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Q1/ do you place hands on chest? Q2/ do you raise hands to shoulder level before you go in to ruku and after it?

Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asalaam O Alaykum.

I have questions regarding the actions during salah, i know what to recite but i am not sure of the actions as ive always just followed what i was taught as a kid.

 

Q1/ do you place hands on chest?

Q2/ do you raise hands to shoulder level before you go in to ruku and after it?, if so when do you say raba na wa lakul humd, whilst raising the hands up to your shoulder or while they are by your side?

Q3/ when going to sajood what touches the floor first, knees or hands?

Q4/ before stadning up do you sit back down for 2 seconds and then get up using your fists?

Q5/ in tashud do you move your finger up and down and if so do you leave it straigtned when reciting ashudanna li-illah..... or not?

 

please can i have the answer quoted from hadeeth with volumes and page, etc if possible.

 

I know this will take very long to answer but JazakAlah Khair.

 

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Answer:

 

Finger hands knees in prayer

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Q-1: do you place hands on chest?

The act of offering prayers is something the Messenger of Allah (saws) did in public for tens of thousands of times in front of tens of thousands of his companions. There are at least twenty authentic narrations from various witnesses who witnessed that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would cross his right hand over his left while standing in his prayers.

 

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.131

Said Sahl ibn Sa'd, "The people were ordered to place their right hand on their left forearm during prayers." (Related by Bukhari and Muslim)

Al-Hafez related that the Prophet (saws) said, "All prophets have been ordered to hasten the breaking of the fast and to delay the (pre-fast dawn) meal, and to place our right hands on our left during prayer."

Jabir narrated that "The Prophet (saws) passed by a man praying with his left hand over his right, and (the Prophet (saws)) pulled them away and put his right over his left." (Related by Ahmad.)

 

Thus, in light of the above guidance what is absolutely certain is that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would hold his hands while in the state of ‘qiyaam’ in prayer.

 

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.132

Sunnah acts of prayer, The Position of the Hands

Al-Kamal ibn al-Hamam is of the opinion, "There is no authentic hadith stating that one must place the hands under the chest or below the navel. According to the Hanifiyyah school of thought, the hands are to be placed below the navel, and according to the Shafiyyah school of thought below the chest. Ahmad has two narrations corresponding to these two opinions. The correct position is somewhere in the middle - to be equal."

Observes at-Tirmidhi, "Knowledgeable companions, their followers and those that came after them believed that one should put his right hand over the left during prayer, while some say above the navel and others say below the navel..." Nevertheless, there do exist hadith that the Prophet (saws) placed his hands on his chest. Reported Hulb at-Ta'i, "I saw the Prophet (saws) praying with his right hand over his left upon his chest above the elbow." This is related by Ahmad and at-Tirmidhi, who grades it as hassan.

Reported Wa'il ibn Hajr, "Once when I prayed with the Prophet (saws) and he placed his right hand over his left upon his chest." The report is recorded by Ibn Khuzaimah, who considers it as sahih, and by Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i with the wording, "Then he put his right hand over the back of his left wrist and forearm."

 

In light of the above guidance and opinion of the eminent scholars, if one holds ones hands anywhere between one’s navel and one’s chest, it would be acceptable and in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

 

Q-2: do you raise hands to shoulder level before you go in to ruku and after it?,

Rafayadain literally means to lift or raise both hands (unto the shoulder or ear).

 

All the scholars of Islam are absolutely unanimous in their opinion, that one must practice Rafayadain or lift both his hands unto his shoulders or ears when one starts his prayers by saying ‘Allah-o-Akbar’. This practice of Rafayadain signaling the start of prayer is an obligatory part of prayer.

But practicing Rafayadain in the prayer when one goes into ‘ruku’, or when one stands up from ‘ruku’, or going from a ‘qiyam’ (standing) posititon to sajdah in prayer, etc. does not constitute an obligatory part of the prayer. There is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars in the practicing of Rafayadain during the prayers because there are authentic narrations to both arguments. Most companions of the Prophet (saws) narrated that he (saws) used to practice Rafayadain in the beginning as well as in between his prayers, while some other state that he did it only once at the beginning of prayers. Thus, both are part of the Sunnah or Way of the Prophet (saws).

 

Reported Ibn 'Umar, "When the Prophet (saws) stood to pray, he would raise his hands until they were the same height as his shoulders and then he would make the takbir. When he wanted to bow, he would again raise his hands in a similar fashion. When he raised his head from the bowing, he did the same and said, 'Allah hears him who praises Him.' (Related by al-Bukhari, Muslim and al-Baihaqi.)

 

Reported bn Mas'ud : "I prayed with the Prophet (saws) and he raised his hands only once (at the beginning of prayer)."

Related by At-Tirmidhi.

 

Thus if a believer today gives weight to the narration reported by Hadrat Ibn Umar (r.a.) and prays and practices Rafayadain in the beginning of prayer as well in his movements, his intention being to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws), it is fine. And if a believer giving weight to the narration reported by Hadrat Ibn Masud (r.a.), prays by practicing Rafayadain only at the beginning of prayer, his intention also being to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws), that too is fine. What is extremely important is that every believer does an act or a deed with the intention to follow the Sunnah or Way of the Prophet (saws).

 

Your Question: ….if so when do you say raba na wa lakul humd, whilst raising the hands up to your shoulder or while they are by your side?

If one wishes to give weight to the above quoted opinion of Hadrat Abdullah ibn Umar (r.a.) and practice the raising of one’s hands during the prayers, then one may raise their hands at the declaration of ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ to initiate the movements in prayer:

  1. When going from a ‘qiyaam’ (standing position) to the ‘ruku’ position.
  2. When going from the ‘ruku’ to the standing position.
  3. When going from the standing position towards the ‘sajdah’.

 

The declaration of ‘rabbana lakal hamd’ is best said with the hands by one’s side, but if one were to declare it during the movement, there is no harm and does not effect the validity of one’s prayer in the least.

 

Q-3: when going to sajood what touches the floor first, knees or hands?

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.151

Topic: Sunnah acts of prayer, How To Prostrate

Most scholars prefer that one place his knees on the floor before his hands. Ibn al-Mundhir related this from 'Umar an-Nakha'i, Muslim ibn Yasar, Sufyan al-Thauri, Ahmad, Ishaq and other jurists including Ibn al-Mundhir himself.

 

Ibn al-Qayyim said, "When the Prophet (saws) prayed, he would place his knees (on the floor) before his hands, then his hands, then his forehead and nose.’

Narrated Shuraik from 'Asim ibn Kaleeb on the authority of his father from Wa'il ibn Hajr who said, 'I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) while prostrating, placing his knees (on the floor) before his hands. Upon getting up, he would raise his hands before his knees. I never saw him do otherwise."

 

Although it is preferred to place one knees before one’s hands on the ground when approaching the ‘sujood’ in prayer, the scholars and jurists in Islam are unanimous in their opinion that if one due to old age, or lack of agility, or any reason whatsoever happens to place one’s hands before one’s knees there is no harm and it does not effect the validity of one’s prayers in the least.

 

Q-4: before stadning up do you sit back down for 2 seconds and then get up using your fists?

Firstly, there is no specific mention of using the fists when getting up from the ‘sajdah’ position; thus it would be safe to assume that the weight be placed on the palms on one’s hand when getting up from the ‘sajdah’ position in prayer.

 

The scholars and jurists in Islam have differed in their opinion regarding the brief-sitting after the two prostrations in the first and the third rakah of prayer, and both have quoted their evidence from the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws). Thus regardless of whether one observes the brief-sitting after the two prostrations of the first and the third rakah before standing, or one chooses to abstain….there is evidence for both in the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

 

Q-5: in tashud do you move your finger up and down and if so do you leave it straigtned when reciting ashudanna li-illah..... or not?

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.157

Ibn 'Umar reported that when the Prophet (saws) sat for the tashahud, he (saws) would place his left hand on his left knee and his right hand upon his right knee, and he would form a ring like (fifty-three) and point with his index finger. In another narration it is reported, "He would close his hand and point with his index finger." (Related by Muslim.)

 

Wa'il ibn Hajr reported that the Prophet (saws) would place his left palm on his left thigh and knee. He would place the end of his right elbow upon his right thigh and would then close his right hand, forming a circle. When reciting the ‘shahaadah’, he (saws) would make a circle with his middle finger and thumb and point with his index finger.

(Related by Ahmad.)

 

Reported az-Zubair, "When the Prophet (saws) sat for tashahud, he would place his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his left thigh. He would point with his index finger, and would not look beyond his pointing."

(Related by Ahmad, Muslim and anNasa'i.)

 

In light of the above evidence from the authentic traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws), all the major schools of thought in Islam are unanimous in their opinion that it is a Sunnah to raise one’s index finger erect when reciting only the first part of the ‘Shahaadah’ (Ash hado an-laa ilaaha illalaah) during the recitation of tashahud in prayer.

 

To the best of our knowledge, there is no strong evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah either to raise the index finger continuously during the whole recitation of the tashahud, nor to keep moving the finger from the beginning of the recitation to its end.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan


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