The Ruling on Supplication After the Obligatory Prayer

Q: Some of our Muslim brothers have mentioned to us that Your Eminence previously issued a ruling that it is not permissible to make supplication after the obligatory prayer, but rather it should be done after the voluntary prayer. If what they are saying is correct, we ask Your Eminence to kindly clarify this matter and cite the evidence so that we may be well-informed about our religion and the guidance of our Prophet?

A: It is not recorded from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or from his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) , to our knowledge, that they used to raise their hands in supplication after the obligatory prayer. From this, it is known that it is a religious innovation, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , which Muslim recorded in his Sahih. And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): , which is agreed upon as authentic.
As for supplication without raising the hands and without doing it collectively, there is no blame on one for doing so, because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) what indicates that he (peace and blessings be upon him) made supplication before the closing salam and after it. Likewise, supplication after the voluntary prayer is permissible because there is no evidence indicating its prohibition, even if the hands are raised; for raising the hands in supplication is among the causes of its being answered, but it should not be done as a constant practice, but rather at times; because it is not recorded from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to make supplication with his hands raised after every voluntary prayer. All good lies in following his example (peace and blessings be upon him) and proceeding according to his methodology, as He, the Exalted, said: [Al-Ahzab: 21].