Is Rafʿ al-Yadayn Established in ʿEid Prayers and Janāzah Prayer?
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil, Vol. 1, Bāb: Janāzah Issues, p. 257
❖ Question
Is it Sunnah to perform Rafʿ al-Yadayn (raising the hands) in ʿEid prayers and Salāt al-Janāzah? Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ do so, or is there any authentic ḥadīth regarding this? Kindly clarify.
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
◈ Rafʿ al-Yadayn in the Takbīrs of Janāzah
- A marfūʿ ḥadīth regarding raising the hands at the takbīrs of Janāzah prayer is found in al-ʿIlal of Dāraquṭnī.
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله) graded this narration as ḍaʿīf (weak).
- However, Ibn Bāz (رحمه الله), in his commentary on Fatḥ al-Bārī, critiqued Ibn Ḥajar’s grading and argued against his weakening of the ḥadīth.
◈ Rafʿ al-Yadayn in the Takbīrs of ʿEid
- Regarding raising the hands during the takbīrs of the two ʿEid prayers, there is no well-known, specific, authentic marfūʿ ḥadīth.
- However, there are general marfūʿ narrations and mawqūf āthār (reports from Companions) indicating the practice.
- For further study, Imām al-Bukhārī’s (رحمه الله) treatise Juzʾ Rafʿ al-Yadayn is particularly beneficial.
Hādhā mā ʿindī, wallāhu aʿlam bis-ṣawāb.
