This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Mas'alah Raf' al-Yadain.
There is no difference between men and women in raising hands; the idea that men should always raise their hands up to the ears and women only up to the shoulders is not proven by any authentic hadith. Nor is this difference proven with an authentic chain from Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him. Some friends say that a woman should raise her hands up to the shoulders and keep them inside the veil; their statement is baseless.
① Sayyiduna Wa'il bin Hujr, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
[يا وائل بن حجر، إذا صليت فاجعل يديك حذاء أذنيك، والمرأة تجعل يديها حذاء ثدييها]
O Wa'il bin Hujr! When you pray, keep your hands at the level of your ears, and a woman should keep her hands at the level of her breasts.
Reference: Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir by al-Tabarani: 19/22, Hadith No. 28
Comment:
① Umm Yahya is "unknown,"
❀ Hafiz Haithami, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
[لم أعرفها]
I could not recognize her.
Reference: Majma' al-Zawa'id: 103/2
❀ Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi (750 AH) writes:
[أم يحيىٰ لم أعرف حالها ولا اسمها]
I did not come to know the conditions of Umm Yahya, nor did I learn her name.
Reference: Al-Jawhar al-Naqi fi al-Radd 'ala al-Bayhaqi: 30/2
② The life details of her narrator, Maymunah bint Abd al-Jabbar, could not be found. How can a narration be considered authoritative if the two narrators in it are not authenticated?
② Imam Ibn Jurayj, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[قلت لعطاء: تشير المرأة بيديها بالتكبير كالرجل؟ قال: لا ترفع بذٰلك يديها كالرجل، وأشار فخفض يديه جدا، وجمعهما إليه جدا، وقال: إن للمرأة هيئة ليست للرجل، وإن تركت ذٰلك، فلا حرج]
I asked 'Ata ibn Abi Rabah, may Allah have mercy on him: Does a woman raise her hands in Takbir (Tahrimah) like a man? He said: She does not raise her hands like a man, then he gestured and bent his hands very much and joined them closely and said: There is a condition for women which is not for men. If a woman leaves this condition, there is no harm.
Reference: Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 239/1, and its chain is authentic
Commentary:
This is the ijtihad of Imam Ata bin Abi Rabah, may Allah have mercy on him. He is explaining the manner of raising the hands for a woman, and that if she abandons this manner, there is no harm.
The commentator of Bukhari, Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him (852 AH), says:
[لم يرد ما يدل على التفرقة في الرفع بين الرجل والمرأة]
There is no narration that indicates a difference between men and women in raising the hands.
Reference: Fath al-Bari: 222/2
③ Abdul Rabah Suleiman Al-Shami, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[رأيت أم الدرداء ترفع يديها في الصلاة حذو منكبيها حين تفتتح الصلاة، وحين تركع وإذا قال: سمع الله لمن حمده رفعت يديها، وقالت: ربنا ولك الحمد]
I saw Umm Darda, may Allah be pleased with her, raising her hands at the beginning of the prayer up to the level of her shoulders. When she bowed and when سمع اللہ لمن حمدہ she would raise her hands, and also when she said ربنا ولک الحمد.
Reference: Juz' Raf' al-Yadain lil-Bukhari: 24, and its chain is Hasan
Commentary:
Some people take half an argument from this narration; they prove from it that a woman will raise her hands up to her shoulders, but this is related to the next part of the same narration about raising the hands when going into bowing (ruku) and when raising the head from bowing. This part is left aside.
In short: There is no authentic hadith that establishes a difference between men and women regarding raising hands in prayer. The claimant must provide evidence. We say that men can also raise their hands up to the shoulders following the hadith.
④ Asim al-Ahwal, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[رأيت حفصة بنت سيرين، كبرت في الصلاة، وأومأت حذو ثدييها]
I saw Hafsa bint Sirin, may Allah have mercy on her, say Allahu Akbar in prayer and raise her hands up to her chest (while raising the hands).
Reference: Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2475
Commentary:
The chain of narration is "fabricated," Yahya bin Maymoon bin Ata Tammar is "abandoned and a liar."
❀ Imam Ibn Abi Hatim, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[كان كذابا، حدث عن علي بن زيد بأحاديث موضوعة روى عن عاصم الأحول أحاديث منكرة]
He is a liar; he narrated fabricated hadiths from Ali bin Zaid bin Jud'an and narrated denied reports from Asim Ahwal.
Reference: Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil: 189/9, Nasb al-Rayah: 26/1
This statement is also narrated from Asim Ahwal, may Allah have mercy on him.
❀ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said he is "abandoned."
Reference: (Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb: 7656)
⑤ It is narrated from Imam Hammad, may Allah have mercy on him:
[إنه كان يقول في المرأة إذا استفتحت الصلاة، ترفع يديها إلىٰ ثدييها]
He, may Allah have mercy on him, said regarding women that when she starts prayer, she should raise her hands up to her breasts.
Reference: Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2473
Commentary:
The chain of narration is "weak."
① Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah, may Allah have mercy on him, does not have a confirmed hearing from Khalid bin Hayyan al-Murqi.
② Authentication of Isa bin Kathir is required!
③ Isa bin Kathir’s hearing from Imam Hammad, may Allah have mercy on him, should also be established!
Raising hands up to the breasts from any Sahabiyyah or Tabi'iyyah is not proven with an authentic chain.
Benefit:
❀ It is written in the authentic book of the Hanafis:
[المرأة ترفع اليد كما يرفع الرجل في رواية الحسن عن أبي حنيفة]
Hasan bin Ziyad (accused of lying) narrated from Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, that a woman will raise her hands just like men.
Reference: Fatawa Qazi Khan: 61/1
Conclusion:
There is no difference between men and women in the method of raising the hands.
