From Which Book Was Imām al-Nawawī’s Statement on Rafʿ al-Yadayn Quoted?
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil – Bāb al-Ṣalāh, Vol. 1, p. 172
Question:
In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, there is a ḥadīth that the Companions رضي الله عنهم were raising their hands during prayer, and the Prophet ﷺ, upon seeing this, said: “You are moving your hands as if they were the tails of unruly horses.”
In the footnotes of the translated Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, ʿAllāmah Waḥīd al-Zamān has quoted a statement of Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله that those who deduce prohibition of Rafʿ al-Yadayn from this ḥadīth are ignorant and unfamiliar with the aḥādīth of the Prophet ﷺ. The question is: From which book of Imām al-Nawawī was this statement taken? Please provide the name of the book.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
✿ For a detailed study of this issue, one should refer to the treatise of Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله, “Juzʾ Rafʿ al-Yadayn”, in which he has elaborated upon the evidences for Rafʿ al-Yadayn.
✿ In the footnotes of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, the statement of Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله quoted by ʿAllāmah Waḥīd al-Zamān is essentially a summary of the meaning of Imām al-Nawawī’s words, where he discussed the permissibility and Sunnah nature of Rafʿ al-Yadayn with supporting proofs.
✿ Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله has addressed this subject in his well-known works such as:
- “Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim”
- “al-Majmūʿ Sharḥ al-Muhadhdhab”
✿ Hence, the statement referenced by the translator is most likely drawn from one of these famous works of Imām al-Nawawī.
✿ For exact details of the origin of the statement, one should consult Imām al-Bukhārī’s treatise “Juzʾ Rafʿ al-Yadayn”, which is a comprehensive scholarly analysis of this matter.
Hādhā mā ʿindī, wallāhu aʿlam bi-ṣ-ṣawāb.
