The ruling on raising the hands in supplication after the prayers

Question:
We return at the beginning of this episode to the letter from our sister listener, Nalah al-'Asiri, from Ta'if. We presented some of her questions in a previous episode, and she has a number of remaining questions, some of which we will present in this episode. She asks and says: What is the ruling on raising the hands in the following cases after completing the obligatory prayer and the voluntary prayer?

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon His Messenger, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
It is established by the Sunnah from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that raising the hands is among the causes of acceptance, and that it is part of the Sunnah of supplication. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He used to raise his hands (peace and blessings be upon him) in supplication, and when he sought rain for the Muslims, he raised his hands and exerted himself in raising them, calling upon his Lord to relieve the servants. This is among the Sunnahs in supplication: raising the hands. There are many issues regarding this. If he was asked to supplicate, he would raise his hands and supplicate (peace and blessings be upon him). However, in the places that occurred during his time (peace and blessings be upon him) where he did not raise his hands, we do not raise our hands. The issues and things that occurred during his time (peace and blessings be upon him) where he did not raise his hands, the Sunnah is that we do not raise our hands in them. This is like the obligatory prayer; he did not raise his hands when he finished the obligatory prayer, so we do not raise our hands. When we finish, we recite the prescribed dhikr and the prescribed supplications, and we do not raise our hands, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not raise his hands. Similarly, between the two prostrations, we supplicate between the two prostrations, and we do not raise our hands. And similarly, at the end of the prayer before the taslim, we supplicate and ask, but we do not raise our hands, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not raise his hands. Similarly, in the Friday sermon and the Eid sermon, we do not raise our hands when supplicating in the sermon, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not raise his hands except when seeking rain. He did not raise his hands in the Friday sermon, nor in the Eid sermon. The Sunnah is that we do as he did (peace and blessings be upon him), and that we leave what he left (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the Sunnah.
As for the voluntary prayer, whoever wishes may raise his hands, and whoever wishes may leave it, because nothing has come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicating either this or that. The original ruling is that raising the hands is a recommended practice (sunnah). So if one raises his hands after the voluntary prayer, it may be done sometimes, because if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had done that, it would have been transmitted to us. Since it was not transmitted that he was consistent in doing so, it indicates that there is leeway in the matter. But if one does it sometimes after the voluntary prayers, there is nothing wrong with it.
As for what some people habitually do, which is that whenever they pray the voluntary prayer they raise their hands, I do not know a basis for it, and leaving it is safer and better, because if it had been done by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it would have been transmitted. He prayed the voluntary prayers while many people were witnessing, and he did not raise his hands, so that indicates that it was not his habit to raise his hands constantly after the voluntary prayer. He may have raised his hands in his home and we do not know, but in such a case, one acts according to the general Sunnah. The general Sunnah indicates that raising the hands is a recommended practice (sunnah) when supplicating, but the believer does it sometimes, and sometimes in the voluntary prayer, sometimes raising his hands by following the general Sunnah, and sometimes not raising his hands, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seen praying the voluntary prayers and not raising his hands afterwards (peace and blessings be upon him). So a person does this sometimes, and that sometimes, following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and acting according to the general Sunnah. Yes.

The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.