This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Mas'alah Raf' al-Yadain.
① Hafiz Baghawee, may Allah have mercy on him (516 AH), says:
[أحاديث رفع اليدين في المواضع الأربع أصح وأثبت فاتباعها أولىٰ]
The hadiths about raising the hands at four places are "Sahih" and "Athbat," and one should act upon them.
Reference: Sharh al-Sunnah: 24/3
② Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Jabir, the jurist, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[رأيت أبا عبد الله أحمد بن محمد بن حنبل وأبا يعقوب إسحاق ابن إبراهيم بن مخلد وأبا جعفر أحمد بن صالح المصري وأبا حمزة محمد بن عبد الله ابن عمر وأبا عبد الله محمد بن يحيى الذهلي وأبا زرعة عبيد الله بن عبد الكريم وأبا الحسن أحمد بن سيار وأبا عبد الله أحمد بن نصر النيسابوري وقتيبة بن سعيد وهدبة ابن خالد البصري ونصر بن علي وحبان بن موسى وأبا إبراهيم إسماعيل بن يحيى والربيع بن سليمان ومحمد بن بشار ومحمد بن المثنى وعبد الأعلى بن حماد وعباس ابن الوليد النرسيين ومحمد بن المصفى وهشام بن عمار وعمرو بن عثمان ومحمود بن خالد وإسحاق بن منصور وأبا سعيد عبد الرحمن بن إبراهيم ومن لا يحصى كثرة من الأئمة المقتدي بهم يرفعون أيديهم إذا كبروا لافتتاح الصلاة حذو مناكبهم وإذا ركعوا وإذا رفعوا رؤوسهم من الركوع قال أبو عبد الله محمد بن جابر فإن قال قائل فإن مالك بن أنس لم يكن يرفع يديه إلا عند الافتتاح وهو احد أعلامكم الذين تقتدون به قيل له صدقت هو من كبار من يقتدى به ويحتج به وهو أهل لذلك رحمه الله عليه ولكنك لست من العلماء بقوله حدثنا حرملة بن عبد الله التجيبي أنبأنا عبد الله بن وهب قال رأيت مالك بن أنس يرفع يديه إذا افتتح الصلاة وإذا ركع وإذا رفع من الركوع قال أبو عبد الله فذكرت ذلك لمحمد بن عبد الله بن عبد الحكم وهو ناب أصحاب مالك بمصر والعالم بقوله وما مات مالك عليه فقال هذا قول مالك وفعله الذي مات عليه وهو السنة وأنا عليه وكان حرملة على هذا]
I have seen that the noble Imams Abu Abdullah Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal, Abu Yaqub Ishaq bin Ibrahim bin Makhlad, Abu Jaafar Ahmad bin Saleh Misri, Abu Hamza Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Umar, Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Yahya Zahli, Abu Zur'ah Ubaidullah bin Abdul Karim, Abu al-Hasan Ahmad bin Sayyar, Abu Abdullah Ahmad bin Nasr Nisaburi, Qutaybah bin Saeed, Hudbah bin Khalid Basri, Nasr bin Ali, Hubban bin Musa, Abu Ibrahim Ismail bin Yahya, Rabi' bin Sulaiman, Muhammad bin Bashar, Muhammad bin Muthanna, Abdul A'la bin Hammad, Abbas bin Walid Narseen, Muhammad bin Misfi, Hisham bin Ammar, Amr bin Uthman, Mahmood bin Khalid, Ishaq bin Mansur, Abu Saeed Abdul Rahman bin Ibrahim, may Allah have mercy on them, and countless other Imams who followed, would raise their hands up to their shoulders when starting the prayer, going into ruku', and rising from ruku'. Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Jabir says: Someone might say that Imam Malik bin Anas, may Allah have mercy on him, is also among the Imams who followed, and he only raised his hands when starting the prayer. To this, it will be said: You are correct, Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, is certainly worthy of following and is a proof among the noble Imams, and you are deserving of his mercy, but you do not have knowledge of his statements. Harmalah bin Abdullah Tujibi told me that Abdullah bin Wahb Misri narrated to him that he saw Imam Malik bin Anas, may Allah have mercy on him, raising his hands when starting the prayer, going into ruku', and rising from ruku'. Imam Abu Abdullah Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him, says: I mentioned this matter to Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him, who was the deputy of the companions of Malik in Egypt and was well aware of the sayings of Imam Malik and his final statements and actions, and he said: Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, held this opinion and practiced this until his death; this is also the Sunnah. I also adhere to this, and Harmalah, may Allah have mercy on him, also followed this practice.
Reference: Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir: 179/52, and its chain is authentic
③ Imam Abu al-Fadl Salih ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[قال أبي: رأيت إسماعيل بن أبي علية يرفع يديه وكان حسن الصلاة ومعتمر بن سليمان وعبد الرحمٰن بن مهدي ويحيى بن سعيد كانوا يرفعون أيديهم في الصلاة]
My respected father (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him) said: I saw Isma'il ibn Abi 'Aliyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, performing the raising of the hands (raf' al-yadain); he used to pray very well. Similarly, I saw Mu'tamir ibn Sulayman, 'Abdur-Rahman ibn Mahdi, and Yahya ibn Sa'id, may Allah have mercy on them, also raising their hands during prayer.
Reference: Masa'il al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal narrated by his son Abu al-Fadl Salih: 165/3
④ Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[رأيت أبا عبد الله أحمد ابن حنبل رحمه الله، إذا افتتح الصلاة رفع يديه حتىٰ يحاذي بهما أذنيه، وإذا ركع، وإذا رفع رأسه من الركوع فعل ذٰلك]
I saw Imam Abu 'Abdullah Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, raising his hands to the level of the ears when starting the prayer, going into ruku', and when rising from ruku'.
Reference: Masa'il al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal narrated by Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi, p. 46
⑤ Ishaq ibn Mansur Kawsaj, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[قلت: كيف يرفع يديه في الصلاة؟ قال: حذو منكبيه إذا كبر وإذا ركع وإذا رفع رأسه من الركوع، قال إسحاق كما قال، ولا يفعل في شيء من السجود ذٰلك]
I asked (Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him): How should a praying person raise their hands during prayer? He said: Up to the shoulders. When starting the prayer, going into Ruku, and when rising from Ruku. Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh, may Allah have mercy on him, also said the same (but he also said) that one should not raise their hands anywhere during the prostrations.
Reference: Masa'il al-Imam Ahmad wa Ishaq bin Rahwayh bi riwayat Ishaq al-Kawsaj: 130/1
⑥ Imam Abu al-Fadl Salih bin Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[سألته عن رجل يبلي بأرض ينكرون فيها رفع اليدين في الصلاة وينسبون إليه الرفض إذا فعل ذٰلك، هل يجوز له ترك الرفع قال أبي: لا يترك ولٰكن يداريهم]
I asked him (Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him) about a person who got stuck in a place where people deny raising hands in prayer, and if someone raises their hands, they call him a Rafidhi (rejecter). Can he leave raising hands there? He said: He should not leave it, rather he should avoid them carefully.
Reference: Masa'il al-Imam Ahmad bi riwayat ibn Abi al-Fadl Salih bin Ahmad: 268/1
⑦ Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[أما رفع اليدين عند الركوع، فإن ذٰلك سنة يرفع يديه عند افتتاح الصلاة حذو منكبيه، وإذا ركع وإذا رفع رأسه، ولا يفعل ذٰلك في السجود ولا من السجدتين]
Raising the hands at the time of bowing (ruku) is Sunnah. The worshipper should raise the hands up to the shoulders when starting the prayer, going into ruku, and rising from ruku, but should not do so when going into or rising from prostration.
Reference: Masa'il al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal wa Ishaq ibn Rahwayh: 213/1
⑧ Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlawi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
It is recommended to raise both hands up to the shoulders near the opening takbir, near one ruku, and at the time of rising from ruku.
At the takbir al-tahrimah, when going into ruku, and when raising the head from ruku, it is recommended to raise the hands up to the shoulders.
Reference: Al-Misfa Sharh Muwatta Imam Malik: 102/1
In summary:
Raising the hands is the mutawatir Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Ummah has always practiced it. The Prophet ﷺ never abandoned raising the hands.
