Source: Fatāwā Amaanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amaanpuri
Has raising the hands (Raf‘ al-Yadayn) in Hadith been likened to the wagging of restless horses’ tails?
❀ Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (رضي الله عنه) narrates:
خرج علينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: ما لي أراكم رافعي أيديكم كأنها أذناب خيل شمس؟ اسكنوا فى الصلاة
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us and said: What is the matter that I see you raising your hands as if they were the tails of restless horses? Be calm in prayer.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 430)
① In this authentic Hadith, there is no negation of raising the hands when going into or rising from Rukū‘. The consensus of the eminent ḥadīth scholars is that this narration pertains to Tashahhud and Salām, not to Qiyām.
This same narration also appears, in a shortened version, in Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad (5/93), where the wording is: وهم قعود (“He said this while the Companions were seated in Tashahhud”).
This is further clarified by another narration of Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (رضي الله عنه):
“We used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When we said as-salāmu ‘alaykum wa raḥmatullāh, as-salāmu ‘alaykum wa raḥmatullāh, the narrator of the ḥadīth gestured with his hands to both sides. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Why do you gesture with your hands as if they were the tails of restless horses? It is sufficient for you to place your hand upon your thigh, then give Salām to your brother (on either side).”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 431)
This narration clarifies the first one. The understanding of the ḥadīth scholars further strengthens this, proving that this cannot be taken as evidence for the abrogation of Raf‘ al-Yadayn, for no ḥadīth scholar has ever used it to argue against raising the hands.
Moreover, how could a believer accept the claim that an act which the Prophet (ﷺ) himself used to perform—when he saw the Companions performing it—he would then liken it to the wagging of the tails of restless horses?
❀ Imām Ibn Abī al-‘Izz (رحمه الله, d. 792 AH) writes:
“From the narration of Sayyiduna Jabir (رضي الله عنه) in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, some people infer that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade raising the hands like the tails of restless horses and commanded calmness in prayer. But to claim that calmness in prayer contradicts raising the hands when going into and rising from Rukū‘ is not a strong inference.
Because in another narration of Jabir (رضي الله عنه) in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, it is clearly stated: We used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When we gave Salām, we used to gesture with our hands while saying as-salāmu ‘alaykum. The Prophet (ﷺ) saw us and said: What is this? Why do you gesture with your hands as if they were the tails of restless horses? When giving Salām, turn your face toward your brother without gesturing with your hand.
Similarly, we do not accept that the command to be calm in prayer negates raising the hands when going into and rising from Rukū‘. Calmness in prayer does not mean that all movements should stop completely; rather, it negates unnecessary movements that contradict the spirit of prayer. Evidence for this lies in the fact that Rukū‘, Sujūd, Takbīrat al-Iḥrām, Qunūt, and Takbīrāt of the two ‘Īds all involve raising the hands—that too is movement.
If someone says these movements are excluded by specific evidence, we say: Raising the hands when going into and rising from Rukū‘ is also excluded by specific evidence.
Thus, the hadith of Jabir (رضي الله عنه) in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim refers specifically to gesturing with the hands at the time of Salām, not to Raf‘ al-Yadayn.”
(al-Tanbīh ‘alā Mushkilāt al-Hidāyah: 2/571-572)
The scholars of knowledge unanimously agree that this ḥadīth is related to Tashahhud and Salām, not to Raf‘ al-Yadayn performed at Rukū‘ or when rising from it. No Imām or muḥaddith has ever used this narration as evidence against raising the hands. The understanding of the ḥadīth scholars is decisive proof in comprehending the meaning of the narrations.
Question:
Has raising the hands (Raf‘ al-Yadayn) in Hadith been likened to the wagging of restless horses’ tails?
Answer:
❀ Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (رضي الله عنه) narrates:
خرج علينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: ما لي أراكم رافعي أيديكم كأنها أذناب خيل شمس؟ اسكنوا فى الصلاة
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us and said: What is the matter that I see you raising your hands as if they were the tails of restless horses? Be calm in prayer.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 430)
① In this authentic Hadith, there is no negation of raising the hands when going into or rising from Rukū‘. The consensus of the eminent ḥadīth scholars is that this narration pertains to Tashahhud and Salām, not to Qiyām.
This same narration also appears, in a shortened version, in Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad (5/93), where the wording is: وهم قعود (“He said this while the Companions were seated in Tashahhud”).
This is further clarified by another narration of Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (رضي الله عنه):
“We used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When we said as-salāmu ‘alaykum wa raḥmatullāh, as-salāmu ‘alaykum wa raḥmatullāh, the narrator of the ḥadīth gestured with his hands to both sides. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Why do you gesture with your hands as if they were the tails of restless horses? It is sufficient for you to place your hand upon your thigh, then give Salām to your brother (on either side).”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 431)
This narration clarifies the first one. The understanding of the ḥadīth scholars further strengthens this, proving that this cannot be taken as evidence for the abrogation of Raf‘ al-Yadayn, for no ḥadīth scholar has ever used it to argue against raising the hands.
Moreover, how could a believer accept the claim that an act which the Prophet (ﷺ) himself used to perform—when he saw the Companions performing it—he would then liken it to the wagging of the tails of restless horses?
❀ Imām Ibn Abī al-‘Izz (رحمه الله, d. 792 AH) writes:
“From the narration of Sayyiduna Jabir (رضي الله عنه) in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, some people infer that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade raising the hands like the tails of restless horses and commanded calmness in prayer. But to claim that calmness in prayer contradicts raising the hands when going into and rising from Rukū‘ is not a strong inference.
Because in another narration of Jabir (رضي الله عنه) in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, it is clearly stated: We used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When we gave Salām, we used to gesture with our hands while saying as-salāmu ‘alaykum. The Prophet (ﷺ) saw us and said: What is this? Why do you gesture with your hands as if they were the tails of restless horses? When giving Salām, turn your face toward your brother without gesturing with your hand.
Similarly, we do not accept that the command to be calm in prayer negates raising the hands when going into and rising from Rukū‘. Calmness in prayer does not mean that all movements should stop completely; rather, it negates unnecessary movements that contradict the spirit of prayer. Evidence for this lies in the fact that Rukū‘, Sujūd, Takbīrat al-Iḥrām, Qunūt, and Takbīrāt of the two ‘Īds all involve raising the hands—that too is movement.
If someone says these movements are excluded by specific evidence, we say: Raising the hands when going into and rising from Rukū‘ is also excluded by specific evidence.
Thus, the hadith of Jabir (رضي الله عنه) in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim refers specifically to gesturing with the hands at the time of Salām, not to Raf‘ al-Yadayn.”
(al-Tanbīh ‘alā Mushkilāt al-Hidāyah: 2/571-572)
Conclusion:
The scholars of knowledge unanimously agree that this ḥadīth is related to Tashahhud and Salām, not to Raf‘ al-Yadayn performed at Rukū‘ or when rising from it. No Imām or muḥaddith has ever used this narration as evidence against raising the hands. The understanding of the ḥadīth scholars is decisive proof in comprehending the meaning of the narrations.
