Question:
What is the Sharʿī method of placing the hands when rising after two prostrations?
Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il, Ṣalāh Section, Vol. 1, p.191
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
◈ Evidence from Ḥadīth
In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (Vol. 1, p.114, Bāb: “Kayfa Yaʿtamad ʿalā’l-Arḍ iḏā Qāma mina’r-Rakʿah”), the following narration appears:
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his head after the second prostration, he would sit, and then stand up by leaning on the ground.”
◈ The Method of Placing Hands
Regarding the way of leaning on the ground, Shaykh al-Albānī (رحمه الله) writes in Ṣifat Ṣalāt an-Nabī ﷺ (p.137):
«وكان يعجن في الصلاة، يعتمد على يديه إذا قام»
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up, he would press his hands on the ground in a manner resembling kneading dough.”
Thus, the Sunnah method is to support oneself with both hands on the ground (palms downward), like the kneading motion.
◈ Authenticity of the Ḥadīth
Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله commented in the footnote:
«رواه أبو إسحاق الحربي بسند صالح»
“It was narrated by Abū Isḥāq al-Ḥarbī with a sound chain (sanad ṣāliḥ).”
This narration has also been cited by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Arnaʾūṭ and Shaykh Shuʿayb Arnaʾūṭ in their commentary on Zād al-Maʿād.
◈ Clarification Regarding Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ
As for the claim that “the hands should be placed with the palms downward” based on Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, we do not find any explicit narration in Mishkāt that directly states this wording. Therefore, this reference does not clearly support the statement made by that scholar.
Conclusion
The Sunnah way of rising after two prostrations is:
- To press the hands on the ground with palms downward, similar to the motion of kneading dough.
- This method is authentically narrated and supported by sound evidence.
- No explicit support was found in Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ for the alternative view mentioned.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
