Posts Tagged "raising hands"

Raising the Hands in Qunut; What is the proof?

Posted by on May 18, 2010 in Featured, Qunut, Salah | 1 comment

Question:

Does one raise their hands for Qunut in Fajr and Witr? What is the proof for it if so?

Answer:

الحمد لله رب العالمين ، وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين، وبالله التوفيق

Imam An-Nawawi states in his Kitab At-Tahqiq,

يندب رفع يديه دون مسح وجهه في الأصح

“ِAnd it is recommended to raise one’s hands [in qunut] without wiping one’s face according to what is most correct.”

Ibn Naqib Al-Masri states in his ‘Umdat As-Salik (Reliance of the Traveller),

“While performing the dawn prayer it is Sunna to lift one’s hands and supplicate after straightening up from bowing in the second raka’ah. [...] one does not stroke the face or chest with one’s hands after the supplication.”1

Before continuing to the actual question of raising the hands, we should clarify that it is the Sunnah of the Nabi (‘alayhis salam) to wipe his face after du’aa, however Imam An-Nawawi states that one is only to do it outside of Salah and not within it, as there is no evidence to conclude that the Prophet Muhammad (‘alayhis salam)  wiped his face within Salah. There is, however, a weaker view in our school that it is to be done. Such was held by Al-Qadi Abu Tayyib, Shaykh Abu Muhammad Al-Juwayni, Ibn As-Sabbagh, Al-Mutawalli, Shaykh Nasr in his Kitab, and the author of Al-Bayan.2 However, according to Imams An-Nawawi, Ar-Rafi’i and Al-Bayhaqi as well as others, it is not Sunnah and is disliked to do so within Salah – though outside of Salah is Sunnah. This topic was researched in depth in another article on Shafiifiqh.com titled, “Wiping the face after making du’aa”. Imam Al-Bayhaqi said in his Sunan Al-Kubra:

فأما مسح اليدين بالوجه عند الفراغ من الدعاء فلست أحفظه عن أحد من السلف في دعاء القنوت وإن كان يروي بعضهم في الدعاء خارج الصلاة

“As for wiping the face with the hands and the end of one’s du’aa, then this is not preserved  from anyone from amongst the salaf (righteous predecessors) in the Du’aa of the Qunut, and it is reported from some of them with regards to du’aa outside of Salah.”3

  1. page 147-148, Reliance of the Traveler, trans. Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller [↩]
  2. Al-Majmu’ Vol 3 pg 480 [↩]
  3. See Sunan Al-Kubra, 2968 [↩]
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