The Ruling on Raising the Hands in Supplication

Q: What is the ruling on raising the hands in supplication?

A: Raising the hands in supplication is a recommended practice (sunnah) and one of the causes of acceptance, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): It was narrated by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah, and al-Hakim graded it as authentic.
And based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): إن الله تعالى طيب ولا يقبل إلا طيبًا، وإن الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به المرسلين، فقال تعالى: كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّهِ [البقرة: 172] وقال سبحانه: يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا [المؤمنون: 51] ثم ذكر الرجل يطيل السفر أشعث أغبر يمد يديه إلى السماء يا رب يا رب ومطعمه حرام ومشربه حرام وملبسه حرام وغذي بالحرام فأنى يستجاب لذلك Indeed, Allah the Exalted is pure and does not accept anything but what is pure, and indeed, Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers, so He said: "Eat from the good things We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah" [al-Baqarah: 172]. And He said, Exalted is He: "O messengers, eat from the good things and do righteous deeds" [al-Mu'minun: 51]. Then he mentioned the man who travels a long distance, disheveled and dusty, extending his hands to the sky, saying, "O Lord, O Lord," while his food is forbidden, his drink is forbidden, his clothing is forbidden, and he is nourished with what is forbidden, so how will he be answered? It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
In this hadith, he (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that extending the hands to the sky is one of the causes of acceptance, were it not for the barrier mentioned in the hadith, which is eating what is forbidden. Also, because he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to raise his hands in supplication, as in the prayer for rain, and in his supplication on al-Safa and al-Marwah during his Hajj and 'Umrah, and in other places.
However, in the places where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not raise his hands, it is not permissible to raise them, because his action is a recommended practice (sunnah) and his leaving it is a recommended practice (sunnah) (peace and blessings be upon him). This is like supplication between the two prostrations and supplication at the end of the prayer before the closing salam; it is not prescribed to raise the hands in these cases because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do so. Likewise, supplication after the five daily prayers, after finishing the prescribed dhikr, there is no harm in supplicating between oneself and Allah after the dhikr, as there are hadiths indicating this, but it is not prescribed to raise the hands in that case because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do so. It is obligatory for all Muslims to adhere to the Book and the Sunnah in everything and to beware of contradicting them. And success is from Allah.