Is it obligatory to raise the hands in supplication?

The questioner : O Shaykh, is it obligatory to raise the hands in supplication?

The Shaykh : Raising the hands.

The questioner : In supplication, is there evidence for it? And how are the hands raised?

The Shaykh : Raising the hands in supplication is not said to be obligatory, but it is undoubtedly a recommended practice (sunnah). However, it is not a recommended practice every time a Muslim supplicates. For example, in the prayer, you supplicate in the tashahhud and you do not raise your hands. Why? Because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not raise his hands in the tashahhud. But if it occurs to you in one of the occasions to supplicate, you raise your hands. This is a recommended practice because... So the original ruling in supplication is that the Muslim raises his hands; this is a recommended practice, not obligatory. Yes, but if there is a place where it is established to us that the Messenger supplicated and did not raise his hands, we do not raise our hands. For example, when we say, "Allah hears the one who praises Him. O our Lord, to You belongs all praise, good and blessed, blessed in it and blessed upon it, as our Lord loves and is pleased with. O our Lord, to You belongs all praise filling the heavens and filling the earth and filling what is between them and filling whatever You will of things thereafter," we do not raise our hands. Why? Because the Messenger supplicated with this supplication and did not raise his hands. But in the qunut supplication, when the Muslim makes qunut in the five prayers against the disbelievers and the aggressors of the tyrants and the like, the Messenger used to raise his hands. Likewise, in the qunut of witr, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud also used to raise their hands when they supplicated in the qunut of witr. As for the other places where the Messenger supplicated and did not raise his hands, we do not raise them. But in an occasion where he supplicated for a person, for himself, or for his Muslim brothers and raised his hands, this is a good and prescribed matter, but it is not obligatory. Because if we say this is obligatory, it means one sins if he does not raise his hands.

The questioner : The manner of raising, its description.

The Shaykh : The manner of raising is like this. When you face with your palms... Okay, in the safety of Allah, I entrust you to Allah in your religion and your trust and the conclusion of your deeds. In the safety of Allah. May Allah reward you with good. To where exactly?

The questioner : To Doha, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : Doha.

The questioner : If Allah wills.

The Shaykh : Greet those who...

The questioner : Everyone there sends you their greetings.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you and all of them.

The questioner : May Allah bless you. Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. The original ruling in supplication is to make the outer surface of the palms face the ground and the inner surface face the sky. But in the supplication for rain, it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he supplicated like this, not like this. The supplication for rain, do you know the supplication for rain? The prayer for rain is for the rain. So the Messenger (peace be upon him) it is established in "Sahih Muslim" that he supplicated like this. This is what comes to my mind now.

The questioner : When supplicating, how was he cupping his hands?

The Shaykh : Not cupping. May Allah bless you. Cupping.

The questioner : Cupping.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is right.

The questioner : An Arabic error.

The Shaykh : Not cupping, but cupping, meaning raising his hands.

The questioner : Raising his hands, meaning higher than his head.

The Shaykh : By Allah, I do not have the details of this.