Raising the Hands in Supplication
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What is the criterion for raising the hands in supplication?
Raising the hands in supplication falls into three categories: The first category: what is established by the Sunnah. It is clear that it is a recommended practice to raise the hands in these cases.For example: Supplication for rain: if a person seeks rain in the Friday sermon or in the sermon for seeking rain, he raises his hands. Also, raising the hands on al-Safa and al-Marwah, and raising the hands in supplication at 'Arafah, and raising the hands at the first pillar during the days of Tashriq and at the middle pillar.Therefore, there are six standings in Hajj: The first standing: on al-Safa.
The second: On al-Marwah.
And the third is: At 'Arafah.
And the fourth: At Muzdalifah after the Fajr prayer.
And the fifth: At the first pillar during the days of Tashriq.
And the sixth: After the middle pillar during the days of Tashriq.
There is no doubt that a person raises his hands in this category because the Sunnah has been established for it.
And the second category: What is established by not raising the hands, such as: supplication in the prayer, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to begin the prayer with supplication and say: (O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced the East from the West) and he would supplicate between the two prostrations: (My Lord, forgive me) and he would supplicate in the final tashahhud, and he did not raise his hands in any of that. Likewise, in the Friday sermon he would supplicate and not raise his hands except in seeking rain or seeking relief from a calamity, and whoever raises his hands in these situations and their like, we say: it is a religious innovation, and we forbid him from doing so.
The third category: What is not established by raising the hands nor by not raising the hands: the original ruling in this is that among the etiquettes of supplication is that a person raises his hands;By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (Indeed, Allah is shy and generous, and He is shy of His servant when he raises his hands to Him that He should return them empty) and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned: (The man who travels a long distance, disheveled and covered in dust, stretches his hands to the sky: O my Lord! O my Lord! while his food is forbidden, his clothing is forbidden, and he is nourished with what is forbidden, so how will his supplication be answered?) So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made raising the hands to Allah one of the causes for the acceptance of supplication.
So these are the categories of raising the hands, but in the category in which the hands are raised, if one finishes the supplication, does he wipe his face with his hands?The correct view: That he does not wipe his face with his hands; because the hadith reported regarding that is weak and does not constitute a proof. So if we see a person wiping his face with his hands when he finishes supplication, we explain to him that the Sunnah is not to wipe your face with your hands; because the hadith reported regarding that is weak.
Raising the hands in supplication falls into three categories: The first category: what is established by the Sunnah. It is clear that it is a recommended practice to raise the hands in these cases.For example: Supplication for rain: if a person seeks rain in the Friday sermon or in the sermon for seeking rain, he raises his hands. Also, raising the hands on al-Safa and al-Marwah, and raising the hands in supplication at 'Arafah, and raising the hands at the first pillar during the days of Tashriq and at the middle pillar.Therefore, there are six standings in Hajj: The first standing: on al-Safa.
The second: On al-Marwah.
And the third is: At 'Arafah.
And the fourth: At Muzdalifah after the Fajr prayer.
And the fifth: At the first pillar during the days of Tashriq.
And the sixth: After the middle pillar during the days of Tashriq.
There is no doubt that a person raises his hands in this category because the Sunnah has been established for it.
And the second category: What is established by not raising the hands, such as: supplication in the prayer, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to begin the prayer with supplication and say: (O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced the East from the West) and he would supplicate between the two prostrations: (My Lord, forgive me) and he would supplicate in the final tashahhud, and he did not raise his hands in any of that. Likewise, in the Friday sermon he would supplicate and not raise his hands except in seeking rain or seeking relief from a calamity, and whoever raises his hands in these situations and their like, we say: it is a religious innovation, and we forbid him from doing so.
The third category: What is not established by raising the hands nor by not raising the hands: the original ruling in this is that among the etiquettes of supplication is that a person raises his hands;By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (Indeed, Allah is shy and generous, and He is shy of His servant when he raises his hands to Him that He should return them empty) and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned: (The man who travels a long distance, disheveled and covered in dust, stretches his hands to the sky: O my Lord! O my Lord! while his food is forbidden, his clothing is forbidden, and he is nourished with what is forbidden, so how will his supplication be answered?) So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made raising the hands to Allah one of the causes for the acceptance of supplication.
So these are the categories of raising the hands, but in the category in which the hands are raised, if one finishes the supplication, does he wipe his face with his hands?The correct view: That he does not wipe his face with his hands; because the hadith reported regarding that is weak and does not constitute a proof. So if we see a person wiping his face with his hands when he finishes supplication, we explain to him that the Sunnah is not to wipe your face with your hands; because the hadith reported regarding that is weak.