Indexed OCR Text

The Issue of Amin
followers should say amin audibly during the audible prayers and
silently during the silent prayers.
As mentioned earlier, the difference of opinion is only concerning
which of the two is more virtuous. Technically speaking, saying amin
aloud or silently is regarded by all the scholars as being a sunna act of
the prayer and not a fard, or integral part of it.
THE QUR'AN ON THIS ISSUE
According to the most accurate definition, amin is a verbal noun
meaning "accept [our] prayer." Hence, it is a du'a' [invocation]. This
is clearly indicated in Sura Yunus, where, after mentioning the du'a
of Musa , Allah & says,
"Accepted is your prayer (O Musa and Harun)!" (al-Qur'an 10:89)
Allah % uses the dual tense in this verse and says "da watukuma,"
meaning "the prayer of you both," Since only Musa He is mentioned
ro have made the du'a' and not Harun , the use of this dual tense
has been explained as implying that Musa " was making the du'a'
while Harun HE was endorsing it with amin. Since amin is a du'a,
Allah referred to them both as invoking Him and said He had accepted
the du'as of both.
In the "Chapter on the Imam Proclaiming Amin Aloud" [Babu
jahr al-imam bi 'I-tamin], Imam Bukhari quotes the words of Ata ibn
Abi Rabah, "Amin is a du'a" (Sabih al-Bukhari 1:102). Hafız Ibn Hajar
further clarifies this in his commentary, where he states;
The one saying amin is considered a da 7 [or "invocant"] as mentioned in
the words of Allah, "Accepted is your prayer (O Musa and Harun)!" Musa
was making the du'a' and Harun 35 was saying amin, as related by
Ibn Mardawayh through the narration of Anas de (Fath al-Bari).
Thus, once it is established that amin is a form of du'a; we must
observe the etiquette which Allah de has taught us:
"Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggres-
sors" (al-Qur'an 7:55).
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FIQH AL-IMAM
Allah % commands that prayers and du'as be made to Him with
humility, sincerity, and in silence (khufya]. Many examples are pro-
vided in the Qur'an of how the various Envoys [anbiya'] of Allah
(upon them be peace) would invoke Him. Allah % says, speaking of
the calmness of Zakariyya &# when he beseeched his Lord:
"When he called out his Lord (Allah)-a call in secret" (al-Qur'an 13:3).
The description of the du'as of other Envoys is also mentioned by
Allah%:
"Verily, they used to hasten in performing good deeds; and they used
to call on Us with hope and fear; and they used to humble themselves.
before Us" (al-Qur'an 21:90).
Atanother point, the Qur'an provides a glimpse of the Last Day when
the Trumpet will be blown. Allah & says,
"And all voices will be humbled for the Most Beneficent, and you shall
hear nothing but the low sound of their footsteps" (al-Qur'an 20:108).
This establishes that since amin is a du'a, it should be said silently
just like other du'as. The various Envoys of Allah preferred to make
their invocations silently when they would beseech the All-Hearing
[al-Sami'] and the Nigh [al-Qarib].
In many hadiths, the Messenger # advised the Companions to
invoke Allah % silently. He informed them that Allah is the Nigh and
All-Hearing, and that there was no need for them to invoke Him too
loudly. Therefore, since amin is also a du'a, it would be more prefer-
able to utter it silently just as other invocations and prayers.
THE HADITHS ON THIS ISSUE
It may have been misconceived from the above analysis that the
Hanafis seem to have based their view on mere reasoning and analogy.
Therefore, in this section, we will present authentic hadiths to, God-
willing, dispel such misunderstandings and to provide concrete proof
of the Hanafi opinion being in total accordance with the Sunna.
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The Issue of Amin
1. In a narration of Samura ibn Jundub and 'Imran ibn Husayn,
it is mentioned that
they had a conversation, [during which] Samura as related two occa-
sions when the Messenger # would observe a short silence [sakta] [in
prayer]-one following the initial takbir and the second when complet-
ing wala '1-dallin. 'Imran ibn Husayn & could not acknowledge this, so
they wrote to Ubay ibn Ka'b %. His reply stated that Samura & has
remembered [correctly] (Sunan Abi Dawud 1:120).
'Allama Nimawi, commenting on this narration, states:
The first silence was observed in order to recite the thana silently, and
the second to say the amin silently. It is possible that 'Imran ibn Husayn
initially refuted Samura in regards to the second silence, because it
was so brief and he did not think it worthy of mention; and therefore
acknowledged the first silence because it was longer. It is quite clear that
the admin was recited during the second silence, because there was no
other reason to discontinue the recitation for a brief moment at that
instance (Athar al-sunan 382).
z. Abu Hurayra e narrates that the Messenger of Allah # said:
When the imam recites "ghayr al-maghdubi 'alayhim wala 'I-dallin," say
amin, because the angels say it and so does the imam (Sunan al-Nasd'i
1:147).
This hadith proves that the imam should say amin silently. The reason
for this is that the Messenger of Allah @ ordered the Companions to
say amin and informed them that the angels and the imam also say
it. If it had been more preferable for the imam to say it aloud, the
Messenger #s would have had no reason to inform the Companions of
the imam's saying amin, because they would have heard it themselves.
Since the Messenger & informed them that the imam also said amin,
it means that amin was normally said in a subdued tone.
. Shu'ba reports from 'Alqama ibn Wa'il, who narrates from his
father, Wa'il, that
he [ Wa'il] performed prayer with the Messenger . When the Messenger
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FIQH AL-IMAM
reached "ghayr al-maghdubi 'alayhim ala'I-dallin," he said amin and
kept his voice subdued (Musnad Ahmad, Daraqutni, al-Mustadrak U,
Nasb al-raya 1:494).
This hadith has been narrated from Wa'il ibn Hujr % by Sufyan al-
Thawri and Shu'ba. The two reports differ however in that Shu'ba,
whose narration is above, relates that the Messenger of Allah said
amin silently; whereas Sufyan relates from Wa'il that the Messenger
# prolonged his voice [madda biha sawtahu] while saying amin.
Sufyan's report has been used as evidence by those who claim that
amin was said aloud by the Messenger . They have criticized Shu'ba's
report in a number of ways and, in doing so, have attempted to show
Sufyan's report as being the superior narration. On the other hand,
the Hanafis have taken Sufyan's report to mean that the initial "alif"
of amin was prolonged and not that the volume of the Messenger's
voice was raised. The Hanafi scholars have answered all the criticism
levelled against Shu'ba's report and have firmly established it to be
the more acceptable one regarding this issue [see Athar al-sunan, Fath
al-Mulhim, Darse Tirmidhi, etc.].
4. Abu Hurayra 4 narrates that the Messenger of Allah # said:
When the imam says wala '1-dallin, say amin (Sahih al-Bukhari 1:108).
Had it been more preferable for the follower to say amin aloud, the
wording of this hadith could have read, "When the imam says amin,
you say it," as the imam's amin would have been the signal to the
follower to say amin. However, the Messenger as instructed them to
say amin after the imam recited "wala 7-dallin," since the amin was
pronounced silently by the imam.
There are in fact some narrations which contain the words, "When
the imam says amin, you say it;" however, this is interpreted as, "When
the time comes for the imam to say amin, you say it." It is not taken
literally since the normal practice of the Messenger 55 was to say
amin silently.
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The Issue of Amin
THE COMPANIONS AND FOLLOWERS ON THIS ISSUE
i. Abu Wa'il narrates that 'Ali and 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud , did not
recite bismi'llah, d'udbu bi'llah, or amin aloud [during the prayer]
(Majma' al-zawa'id 2:108).
2. Abu Wa'il narrates that 'Umar and 'Ali # would not recite bismillah
or amin aloud (I'la' al-sunan 2:215).
3. Imam 'Abd al-Razzaq in his Musannaf and Imam Muhammad in
his Kitab al-Athar have related that the prominent Follower [tabii]
Ibrahim al-Nakh'ay said:
There are five things the imam should say silently; subhanaka 'llahumma
[thana], ta'awwudh, bismillah, amin, and Allahumma rabbana laka 1-
hamd (Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq 2:87).
OTHER REASONS FOR SAYING AMIN SILENTLY
(1) We know it is necessary [wajib] to recite the Qur'an aloud in the
audible prayers. By saying amin aloud, someone could be misled into
assuming that it is part of the Qur'an along with the Fatiha; whereas
all scholars agree that amin is not part of the Qur'an.
(2) Some scholars consider bismillah to be a verse of Surat al-Fatiha
yet do not recite it aloud during the prayer. This proves that invo-
cations, like amin-which no scholar considers to be part of the
Qur'an-should not be said aloud.
ANALYZING THE SEEMINGLY CONTRADICTORY HADITHS
[. Wa'il ibn Hujr 40 says,
The Messenger 4 recited "ghayri 'I-maghdubi 'alayhim wala 'I-dallin" and
followed it with amin, prolonging his voice while saying it [madda biha
sawtahu] (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1:57, Abi Dawud 1:142).
This is Sufyan's report from Wa'il ibn Hujr, which was previously
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FIQH AL-IMAM
discussed. It was stated above that the Hanafis prefer Shu ba's report
over Sufyan's in this issue.
The word "madda" used in this narration literally means "he
stretched." Hence, the hadith means that the Messenger # stretched
the initial alif of the amin and prolonged it, not that he said it aloud.
Shu'ba's version of Wa'il ibn Hujr's & report (hadith 3 above), which
supports this interpretation, clearly mentions that the Messenger
subdued his voice while saying amin.
2. Abu Hurayra % says,
When the Messenger # recited wala 'I-dallin, he said amin after it, which
could be heard in the first row (Sunan Abi Dawud).
The version of Sunan Ibn Maja contains the additional phrase, "The
masjid echoed with the sound" (Sunan Ibn Maja 1:61).
The answer to this hadith is that it is weak and cannot be accepted
as evidence, as one of its narrators, Bishr ibn Rafi', has been strongly
criticized by a number of hadith experts. Imam Bukhari states, "He
is not consistent in his narrations;" Imam Ahmad calls him weak;
Imam Nasa'i states, "He is not strong;" and Ibn Hibban states, "He
relates spurious narrations." (Mizan al-i'tidal U)
The second point to consider here is that if the sound of the amin
only reached the first row (as the main portion of the narration
mentions), then how did the whole masjid echo with it (as is added
in Ibn Maja's version)? Had amin echoed throughout the masjid,
everyone would have heard it. It is not clear how one version states
it was heard from the first row only, while the other states it was so
loud that the whole masjid echoed with its sound. Thus, this hadith
is self-contradictory and, as a result, cannot be accepted as evidence
in proving that amin was said aloud permanently.
A GENERAL EXPLANATION AND CONCLUSION
There are other apparently contradicting narrations which state that
amin was said aloud during the prayer. However, many of these have
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The Issue of Amin
been judged to be extremely weak and inadmissible as evidence. These
narrations have not been discussed here but can be found in larger
works such as Athar al-sunan and I'la' al-sunan.
A general answer for all such narrations is that even the Hanafis
accept that the Messenger of Allah 44 said amin aloud; however, they
say it was only said aloud for a short period of time and that there is
no evidence to establish it was said aloud on a permanent basis. The
few times the Messenger & said amin audibly was to emphasize its
importance to his Companions. 'Umar 4% did the same with thana.
He recited it aloud for a few days to reach the Companions, after
which he continued to recite it silently. This is further confirmed by
a report from Wa'il ibn Hujr de, transmitted by Hafiz Abu Bishr al-
Dulabi in his Kitab al-asma wa 'I-kuna, which states:
I do not think the Messenger 43 said it [amin] aloud except to teach us
(Athar al-sunan 93, Fath al-Mulhim 2:50-52, I'la' al-sunan 2:186).
Ibn al-Qayyim, concluding on the nature of this issue, writes in Zad
al-ma'ad under the discussion of gunut:
If the imam recites it [gunut] aloud a few times to teach the followers,
there is no harm in that. "Umar - recited thana aloud to reach the fol-
lowers, and Ibn 'Abbas % recited Surat al-Fatiha during the funeral prayer
to teach them it was sunna. Likewise, the issue of the imam saying amin
aloud is from the same category (Zad al-ma'ad 1:70).
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari states:
Both types of reports [i.e. those which state the amin was said aloud and
those which state that it was said silently] have been transmitted from the
Messenger , and both are reliable \sahih] (Fath al-Mulhim 2:50).
Hence, both types of reports are authentic, but refer to different
occasions. The narrations that mention that the Messenger # said
amin silently, refer to the normal practice of the Messenger , and
the others refer to the few instances when he said amin aloud to teach
the Companions.
Had it been the permanent practice of the Messenger # and the
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FIQH AL-IMAM
Companions to say amin aloud, it would surely have been narrated
from more than just a few Companions. There are five prayers in a
day. If amin were said aloud in three of them, it would certainly have
been widely reported as such.
Besides the narrations of Wa'il ibn Hujr, Abu Hurayra, and a
few others (of which most are extremely weak and cannot stand as
evidence anyway), few Companions reported that the amin was said
aloud during the prayer. Even Wa'il himself, who was a resident of
Yemen, visited the illuminated city of Madina just a few times, so it
is possible that the Messenger # said amin aloud in his presence in
order to reach him. Wa'il also mentions something to this effect, as
transmitted by Hafiz al-Dulabi:
I do not think the Messenger es said it [amin) aloud except to teach us
(Darse Tirmidhi 1:523).
This is not the only report from Wa'il in this regard. Another narra-
tion of his, mentioned in Sunan al-Nasa'i, states:
When the Messenger # recited "ghayr al-maghdubi 'alayhim wala 'I-dal-
lin," he said amin. I heard him [say it] since I was behind him (Sunan
al-Nasal 1:147 U).
This indicates that he only heard the Messenger " say it because he
was behind him, and not because it was pronounced loudly.
Hence, even the narrations of Wa'il, which are considered as strong
evidence for those who say amin aloud, are surrounded by confusion.
On the other hand, the evidence of the Hanafi school is from great
Companions like 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, 'Umar, and 'Ali 4., who have
plainly reported that one must say amin silently.
Therefore, since it is established that amin was said silently by the
Messenger of Allah i for the most part of his life, and that many of
the Companions and others gave priority to this method, it is the
preferred way.
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5
Raising the Hands for Ruku
SIMILAR TO THE issue of amin, the question of whether or not to raise
the hands anywhere in the prayer after the opening takbir, is not as
serious a difference of opinion as has been made out to be. Whether
one should raise his hands or not, before and after the bowing [ruky],
Is merely a difference in ascertaining the better of two ways. Sometimes
It is taken so seriously that some proponents of raising the hands at
these instances, label those who do not raise them as ignorant, deviant,
or guilty of reprehensible innovation. These are serious allegations.
Likewise, the latter group has also been known to sometimes criticize
the former group in a similar way.
It must be remembered that just as not raising the hands at any
instance beyond the opening takbir [tahrima] is derived from the
hadiths, so is the practice of raising them when bowing. Hence, both
methods are permissible according to most scholars. The only differ-
ence is that according to some scholars, not raising the hands is more
virtuous than raising them, whereas the others assert the contrary view.
In the terminology of the jurists [fugaha'], this issue is referred to as
the issue of raf" al-yadayn or "raising of the hands."
The following sections discuss the hadiths and evidences pertain-
ing to this issue. They also seek to demonstrate the strength of the
Hanafi position in this issue.
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FIQH AL-IMAM
THE VARIOUS OPINIONS
Let us first take a look at the different opinions regarding the raising
of the hands at various points in the prayer:
(1) Raising the hands while saying the opening takbir-all scholars
are unanimous that the hands should be raised at this point.
(2) Raising the hands before bowing [ruku ] and after returning from
it-one group (who will be referred to as "group one" in this chapter)
states that it is sunna and more virtuous to raise the hands at these
instances. Another group, which includes Imam Malik and Imam
Abu Hanifa, is of the opinion that it is sunna and more preferable
not to raise the hands at these instances.
(3) Raising the hands at any other point in the prayer, for instance,
when moving into prostration [sajda] or returning to the third
standing [qiyam]-there is no difference of opinion regarding these
instances. All the scholars of the Ahl al-Sunna are unanimous that
it is no longer sunna to raise the hands at these instances, since the
practice was abrogated.
It should be remembered, however, that since this is not a debate
about something being obligatory [fard] or unlawful [haram], the
scholars state that it is permissible for a person following the opin-
ion of group one not to raise his hands, just as it is permissible for
a Hanafi or Maliki to raise them. However, it is preferable to follow
the preferred practice of one's own school of figh, since that entails
greater reward.
Some History Regarding the Issue
The whole debate concerning the "raising of the hands" revolves
around two points. The first is regarding the differences found in
the hadiths pertaining to this issue, and the second is regarding the
differences found in the practice of the people of the three great cities
of Islam during the first century A.H .- Makka, Madina, and Kufa.
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Raising the Hands for Ruku
Imam Malik based his opinion on the conduct [ta'amul] of the peo-
ple of Madina, who did not observe the practice of raising the hands.
Hence, he was of the opinion that one should not raise the hands
anywhere after the opening takbir. It states in al-Mudawwana:
Imam Malik said, "I do not consider the raising of the hands to be part of
any takbir of the prayer, neither of any descending or ascending motion,
except at the beginning of prayer." Ibn al-Qasim states, "Raising the
hands [at any other point] was considered a weak practice according to
Imam Malik" (al-Mudauwvanat al-kubra 1:71):
This is Imam Malik sitting in the capital of Islam of the time, the city
of Madina, where the Messenger of Allah % and the rightly guided
Caliphs [Khulafd rashidun] had resided, stating that raf al-yadayn
was a weak practice.
The opinions of Imam Shafi'i, on the other hand, were usually
based on the figh of Makka. Hence, he preferred the raising of the
hands, as it was the practice of most of the inhabitants of Makka in
accordance with the teachings of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr & ..
Other than these two cities, the most significant center of Islamic
learning was Kufa. 'Umar + had sent 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud to
Kufa as its teacher, in addition to approximately fifteen hundred other
Companions who had previously raken up residence there. "Ali 4s had
transferred the center of the Islamic caliphate to Kufa as well, where
he also took up residence. Hence, the people of Kufa, based on the
teachings of Ibn Mas'ud and 'Ali , did not practice the raising of
the hands. The great hadith master 'Allama 'Iraqi reports in his book
Sharh al-Tagrib that Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi said regarding
the inhabitants of Kufa:
We are not aware of any city, in which all its inhabitants had completely
abandoned the practice of raising the hands at all instances of ascending
or descending in prayer, besides the people of Kufa. None from among
them would raise their hands except at the initial takbir (Ithaf al-sadat
al-muttagin bi sharh Ihyd'ulum al-din 3:54).
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FIQH AL-IMAM
Hence, only one city from among the three great centers of Islam
gave preference to raising the hands. The practice in the other cities
was the contrary. This is very strong evidence in favor of the Hanafi
opinion, because many of the people of Kufa must have travelled
to Makka but still chose not to adopt the practice of the people of
Makka in raising the hands.
Imam Tirmidhi, in his Sunan, composed two chapters concerning
this issue: one containing the hadiths of raising the hands, and the
other containing the hadiths of not raising them. At the end of the
first chapter, he remarks concerning the raising of the hands, "This is
the opinion of a few [ba'd] Companions." At the end of the second
chapter, on not raising the hands, he remarks, "This is the opinion of
more than one Companion." The expression used-ghayru wahidin,
"more than one"-indicates a greater number than the term ba'd "few."
These remarks of Imam Tirmidhi indicate that the practice of not
raising the hands was a very widespread one.
The Differences Found in the Narrations
The hadiths regarding raf al-yadayn are of three types:
(1) There are those which clearly mention that the Messenger of Allah
raised his hands at the time of ruky.
(2) There are those which mention that Messenger of Allah # never
raised his hands except when uttering the opening takbir.
(3) There are those which describe the complete prayer of the
Messenger of Allah , but do not mention whether or not he raised
his hands after the opening takbir.
The hadiths of the first category stand as evidence for group one,
whose opinion is of raising the hands; whereas the second category
of hadiths stand as evidence for those whose opinion is not to raise
the hands. Although the hadiths of the first category seem to out-
number those of the second, this does not mean anything, because
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Raising the Hands for Ruku'
the hadiths of the third category could also be used in conjunction
with the second as evidence for not raising the hands. The reason
for this is that not mentioning something only evidences that it was
not a popular practice. It is also very difficult to accept that while
demonstrating the prayer of the Messenger 44, a narrator could have
failed to mention something as significant as raising the hands, had it
been an important aspect of the prayer. Hence, along with the hadiths
of the third category, which are supplementary evidence for those of
the second category, the hadiths in support of not raising the hands
would actually outnumber those in support of it.
To elaborate further, it must be understood that the Messenger's
is not raising his hands is a "nonexistent" action, and people do not
mention nonexistent actions in their conversations. For instance, if
an individual returning home from the masjid, happened to fall down
and hurt himself, the report would state, "He fell down," since his
falling down became an existent action (something that actually took
place). On the other hand, if this same person arrived home without
any accident, nobody would remark, "He did not fall," since this is
a nonexistent action. It is just another one of several hundred other
such incidents that did not occur.
The case of these hadiths is similar because, since the Messenger of
Allah $ did not raise his hands at all, the narrators did not report it.
If it had been a regular practice of the Messenger as that he failed to
do sometimes, the narrator would certainly have mentioned it.
This can be likened to the example of a person who has a fixed time
for eating. If, for some reason, he failed to cat at that time, someone
could remark that he did not eat, since eating at that time should have
been an existent action for him but did not occur. Nobody would
comment on his not eating at any other time, since eating at other
times is normally a nonexistent action for this person, and nonexistent
actions are normally not mentioned.
Now, the hadiths of the third category do not mention anything
about the raising of the hands being a habitual action of Allah's
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FIQH AL-IMAM
Messenger . As a result, these hadiths can also be used as evidence,
along with those of the second category, for the Hanafi point of view.
This would significantly increase the number of hadiths in favor of
the Hanafi opinion, causing them to ournumber the hadiths of the
first category.
Another Complication
Another complicating aspect of this issue is that there are other hadiths
which inform of the Messenger 5% raising his hands at various other
instances within the prayer. More specifically, there are seven instances
in the salat where the Messenger SA is reported to have raised his
hands at one time or another: (1) at the initial takbir; (2) before and
after bowing [ruku']; (3) before descending into prostration |sajda];
(4) between the two prostrations [sujud]; (s) when beginning the
second rak'a; (6) when beginning the third rak'a; (7) in fact, some
narrations mention that he raised his hands at the change of every
new posture in the prayer.
The opinion of group one is that one should raise his hands at the
first and second instances mentioned above, while the opinion of
Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik is that one should raise his hands
at the first instance only. The question that arises here is: "Why has
group one adopted the first two instances only and not the others?"
Whatever their reason is for adopting only two instances and abandon-
ing the rest will be the reason for Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik
adopting the first instance only and abandoning the others.
Undoubtedly, all of the Imams have their reasons for not classify-
ing the raising of the hands as being sunna in all seven instances, in
spite of the hadiths which mention that the Messenger # frequently
raised his hands during salat. By the end of this chapter, it should
become clear why such a practice was discarded, and why the raising
of the hands was restricted to the opening takbir only.
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Raising the Hands for Ruku'
THE HADITHS ON RAISING THE HANDS
Group one normally presents the narrations of Ibn 'Umar & and
Malik ibn al-Huwayrith % as their primary sources of evidence, since
both of these Companions have reported the raising of the hands
at the time of bowing. However, both of these Companions have
also reported the raising of the hands regarding all seven instances
mentioned above. Group one has only accepted those narrations of
the two Companions which mention that the Messenger of Allah
raised his hands at the opening takbir and when bowing, and have
disregarded the other narrations.
The Hanafi scholars did not base their opinion on these narrations
but on those reports whose narrators are consistent. Their primary
source are the narrations of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud , who states that
the hands were raised at the initial takbir only, and not repeated at
any other time in the prayer, All reports from him explain the same
practice.
Weakness of Abdullah ibn 'Umar's & Narrations
Now we come to the issue of the narrations of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
which are normally quoted by those who claim that the Messenger
frequently raised his hands in salat. It is well known that Imam Malik
received many narrations from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar . In fact, his
famous chain of transmission, which runs through Nafi to Abdullah
ibn 'Umar , is known as "the golden chain" [silsilat al-dhahab].
However, in this issue, Imam Malik did not base his opinion on these
narrations, but rather adopted the narrations of Ibn Mas'ud de instead,
and gave preference to the practice [ ta'amul) of the people of Madina,
which was to raise the hands at the initial takbir only.
Second, Ibn Abi Shayba and Imam Tahawi have related another
hadith of Ibn 'Umar & through Mujahid, in which there is also no
mention of raising the hands. If this was a constant practice of the
Messenger 4, then why is it not mentioned in this narration?
IQ3

FIQH AL-IMAM
Furthermore, although there are many hadiths of Ibn 'Umar #
regarding the raising of the hands, there are many inconsistencies
found in them. Such confusion in the reports of a narrator will not
allow his narrations to be adopted in the presence of other reports that
are more precise and consistent. For example, in one of his narrations,
which is mentioned in Imam Tahawi's Mushkil al-athar, it states that
the hands were raised at every movement of the prayer, whereas in
his other narrations, this is not mentioned.
THE HADITHS ON NOT RAISING THE HANDS
We will now present the narrations of various Companions, including
those of Ibn 'Umar , which state that the Messenger Is raised his
hands for the opening takbir only.
The Hadiths of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud 4%
I. 'Alqama reports that
'Abdullah ibn Mas ud de said: "Should I not demonstrate the prayer
of the Messenger of Allah # for you?" He performed the prayer, and did
not raise his hands except at the initial takbir (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1:59,
Sunan al-Nasd'i 1:161, Sunan Abi Dawud 1:116).
Imam Tirmidhi classifies this hadith as sound [basan]. 'Allama ibn
Hazm classifies it as rigorously authenticated [sahih] (al-Muhalla 4:88),
and 'Allama Ahmad Muhammad Shakir, rejecting the criticism of
some scholars, writes in his commentary of Sunan al-Tirmidhi:
This hadith has been authenticated by Ibn Hazm and other hadith mas-
ters [huffaz], and whatever has been stated about it containing defects
is incorrect.
It is mentioned in the al-Jawhar al-nagi that its narrators are those
of Sahih Muslim (I'la' al-sunan 3:45).
2. 'Alqama reports that
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud @ asked: "Should I not inform you of Allah's
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Raising the Hands for Ruku
Messenger's @ prayer?" He stood up and raised his hands at the outset
and did not do so again (Sunan al-Nasa'i 1:158, l'la' al-sunan 3:48).
3. Algama narrates from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud :
The Messenger of Allah # would raise his hands at the opening takbir,
then would not raise them again (Sharh Ma'ani '1-athar 224).
4. 'Abdullah ibn Mas ud 4 relates:
I prayed with the Messenger of Allah , Abu Bakr, and 'Umar . They
did nor raise their hands except at the beginning of prayer (Nasb al-raya
1:526, Majma al-zawa'id 2:101).
Judging from the above hadiths, it can be concluded quite easily
that the Messenger @ did not raise his hands regularly during the
course of prayer. Ibn Mas'ud, 'Ali , and other Companions would
never have narrated such reports had they observed the Messenger
of Allah # and the Caliphs [Khulafa'] regularly raising their hands?
It has also been observed that all the narrations of Ibn Mas'ud ve
are consistent in that they relate the hands being raised only at the
beginning of prayer and not at any other instance.
The Hadiths of Abdullah ibn 'Umar
"The following narrations of Ibn 'Umar & speak of the hands being
raised at the opening takbir only.
5. Salim reports that his father (Ibn 'Umar ) said:
I observed that when the Messenger of Allah # would begin his prayer,
he would raise his hands while levelling them: some say at shoulder level.
Thereafter, he would not raise them again before the bowing or after it.
Some have added that he would not raise them between the two prostra-
tions [sujud] either" (Sahih Ibn Awana 2:90 U).
In this narration, Ibn 'Umar & actually confirms that the Messenger of
Allah # did not raise his hands at the time o f ruku. Imam Humaydi,
the shaykh [teacher] of Imam Bukhari, has also reported this very
hadith through his own chain, which is one of the most reliable
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FIQH AL-IMAM
chains (Musnad al-Humaydi 2:277). It is an agreed upon fact that all
of the hadiths of Sahih Ibn Awana, where this hadith is found, are
rigorously authenticated [sahih].
6. Salim reports from his father that the Messenger of Allah
would raise his hands to shoulder level when beginning the prayer
(al-Mudawwanat al-kubra 2:71 U). Imam Malik rejected raf al-yadayn
at the time of bowing due to this hadith.
7. Abdullah ibn 'Abbas and Ibn 'Umar & report that the Messenger
of Allah % said:
The hands are to be raised at seven instances: at the beginning of prayer,
when setting sight on the House of Allah, at Safa, Marwa, 'Arafat,
Muzdalifa, and when saluting the [black] stone (Nasb al-raya 1:521).
In this hadith, there is no mention of the hands being raised at the
time of bowing [ruku'].
The Hadiths of Jabir ibn Samura do
8. Jabir ibn Samura > narrates:
The Messenger of Allah # approached us and remarked, "Why is it that
I see you raising your hands as though they are the tails of restive horses?
Remain calm in prayer" (Sabih Muslim 1:181, Sunan al-Nasa'i 1:176, Sunan
Abi Dawud I:Iso).
In this hadith, the Messenger # prohibits the raising of the hands
while performing prayer. 'This could only mean at the time of bow-
ing, prostration, and the like. It cannot be considered prohibited to
raise them when proclaiming the opening takbir, since the raising
of the hands at that time is not considered to be inside the prayer
and, as such, does not interfere with the calmness recommended in
the salat.
Some scholars however assert that this hadith is regarding the
prohibition of raising the hands while making salam at the end of
salat. This is a misconception that has probably risen from another
similar hadith regarding salam, which states:
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Raising the Hands for Ruku'
Whenever we prayed with the Messenger of Allah #8, we would say, "al-
salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah, al-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah,"
and we would gesture with our hands towards our sides. The Messenger
45 asked, "What are you gesturing towards with your hands, as though
they are the tails of restive horses? It is sufficient for you to leave your
hands on your laps and make salam to your brother on your right and
left" (Sahih Muslim 1:181).
This misconception may have occurred because of a statement in both
narrations mentioning raising the hands "as though they were the tails
of restive horses." This may have lead some scholars to conclude that
both narrations are concerning one and the same incident [i.e. the
raising of the hands while saying salam]. However, if both narrations
ture analyzed and the circumstances of each investigated, it is evident,
Nisha Allah, that both are concerning two different and separate
Incidents. Some of these differences are highlighted below:
(a) In the first hadith (Jabir ibn Samura's 4% narration), it states
that the Companions were engrossed in their own prayers when the
Messenger # addressed them. The second hadith mentions that they
were performing prayer behind Allah's Messenger 4%, after which he
addressed them.
(Is) The first hadith states that the Messenger # prohibited them
from "raising their hands during prayer," and in the second hadith
he prohibited them from "gesturing to the right and left with their
hands when making salam."
(c) In the first hadith, the Messenger of Allah $ also instructed them
To exercise calmness in prayer after prohibiting them from raising
their hands, whereas in the second one he only instructed them on
how to properly perform the salam.
(d) In the first hadith, the Messenger # uses the words "in prayer"
whereas salam is made at the end of prayer. This means the hadith is
concerning observing calmness throughout the prayer, and not just
in the time of making salam.
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FIQH AL-IMAM
(e) If the first hadith were taken for a moment to be referring to
calmness during salam, it would then mean that remaining calm
in the prayer itself, when bowing for example, would be even more
important. If raising of the hands during salam is prohibited, it would
more conclusively be prohibited throughout the prayer.
The Hadiths of 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas p
9. 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas & reports that the Messenger of Allah
said:
The hands should not be raised except at seven instances: at the beginning
of prayer, when entering the Masjid al-Haram ["the Sanctified Masjid"]
and setting sight on the House of Allah, when standing on Safa, Marwa,
and when standing [yagifu) with the pilgrims in Arafat, and at Muzdalifa
(Nasb al-raya 1:290 U, Mu'jam al-Tabarani 1:389 U).
10. "Abdullah ibn 'Abbas & also narrates:
'The hands should not be raised except at seven instances: when beginning
the prayer, when setting sight on the House of Allah, at Safa, Marwa,
'Arafat, Muzdalifa, and when pelting the jamarat [stone pillars representing
the Saran at Mina] (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba 1:237).
The Hadiths of Bara' ibn 'Azib
11. Ibn Abi Layla reports that he heard Bara' & narrate to a group of
people, among whom was Ka'b ibn "Ujra :
I observed the Messenger of Allah # raise his hands at the initial takbir
when beginning the prayer (Daraqutni 1:293).
It is mentioned in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shayba that Ibn Abi
Layla was also known not to raise his hands [except at the initial
takbir] (1:237).
12. Bara' ibn 'Azib % narrates that
when the Messenger of Allah # would begin the prayer, he would raise
his hands up to his ears, then not do so again.
IO8