What is the ruling on letting the hands hang down in prayer?
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The questioner : There are some Muslims, or some Islamic groups, who let their hands hang down in prayer. Are they in error?
The Shaykh : What are they doing with their hands?
The questioner : They let their hands hang down.
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning they let their hands hang down. This is undoubtedly an error; it is a double error.
Please allow us, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Welcome, you have honored us, and we hope for you a journey that is purposeful, if Allah wills, and easy. Welcome and greetings. And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah. This is a double error, and its doubleness comes from the fact that those who let their hands hang down and do not clasp them while standing are Maliki, belonging to the school of Malik, the Imam of the City of Migration. They think that Imam Malik used to pray this way, but their assumption is wrong, because the most famous book of Imam Malik, known to scholars and students of knowledge as the Muwatta of Imam Malik, contains an explicit heading, like a signpost, stating "Placing the right hand over the left in prayer." This is from his arrangement. Malik himself then narrates under this heading a hadith with its chain from Abu Hazim from Sahl ibn Sa'd. Sahl ibn Sa'd, a well-known and famous Companion from the Ansar, and Abu Hazim, a Tabi'i, from whom Imam Malik received it. This is a very high chain: Malik from Abu Hazim from Sahl ibn Sa'd, who said: "They were ordered to place the right hand over the left, and this was reported to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)," meaning it was raised to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the statement of Imam Malik in the Muwatta and his narration. Through the path of Imam Malik, Imam al-Bukhari received it and narrated this hadith in his Sahih, I believe through his teacher Abdullah ibn Yusuf from Malik from Abu Hazim from Sahl ibn Sa'd. The same hadith was included by Imam al-Bukhari in his Sahih. We benefit from this by noting that they contradicted twice: first, they contradicted the Imam to whom they belong, who is Imam Malik; second, they contradicted the greatest Imam, who is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), because placing the right hand over the left is established by several hadiths, including this hadith narrated by Imam al-Bukhari through the path of Malik, and Malik included it in his book called the Muwatta. Therefore, those who let their hands hang down and do not clasp them have contradicted the Sunnah on one hand, and contradicted the Imam to whom they belong on the other hand. Please proceed.
The Shaykh : What are they doing with their hands?
The questioner : They let their hands hang down.
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning they let their hands hang down. This is undoubtedly an error; it is a double error.
Please allow us, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Welcome, you have honored us, and we hope for you a journey that is purposeful, if Allah wills, and easy. Welcome and greetings. And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah. This is a double error, and its doubleness comes from the fact that those who let their hands hang down and do not clasp them while standing are Maliki, belonging to the school of Malik, the Imam of the City of Migration. They think that Imam Malik used to pray this way, but their assumption is wrong, because the most famous book of Imam Malik, known to scholars and students of knowledge as the Muwatta of Imam Malik, contains an explicit heading, like a signpost, stating "Placing the right hand over the left in prayer." This is from his arrangement. Malik himself then narrates under this heading a hadith with its chain from Abu Hazim from Sahl ibn Sa'd. Sahl ibn Sa'd, a well-known and famous Companion from the Ansar, and Abu Hazim, a Tabi'i, from whom Imam Malik received it. This is a very high chain: Malik from Abu Hazim from Sahl ibn Sa'd, who said: "They were ordered to place the right hand over the left, and this was reported to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)," meaning it was raised to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the statement of Imam Malik in the Muwatta and his narration. Through the path of Imam Malik, Imam al-Bukhari received it and narrated this hadith in his Sahih, I believe through his teacher Abdullah ibn Yusuf from Malik from Abu Hazim from Sahl ibn Sa'd. The same hadith was included by Imam al-Bukhari in his Sahih. We benefit from this by noting that they contradicted twice: first, they contradicted the Imam to whom they belong, who is Imam Malik; second, they contradicted the greatest Imam, who is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), because placing the right hand over the left is established by several hadiths, including this hadith narrated by Imam al-Bukhari through the path of Malik, and Malik included it in his book called the Muwatta. Therefore, those who let their hands hang down and do not clasp them have contradicted the Sunnah on one hand, and contradicted the Imam to whom they belong on the other hand. Please proceed.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.