What is the ruling on wiping the hands and raising them during the regular voluntary prayers?
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The questioner : This is a listener to the program who asks and says: I ask you, O honorable Shaykh, about raising the hands and wiping them during the regular voluntary prayers. What is the ruling on that? May you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : Yes. The issue with raising the hands after finishing the regular voluntary prayers or other voluntary prayers is not the raising of the hands themselves, but the issue is the supplication after the regular voluntary prayers or other voluntary prayers. Is it prescribed for a person to supplicate every time he finishes a regular voluntary prayer or any other voluntary prayer? The answer is no; this is not prescribed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray the voluntary prayers, including the regular ones and others, but it was not recorded that he would raise his hands and supplicate when he finished the prayer, nor that he would supplicate without raising his hands.
Accordingly, adopting this matter, which I mean supplication after voluntary prayers, as a regular practice that a person does every time he prays a voluntary prayer is considered among the matters that are not prescribed, and a person should avoid it. Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) guided us to the place of supplication in the prayer. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said when he taught Abdullah ibn Mas'ud the tashahhud:Sahih Ibn Hibban 10:238 This indicates that the place of supplication is before the taslim, not after it. Moreover, the correct view requires this, meaning it requires that supplication be before one says the taslim, because as long as you are in your prayer, you are in communion with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). When you say the taslim from it, the communion and the connection between you and Allah are severed. Which is more appropriate: to supplicate to Allah while you are in a state of communion with Him, and the prayer is a connection between a person and his Lord, or to supplicate to Him after departing from the prayer and severing the connection? It is known that the former is more appropriate. Accordingly, whoever wants to supplicate to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) should supplicate to Allah before he says the taslim, and he may prolong it as long as he is not an imam. As for the imam, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that he is commanded to be concise, such that he does not exceed what was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the prayer.
Once you know this, there is no need to formulate the question by saying "What is the ruling on raising the hands?" Rather, the correct formulation of the question is "What is the ruling on supplication after a voluntary prayer?"
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : And the answer to that is what you heard: it is better to supplicate before you say the taslim. If you supplicate after the salam on a permanent basis, as if it is a regular practice, then you are prohibited from doing so because it is not prescribed. However, if you do it occasionally and you are safe from a layperson following your example, there is no harm in it. But if you fear that people will follow your example, as if you were a student of knowledge in front of the general public, do not do this, not even occasionally, because if people see you doing it, they will follow you and will not distinguish between doing it occasionally and leaving it occasionally. This is the answer to this question, and I ask Allah to guide us all to what is good.
And it is amazing that you see some people, when they say the taslim, as if they think that raising the hands with supplication is obligatory. In fact, some of them, you think or it is likely in your mind that they did not supplicate. You see a person, for example, reciting the tashahhud, then the iqamah is called, and when the imam says takbir, he says the taslim from the prayer he is in, then raises his hands and wipes one with the other and wipes his face with them, then joins the imam, and it is as if you are certain that he did not supplicate for anything.
As for raising the hands during supplication in other contexts, the original ruling is that it is among the etiquettes of supplication, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 16:117 and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): إن الله طيب لا يقبل إلا طيبا وإن الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به المرسلين فقال تعالى يا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلوا مِنَ الطَّيِّباتِ وَاعمَلوا صالِحًا إِنّي بِما تَعمَلونَ عَليمٌ وقال تعالى يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ ءامَنوا كُلوا مِن طَيِّباتِ ما رَزَقناكُم وَاشكُروا لِلَّهِ إِن كُنتُم إِيّاهُ تَعبُدونَ ثم ذكر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم الرجل يُطيل السفر أشعث أغبر يمد يديه إلى السماء يا رب يا رب ومطعمه حرام وملبسه حرام وغذّي بالحرام قال فأنى يُستجاب لذلك Indeed, Allah is Pure and does not accept except that which is pure. And Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers, saying: "O messengers, eat from the good things and do righteous deeds. Indeed, I am, of what you do, Knowing." And He said: "O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is Him you worship." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the man who lengthens his journey, disheveled and covered in dust, stretching his hands to the sky, saying: "O my Lord, O my Lord," while his food is haram, his clothing is haram, and he is fed with haram. He said: "How will that be answered?" So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) made raising the hands one of the causes for the acceptance of supplication. However, the Sunnah in this matter came in several forms. The first is what is established regarding raising the hands from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), such as his supplication in the Friday sermon for rain and for relief from a calamity. A man entered while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the Friday sermon and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the wealth has been destroyed and the roads have been cut off, so supplicate to Allah to send us relief." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands and said: Sahih Muslim 897a and the Companions raised their hands with him. Anas, who is the narrator of the hadith, said: "By Allah, there was no cloud in the sky nor a wisp of vapor, and there was no house or dwelling between us and Sal'" and Sal' is a known mountain in Medina from which clouds come. He said: "Then a cloud like a shield emerged from behind it, and when it reached the middle of the sky, it spread and thundered and flashed and rained. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not descend until the rain was dripping from his beard".
The questioner : May Allah send prayers and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : And the rain continued for a full week. Then a man, or the first man, entered on the second Friday and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the wealth has been drowned and the buildings have collapsed, so supplicate to Allah to hold it back." He raised his hands and said:Sahih al-Bukhari 1020 and he pointed to the sides. He did not point to a side except that it cleared, and the people went out walking in the sun. This is established regarding the raising of the hands from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Similarly, he raised his hands on al-Safa and al-Marwah during the sa'y, and he raised his hands while standing at 'Arafah. The scholars have mentioned more than thirty places where the raising of the hands is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is one of the forms. The second form is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not raise his hands in, meaning what is established regarding the non-raising of the hands. This is in supplication in the Friday sermon other than for rain. When Bishr ibn Marwan raised his hands while preaching to the people on Friday, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) disapproved of him and said: "The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used not to raise his hands, and he did not go beyond pointing with his finger."
The third form is what appears to be without raising the hands, such as supplication in the prayer, supplication between the two prostrations, and supplication in the final tashahhud. Also, the saying of the one praying after departing from the prayer: "I seek forgiveness from Allah". The raising of the hands is not established in this from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); rather, it appears that the hands are not raised, and it is almost explicit in the non-raising of the hands.
The fourth form is what neither the raising nor the non-raising is reported in. The original ruling in this is to raise your hands during supplication, as we mentioned before. And if you do not raise them, it will not be said that you have contradicted the Sunnah, because the Sunnah is not very explicit in this matter.
As for wiping the face with the hands after supplication, there are hadiths reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The author of "Bulugh al-Maram" said that the total of them indicates that it is a good hadith. However, the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said that they are all weak hadiths that do not constitute a proof, so wiping the face after supplication is not recommended. What the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) said is closer to the truth. However, even with this, if someone wipes his face, we do not declare him an innovator or misguiding him, because hadiths have been reported, even if there is a concern regarding their authenticity. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes. The issue with raising the hands after finishing the regular voluntary prayers or other voluntary prayers is not the raising of the hands themselves, but the issue is the supplication after the regular voluntary prayers or other voluntary prayers. Is it prescribed for a person to supplicate every time he finishes a regular voluntary prayer or any other voluntary prayer? The answer is no; this is not prescribed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray the voluntary prayers, including the regular ones and others, but it was not recorded that he would raise his hands and supplicate when he finished the prayer, nor that he would supplicate without raising his hands.
Accordingly, adopting this matter, which I mean supplication after voluntary prayers, as a regular practice that a person does every time he prays a voluntary prayer is considered among the matters that are not prescribed, and a person should avoid it. Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) guided us to the place of supplication in the prayer. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said when he taught Abdullah ibn Mas'ud the tashahhud:
Then let him choose from the supplications whatever he wishes.
ثم ليتخيّر من الدعاء ما شاءOnce you know this, there is no need to formulate the question by saying "What is the ruling on raising the hands?" Rather, the correct formulation of the question is "What is the ruling on supplication after a voluntary prayer?"
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : And the answer to that is what you heard: it is better to supplicate before you say the taslim. If you supplicate after the salam on a permanent basis, as if it is a regular practice, then you are prohibited from doing so because it is not prescribed. However, if you do it occasionally and you are safe from a layperson following your example, there is no harm in it. But if you fear that people will follow your example, as if you were a student of knowledge in front of the general public, do not do this, not even occasionally, because if people see you doing it, they will follow you and will not distinguish between doing it occasionally and leaving it occasionally. This is the answer to this question, and I ask Allah to guide us all to what is good.
And it is amazing that you see some people, when they say the taslim, as if they think that raising the hands with supplication is obligatory. In fact, some of them, you think or it is likely in your mind that they did not supplicate. You see a person, for example, reciting the tashahhud, then the iqamah is called, and when the imam says takbir, he says the taslim from the prayer he is in, then raises his hands and wipes one with the other and wipes his face with them, then joins the imam, and it is as if you are certain that he did not supplicate for anything.
As for raising the hands during supplication in other contexts, the original ruling is that it is among the etiquettes of supplication, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Your Rabb (Lord of the Universe) is Modest and Generous, and would never turn the hands of a slave without gain when he raises them to Him (in supplication).
إن الله حيي كريم يستحيي من عبده إذا رفع إليه يديه أن يردّهما صفراO Allah, send down rain upon us; O Allah, send dowp rain upon us; O Allah, send down rain upon us
اللهم أغثنا اللهم أغثنا اللهم أغثناThe questioner : May Allah send prayers and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : And the rain continued for a full week. Then a man, or the first man, entered on the second Friday and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the wealth has been drowned and the buildings have collapsed, so supplicate to Allah to hold it back." He raised his hands and said:
Narrated Masruq: One day I went to Ibn Mas`ud who said, "When Quraish delayed in embracing Islam, the Prophet (ﷺ) I invoked Allah to curse them, so they were afflicted with a (famine) year because of which many of them died and they ate the carcasses and Abu Sufyan came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, 'O Muhammad! You came to order people to keep good relation with kith and kin and your nation is being destroyed, so invoke Allah I ? So the Prophet (ﷺ) I recited the Holy verses of Sirat-Ad-Dukhan: 'Then watch you For the day that The sky will Bring forth a kind Of smoke Plainly visible.' (44.10) When the famine was taken off, the people renegade once again as nonbelievers. The statement of Allah, (in Sura "Ad- Dukhan"-44) refers to that: 'On the day when We shall seize You with a mighty grasp.' (44.16) And that was what happened on the day of the battle of Badr." Asbath added on the authority of Mansur, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) prayed for them and it rained heavily for seven days. So the people complained of the excessive rain. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'O Allah! (Let it rain) around us and not on us.' So the clouds dispersed over his head and it rained over the surroundings."
اللهم حوالينا ولا عليناSimilarly, he raised his hands on al-Safa and al-Marwah during the sa'y, and he raised his hands while standing at 'Arafah. The scholars have mentioned more than thirty places where the raising of the hands is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is one of the forms. The second form is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not raise his hands in, meaning what is established regarding the non-raising of the hands. This is in supplication in the Friday sermon other than for rain. When Bishr ibn Marwan raised his hands while preaching to the people on Friday, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) disapproved of him and said: "The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used not to raise his hands, and he did not go beyond pointing with his finger."
The third form is what appears to be without raising the hands, such as supplication in the prayer, supplication between the two prostrations, and supplication in the final tashahhud. Also, the saying of the one praying after departing from the prayer: "I seek forgiveness from Allah". The raising of the hands is not established in this from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); rather, it appears that the hands are not raised, and it is almost explicit in the non-raising of the hands.
The fourth form is what neither the raising nor the non-raising is reported in. The original ruling in this is to raise your hands during supplication, as we mentioned before. And if you do not raise them, it will not be said that you have contradicted the Sunnah, because the Sunnah is not very explicit in this matter.
As for wiping the face with the hands after supplication, there are hadiths reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The author of "Bulugh al-Maram" said that the total of them indicates that it is a good hadith. However, the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said that they are all weak hadiths that do not constitute a proof, so wiping the face after supplication is not recommended. What the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) said is closer to the truth. However, even with this, if someone wipes his face, we do not declare him an innovator or misguiding him, because hadiths have been reported, even if there is a concern regarding their authenticity. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.