Source: Fatāwā Amaanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amaanpuri
What is the authenticity of the ḥadīth attributed to Sayyidunā al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (رضي الله عنه) regarding not raising the hands (after the opening takbīr)?
It is narrated from Sayyidunā al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (رضي الله عنه):
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when beginning prayer, would raise his hands near his ears, and then would not do so again.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 749, Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 1/293, Musnad Abī Ya‘lā: 1690)
The chain of this ḥadīth is weak. The leading ḥadīth preservers are in unanimous agreement about its weakness.
Its narrator Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād is weak and of poor memory according to the majority. He was also a mudallis, became mukhtaliṭ (confused in old age), and would accept prompting.
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله) wrote:
“He is weak; in old age his memory deteriorated, he began to accept prompting, and he was also a Shī‘ī.”
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 7717)
He further stated:
“The majority declare his narrations weak.”
(Hady al-Sārī, p. 459)
❀ Imām al-Nawawī (رحمه الله):
“There is consensus on his weakness, especially when he contradicts trustworthy narrators.”
(Sharḥ al-Nawawī: 1/306; 7/8)
① This ḥadīth is weak by consensus of the muḥaddithīn.
② Along with being weak, this narration is general, while the evidence for raising the hands in rukū‘ and rising from rukū‘ is specific. In principle, the specific takes precedence over the general.
③ Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād is a mudallis, and he did not clarify hearing. This makes the report weak.
④ The phrase “ثم لم يعد” (then he did not do it again) is mudraj (inserted). It was introduced to him through prompting by the Kufans, which he accepted.
❀ Imām Ibn Ḥibbān (رحمه الله):
“This is the very narration which the Iraqis used as proof to negate raising the hands in rukū‘. In reality, the words ‘then he did not do it again’ were not part of it. They were prompted to Yazīd in his old age, and he accepted them. When he narrated it earlier in Makkah, these words were not present.”
(Kitāb al-Majrūḥīn: 3/100)
❀ Imām al-Dāraquṭnī (رحمه الله) narrated the report without these additional words and then said:
“This is correct.”
(Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 1/294)
❀ Imām al-Shāfi‘ī (رحمه الله):
“Sufyān (رحمه الله) held that Yazīd erred in this ḥadīth and said: It seems these last words were prompted to him, and he accepted them. Sufyān also did not consider Yazīd reliable in this narration.”
(Ikhtilāf al-Ḥadīth, p. 128)
❀ Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī (رحمه الله):
“Abandoning raising the hands (after the opening takbīr) is not proven from the Prophet ﷺ. Yazīd, when narrating earlier, did not mention these words. Later, when his memory weakened, the Kufans prompted him with them, and he accepted.”
(al-Faṣl lil-Waṣl al-Mudraj fī al-Naql: 1/394)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
“The muḥaddithīn unanimously agreed that the words ‘then he did not do it again’ are mudraj and are the statement of Yazīd himself.”
(al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr: 1/221)
❀ Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (رحمه الله):
“The preserved wording from Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād → Ibn Abī Laylā → al-Barā’ is only: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when beginning prayer, would raise his hands.’ The addition of ‘then he did not do it again’ is an error.”
(al-Tamhīd: 9/220)
The narration of Sunan Abī Dāwūd (752) and others is also weak, as it contains Ibn Abī Laylā (the judge of Kūfah, Abū ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā, d. 148H) who was weak and of poor memory according to the majority.
The ḥadīth of al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (رضي الله عنه) stating that the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands only once and then did not repeat it is weak by consensus of the ḥadīth scholars. The addition “ثم لم يعد” is fabricated into the text through prompting, and the reliable narrations affirm Raf‘ al-Yadayn beyond the opening takbīr, specifically at rukū‘ and upon rising from rukū‘.
Question:
What is the authenticity of the ḥadīth attributed to Sayyidunā al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (رضي الله عنه) regarding not raising the hands (after the opening takbīr)?
Answer:
It is narrated from Sayyidunā al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (رضي الله عنه):
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when beginning prayer, would raise his hands near his ears, and then would not do so again.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 749, Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 1/293, Musnad Abī Ya‘lā: 1690)
The chain of this ḥadīth is weak. The leading ḥadīth preservers are in unanimous agreement about its weakness.
Its narrator Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād is weak and of poor memory according to the majority. He was also a mudallis, became mukhtaliṭ (confused in old age), and would accept prompting.
Scholarly Evaluations of Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله) wrote:
“He is weak; in old age his memory deteriorated, he began to accept prompting, and he was also a Shī‘ī.”
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 7717)
He further stated:
“The majority declare his narrations weak.”
(Hady al-Sārī, p. 459)
❀ Imām al-Nawawī (رحمه الله):
“There is consensus on his weakness, especially when he contradicts trustworthy narrators.”
(Sharḥ al-Nawawī: 1/306; 7/8)
Statements of the Muḥaddithīn
① This ḥadīth is weak by consensus of the muḥaddithīn.
- Imām Yaḥyā ibn Ma‘īn (رحمه الله):
“This isnād is not authentic.”
(al-Ma‘rifah wa al-Tārīkh: 3/81) - Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (رحمه الله):
“This ḥadīth is not authentic.”
(Ma‘rifat ‘Ulūm al-Ḥadīth by al-Ḥākim, p. 81) - Imām Ḥumaydī (رحمه الله):
“This addition (‘then he did not do it again’) is narrated only by Yazīd — and Yazīd adds things.”
(al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr: 1/221) - Imām Ibn Waḍḍāḥ (رحمه الله):
“All the aḥādīth reported from the Prophet ﷺ stating that he raised his hands at the beginning and then did not repeat it are weak.”
(al-Tamhīd by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr: 9/221) - Imām ‘Uthmān ibn Sa‘īd al-Dārimī (رحمه الله):
“This is a mistake from Yazīd.”
(Ma‘rifat ‘Ulūm al-Ḥadīth by al-Ḥākim, p. 81) - Ḥāfiẓ al-Mundhirī (رحمه الله):
“In its chain is Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād, whose narration is not authoritative.”
(Mukhtaṣar al-Sunan: 1/369) - Ibn Qudāmah (رحمه الله): Declared it weak.
(al-Mughnī: 1/356) - Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله):
“The ḥadīth of al-Barā’ is not authentic.”
(Zād al-Ma‘ād: 1/219)
Additional Issues in the Ḥadīth
② Along with being weak, this narration is general, while the evidence for raising the hands in rukū‘ and rising from rukū‘ is specific. In principle, the specific takes precedence over the general.
③ Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād is a mudallis, and he did not clarify hearing. This makes the report weak.
④ The phrase “ثم لم يعد” (then he did not do it again) is mudraj (inserted). It was introduced to him through prompting by the Kufans, which he accepted.
❀ Imām Ibn Ḥibbān (رحمه الله):
“This is the very narration which the Iraqis used as proof to negate raising the hands in rukū‘. In reality, the words ‘then he did not do it again’ were not part of it. They were prompted to Yazīd in his old age, and he accepted them. When he narrated it earlier in Makkah, these words were not present.”
(Kitāb al-Majrūḥīn: 3/100)
❀ Imām al-Dāraquṭnī (رحمه الله) narrated the report without these additional words and then said:
“This is correct.”
(Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 1/294)
❀ Imām al-Shāfi‘ī (رحمه الله):
“Sufyān (رحمه الله) held that Yazīd erred in this ḥadīth and said: It seems these last words were prompted to him, and he accepted them. Sufyān also did not consider Yazīd reliable in this narration.”
(Ikhtilāf al-Ḥadīth, p. 128)
❀ Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī (رحمه الله):
“Abandoning raising the hands (after the opening takbīr) is not proven from the Prophet ﷺ. Yazīd, when narrating earlier, did not mention these words. Later, when his memory weakened, the Kufans prompted him with them, and he accepted.”
(al-Faṣl lil-Waṣl al-Mudraj fī al-Naql: 1/394)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
“The muḥaddithīn unanimously agreed that the words ‘then he did not do it again’ are mudraj and are the statement of Yazīd himself.”
(al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr: 1/221)
❀ Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (رحمه الله):
“The preserved wording from Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād → Ibn Abī Laylā → al-Barā’ is only: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when beginning prayer, would raise his hands.’ The addition of ‘then he did not do it again’ is an error.”
(al-Tamhīd: 9/220)
Note on Other Chains
The narration of Sunan Abī Dāwūd (752) and others is also weak, as it contains Ibn Abī Laylā (the judge of Kūfah, Abū ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā, d. 148H) who was weak and of poor memory according to the majority.
- Imām Abū Dāwūd (رحمه الله) said under this ḥadīth:
“This ḥadīth is not ṣaḥīḥ.” - Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Mulaqqin (رحمه الله):
“The consensus of the ḥadīth preservers is that the ḥadīth of al-Barā’ is weak. Among them: Sufyān ibn ‘Uyaynah, al-Shāfi‘ī, al-Ḥumaydī, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Yaḥyā ibn Ma‘īn, al-Bukhārī, al-Bayhaqī, and others from the earlier scholars. And the later preservers too are innumerable, such as Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Bayhaqī, etc. The weakness arises because of the chain: Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād → Ibn Abī Laylā → al-Barā’. All the leading authorities agreed that Yazīd erred in this narration.”
(al-Badr al-Munīr: 3/487)
Conclusion:
The ḥadīth of al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (رضي الله عنه) stating that the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands only once and then did not repeat it is weak by consensus of the ḥadīth scholars. The addition “ثم لم يعد” is fabricated into the text through prompting, and the reliable narrations affirm Raf‘ al-Yadayn beyond the opening takbīr, specifically at rukū‘ and upon rising from rukū‘.
