Compiled by: Abu Hamzah Salafi
الحمد للہ وحدہ، والصلوۃ والسلام علی من لا نبی بعدہ۔
All praise is due to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no Prophet.
The purpose of this article is to clarify that Imām al-Muḥaddithīn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله and the majority of ḥadīth scholars did not consider the narration regarding the abandonment of Rafʿ al-Yadayn (raising the hands in prayer) to be authentic. Rather, they explicitly criticized it. On the other hand, the narrations affirming Rafʿ al-Yadayn have been declared authentic and reliable, and they are reported in the Six Canonical Books and other recognized ḥadīth collections.
❀ In this article, we will mention the statements of the ḥadīth scholars one by one, including the original Arabic text, its translation, and reference.
❀ It will become clear that the narration concerning the abandonment of Rafʿ al-Yadayn is weak, while clear proofs exist for its affirmation.
«وَلَمْ يَثْبُتْ حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ إِلَّا فِي أَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ»
(الجامع الكبير – سنن الترمذي)
Translation:
“The ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands only the first time is not established.”
«سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ الْمُبَارَكِ يَقُولُ: لَمْ يَثْبُتْ عِنْدِي حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ … وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ عِنْدِي حَدِيثُ رَفْعِ الْيَدَيْنِ»
(السنن الكبرى)
Translation:
“I heard ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak say: The ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه is not established according to me… whereas the ḥadīth of Rafʿ al-Yadayn is established according to me.”
«قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: لَمْ يَثْبُتْ عِنْدِي»
(التلخيص الحبير)
Translation:
Ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله said: “It is not established according to me.”
«وَأَمَّا أَحَادِيثُ الْمُعَارَضَةِ: فَحَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ الْأَوَّلُ، قَالَ فِيهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: لَا يَثْبُتُ هَذَا»
(تنقيح التحقيق)
Translation:
As for the opposing narrations, regarding the first ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd, ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “This is not established.”
«فَحَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ الْأَوَّلُ قَالَ فِيهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ لَا يَثْبُتُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ»
(التحقيق في أحاديث الخلاف)
Translation:
Regarding the first ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه, ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “This ḥadīth is not established.”
«قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: لَمْ يَثْبُتْ حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ»
(شرح السنة)
Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “The ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه is not established.”
«وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ قَدْ ثَبَتَ حَدِيثُ مَنْ يَرْفَعُ … وَلَمْ يُثْبِتْ حَدِيثَ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ»
(مختصر الأحكام)
Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “The ḥadīth of those who raise their hands is established… and he did not consider the ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd to be established.”
«فَأَمَّا حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، فَقَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: لَمْ يَثْبُتْ»
(المغني لابن قدامة)
Translation:
As for the ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه, Ibn al-Mubārak said: “It is not established.”
❀ In contrast, the narrations affirming Rafʿ al-Yadayn have been declared authentic and reliable by Imām Ibn al-Mubārak and other leading scholars of ḥadīth.
❀ Therefore, the evidence used to insist upon abandoning Rafʿ al-Yadayn is weak, whereas the affirmation of Rafʿ al-Yadayn is supported by clear and authentic proofs.
«وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: قَدْ ثَبَتَ حَدِيثُ مَنْ يَرْفَعُ … وَلَمْ يَثْبُتْ حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ إِلَّا فِي أَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ»
(الجامع الكبير – سنن الترمذي)
Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “The ḥadīth affirming Rafʿ al-Yadayn is established according to me — namely the narration of al-Zuhrī → Sālim → Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما. However, the narration of Ibn Masʿūd that the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands only the first time is not established according to me.”
«حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُقَاتِلٍ … عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا …»
(صحيح البخاري، حديث 735)
Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما said:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he stood for prayer raise his hands until they were parallel to his shoulders. He would do so when saying takbīr for rukūʿ, and he would do so when raising his head from rukūʿ, saying: ‘Samiʿa Allāhu liman ḥamidah.’ However, he did not do so in sujūd.”
❀ The central narrator of this authentic report is ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak himself.
❀ This is the very narration that Imām al-Tirmidhī declared authentic and established.
❀ Thus, it becomes conclusive that Ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله regarded the narration of abandoning Rafʿ al-Yadayn as unestablished while affirming the authenticity of the narration that establishes it.
Arabic Text (Attributed):
«وَعَدَمُ ثُبُوتِ الْخَبَرِ عِنْدَ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ لَا يَمْنَعُ مِنَ النَّظَرِ فِيهِ …»
(نصب الراية)
Translation:
“The fact that the report was not established according to Ibn al-Mubārak does not prevent further examination of it…”
❀ It was first mentioned by al-Zaylaʿī in Naṣb al-Rāyah without citing a chain or original source.
❀ Later authors merely repeated it without presenting a reliable chain.
Even if accepted hypothetically, it only implies that a narration deemed weak by one scholar may still be examined — it does not invalidate Ibn al-Mubārak’s explicit criticism.
«… أَنَّ أَبَا حَنِيفَةَ قَالَ: مَا بَالُهُ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ … أَيُرِيدُ أَنْ يَطِيرَ؟ …»
(تأويل مختلف الحديث، ص 93)
Translation:
Abū Ḥanīfah said: “Why does he raise his hands at every lowering and raising? Does he intend to fly?”
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak replied:
“If raising the hands at the beginning is intending to fly, then raising them at rukūʿ and standing should also be intending to fly.”
❀ This shows that Ibn al-Mubārak regarded Rafʿ al-Yadayn as an established Sunnah.
❀ His response was scholarly and wise, demonstrating his firm stance upon this practice.
② The narrations affirming Rafʿ al-Yadayn are authentically established in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and other collections.
③ Imām ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله explicitly declared the abandonment narration weak while affirming the authenticity of the opposite reports.
④ Therefore, Rafʿ al-Yadayn is a firmly established and authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
الحمد للہ وحدہ، والصلوۃ والسلام علی من لا نبی بعدہ۔
All praise is due to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no Prophet.
The purpose of this article is to clarify that Imām al-Muḥaddithīn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله and the majority of ḥadīth scholars did not consider the narration regarding the abandonment of Rafʿ al-Yadayn (raising the hands in prayer) to be authentic. Rather, they explicitly criticized it. On the other hand, the narrations affirming Rafʿ al-Yadayn have been declared authentic and reliable, and they are reported in the Six Canonical Books and other recognized ḥadīth collections.
❀ In this article, we will mention the statements of the ḥadīth scholars one by one, including the original Arabic text, its translation, and reference.
❀ It will become clear that the narration concerning the abandonment of Rafʿ al-Yadayn is weak, while clear proofs exist for its affirmation.
✦ Statements of the Ḥadīth Scholars
① Imām al-Tirmidhī رحمه الله
Arabic Text:«وَلَمْ يَثْبُتْ حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ إِلَّا فِي أَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ»
(الجامع الكبير – سنن الترمذي)
Translation:
“The ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands only the first time is not established.”
② Imām al-Bayhaqī رحمه الله
Arabic Text:«سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ الْمُبَارَكِ يَقُولُ: لَمْ يَثْبُتْ عِنْدِي حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ … وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ عِنْدِي حَدِيثُ رَفْعِ الْيَدَيْنِ»
(السنن الكبرى)
Translation:
“I heard ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak say: The ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه is not established according to me… whereas the ḥadīth of Rafʿ al-Yadayn is established according to me.”
③ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله
Arabic Text:«قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: لَمْ يَثْبُتْ عِنْدِي»
(التلخيص الحبير)
Translation:
Ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله said: “It is not established according to me.”
④ Imām Ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī al-Maqdisī رحمه الله
Arabic Text:«وَأَمَّا أَحَادِيثُ الْمُعَارَضَةِ: فَحَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ الْأَوَّلُ، قَالَ فِيهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: لَا يَثْبُتُ هَذَا»
(تنقيح التحقيق)
Translation:
As for the opposing narrations, regarding the first ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd, ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “This is not established.”
⑤ Imām Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله
Arabic Text:«فَحَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ الْأَوَّلُ قَالَ فِيهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ لَا يَثْبُتُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ»
(التحقيق في أحاديث الخلاف)
Translation:
Regarding the first ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه, ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “This ḥadīth is not established.”
⑥ Imām al-Baghawī رحمه الله
Arabic Text:«قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: لَمْ يَثْبُتْ حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ»
(شرح السنة)
Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “The ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه is not established.”
⑦ Imām Abū ʿAlī al-Ṭūsī رحمه الله
Arabic Text:«وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ قَدْ ثَبَتَ حَدِيثُ مَنْ يَرْفَعُ … وَلَمْ يُثْبِتْ حَدِيثَ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ»
(مختصر الأحكام)
Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “The ḥadīth of those who raise their hands is established… and he did not consider the ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd to be established.”
⑧ Imām Ibn Qudāmah al-Maqdisī رحمه الله
Arabic Text:«فَأَمَّا حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، فَقَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: لَمْ يَثْبُتْ»
(المغني لابن قدامة)
Translation:
As for the ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه, Ibn al-Mubārak said: “It is not established.”
✦ Summary
❀ From all these statements, it becomes clear that according to the majority of ḥadīth scholars, the narration of abandoning Rafʿ al-Yadayn attributed to Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه is not established from the Prophet ﷺ.❀ In contrast, the narrations affirming Rafʿ al-Yadayn have been declared authentic and reliable by Imām Ibn al-Mubārak and other leading scholars of ḥadīth.
❀ Therefore, the evidence used to insist upon abandoning Rafʿ al-Yadayn is weak, whereas the affirmation of Rafʿ al-Yadayn is supported by clear and authentic proofs.
✦ The Testimony of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī Through Ibn al-Mubārak
✦ Report of Imām al-Tirmidhī
Arabic Text:«وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: قَدْ ثَبَتَ حَدِيثُ مَنْ يَرْفَعُ … وَلَمْ يَثْبُتْ حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ إِلَّا فِي أَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ»
(الجامع الكبير – سنن الترمذي)
Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “The ḥadīth affirming Rafʿ al-Yadayn is established according to me — namely the narration of al-Zuhrī → Sālim → Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما. However, the narration of Ibn Masʿūd that the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands only the first time is not established according to me.”
✦ The Narration in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī
Arabic Text:«حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُقَاتِلٍ … عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا …»
(صحيح البخاري، حديث 735)
Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما said:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he stood for prayer raise his hands until they were parallel to his shoulders. He would do so when saying takbīr for rukūʿ, and he would do so when raising his head from rukūʿ, saying: ‘Samiʿa Allāhu liman ḥamidah.’ However, he did not do so in sujūd.”
❀ The central narrator of this authentic report is ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak himself.
❀ This is the very narration that Imām al-Tirmidhī declared authentic and established.
❀ Thus, it becomes conclusive that Ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله regarded the narration of abandoning Rafʿ al-Yadayn as unestablished while affirming the authenticity of the narration that establishes it.
✦ Investigation of the Statement Attributed to Imām Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd رحمه الله
Some have attributed the following statement to him:Arabic Text (Attributed):
«وَعَدَمُ ثُبُوتِ الْخَبَرِ عِنْدَ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ لَا يَمْنَعُ مِنَ النَّظَرِ فِيهِ …»
(نصب الراية)
Translation:
“The fact that the report was not established according to Ibn al-Mubārak does not prevent further examination of it…”
✦ Verification
❀ This statement is not found directly in the original works of Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd رحمه الله.❀ It was first mentioned by al-Zaylaʿī in Naṣb al-Rāyah without citing a chain or original source.
❀ Later authors merely repeated it without presenting a reliable chain.
Even if accepted hypothetically, it only implies that a narration deemed weak by one scholar may still be examined — it does not invalidate Ibn al-Mubārak’s explicit criticism.
✦ Incident Mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah رحمه الله
Arabic Text:«… أَنَّ أَبَا حَنِيفَةَ قَالَ: مَا بَالُهُ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ … أَيُرِيدُ أَنْ يَطِيرَ؟ …»
(تأويل مختلف الحديث، ص 93)
Translation:
Abū Ḥanīfah said: “Why does he raise his hands at every lowering and raising? Does he intend to fly?”
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak replied:
“If raising the hands at the beginning is intending to fly, then raising them at rukūʿ and standing should also be intending to fly.”
❀ This shows that Ibn al-Mubārak regarded Rafʿ al-Yadayn as an established Sunnah.
❀ His response was scholarly and wise, demonstrating his firm stance upon this practice.
✦ Final Conclusion
① The narration of abandoning Rafʿ al-Yadayn is weak and unestablished according to the majority of ḥadīth scholars.② The narrations affirming Rafʿ al-Yadayn are authentically established in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and other collections.
③ Imām ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله explicitly declared the abandonment narration weak while affirming the authenticity of the opposite reports.
④ Therefore, Rafʿ al-Yadayn is a firmly established and authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
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