ṣaḥīḥ.➋ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr and Ibn Ḥajar declared it ḥasan.
➌ Later scholars such as al-Albānī and Shuʿayb al-Arnā’ūṭ graded it ṣaḥīḥ/ḥasan.
This narration is authentic and explicitly proves placing the hands upon the chest.✦ Summary
All narrations supporting folding the hands below the navel contain:❖ ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq al-Kūfī — abandoned and rejected
❖ Rabīʿ ibn Ṣabīḥ — poor memory
❖ ʿAmr ibn Khālid al-Wāsiṭī — liar
❖ Saʿīd ibn Zarabī — abandoned
The alteration of “تحت الثندوة” (below the chest) into “تحت السرة” (below the navel) is distortion and scholarly dishonesty.
Authentic and sound chains establish that the Prophet ﷺ folded his hands upon his chest:
✔ Wā’il ibn Ḥujr رضي الله عنه — [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim]
✔ Qabīṣah ibn Hulb رضي الله عنه — [Musnad Aḥmad, Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah]
The consensus of the scholars of ḥadīth is that no authentic narration exists supporting placing the hands below the navel.
