Clarification that it is not narrated from Imam Ahmad what indicates the recommended practice of clasping the hands after raising the head from bowing

The Shaykh: And another one may be long, but the short one is the fulfillment of a promise I remembered when a discussion took place regarding the hadith prohibiting letting the hands hang down in prayer, and the questioner mentioned a narration from Imam Ahmad regarding clasping the hands after raising the head from bowing in the second standing. I said, my request was regarding who among the Salaf did that. What is narrated from Imam Ahmad is not that he used to do it and clasp his hands, but rather that he said, in what was reported from him and is authentic from him, that there is no harm. He said: There is no harm in placing [the hands] in this standing. So the phrase "there is no harm" does not mean, first, that the Imam used to do that, and second, if we take the linguistic meaning of the phrase "there is no harm," it means a weaker permissible ruling, not a stronger permissible ruling. And thus, if we know this detail from both sides: the first side is that it is not narrated from Imam Ahmad that he did it and clasped his hands, and the other side is that this phrase does not mean that this clasping is like the clasping in the first standing, i.e., a recommended practice. Rather, it is Imam Ahmad's viewpoint that if someone does it, there is no harm, as if he is indicating that it is a viewpoint, and there is no harm for whoever does it. So this is one thing, and what we were going around in circles about is whether this general text was acted upon in a way that was transmitted from the later generations to the earlier ones, as is the case with the first placement, i.e., in the first standing. For example, some also argue with the generality of his saying - peace be upon him - what is the hadith that says that the prophets used to place the right hand over the left hand in prayer and hasten to break the fast.
The student: We, the prophets.

The Shaykh: Yes.
The student: We, the prophets.

The Shaykh: Yes, we were commanded, we were commanded with three things. Yes, yes, this is a general text regarding placing the hands in prayer that includes every standing, and it also includes what is not a standing, and so on. So the point is that this general text, which is letting the hands hang down, was not transmitted as the Salaf acting upon its meaning, which includes even letting the hands hang down in the second standing. This was not transmitted from the Salaf. And Imam Ahmad's phrase does not mean it is a recommended practice, but rather that there is no harm in doing it. This is his opinion, and he is rewarded for it in any case. This is the short answer.