Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Is it Sunnah to supplicate with the backs of the hands facing the sky during Istisqāʾ (the prayer for rain)?
Yes, it is Sunnah.
Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه narrated:
((إن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم استسقى، فأشار بظهر كفيه إلى السماء))
“The Prophet ﷺ supplicated for rain, and he pointed with the backs of his palms towards the sky.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 896)
In normal duʿāʾ, the palms are raised facing upwards.
But in Istisqāʾ, the Sunnah is to turn the hands over so that the backs of the palms face the sky—as authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ.
❖ Question
Is it Sunnah to supplicate with the backs of the hands facing the sky during Istisqāʾ (the prayer for rain)?
❖ Answer
Yes, it is Sunnah.
◈ Evidence from Ḥadīth
Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه narrated:
((إن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم استسقى، فأشار بظهر كفيه إلى السماء))
“The Prophet ﷺ supplicated for rain, and he pointed with the backs of his palms towards the sky.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 896)
Conclusion
In normal duʿāʾ, the palms are raised facing upwards.
But in Istisqāʾ, the Sunnah is to turn the hands over so that the backs of the palms face the sky—as authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ.
