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:

Dear Brother Burhan

Can you please provide the reference to this hadees as you have given for the one which say lifting hand other than beginning of the prayers, because some people say’s the hadees proving rasool saw did lift the hand only in the beginning is zaeef (week)

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

Jazalallah for taking so much pain

Mujtuba

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Raising hands 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.

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.

To the best of our knowledge both the above quoted narrations are accepted as authentic by the jurists in Islam, although most good jurists tend to give more weight to the narration of Abdullah ibn Umar because this narration has passed the strict criteria of and recorded in the ‘sahihs’ of both, Bukhari and Muslim, as compared to the narration of Abdullah ibn Masud which is recorded only by 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 important is that every believer does an act or a deed with the intention to follow the Sunnah or Way of the Prophet (saws).

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