By: Sheikh Ahmad al-Rashîd
The issue of where a person should place his hands after rising from rukû` is, without doubt, a very minor issue. However, it is one of those issues that seem to stir up a lot of controversy among Muslims these days. In truth, it should not be such a cause for contention, since it is a matter of disagreement among scholars and both sides of the issue have good supporting arguments.
If we look at what the scholars of the four schools of Islamic Law had to say on the issue, we find the following:
The scholars of the Hanâfî School of Law clearly state that the hands should be kept at the side. In al-Fatâwâ al-Hindiyyah, it reads: "There is agreement among our scholars that the hands should be kept at the sides when standing after rukû`, since what is being recited at that time is for moving from one position to another and not for the sake of standing."
As for the position of Mâlik, Ibn Qâsim says: "When discussing placing the right hand over the left hand in prayer, Mâlik said: 'I do not know of this being done in an obligatory prayer." He disliked doing so. However, if a person is praying a voluntary prayer for an expended period of time, he saw no problem with the worshipper folding his hands to help support himself."
It should be noted that the Mâlikî opinion is that the hands should be kept at the sides at all times when praying, not just when rising from rukû`.
Ibn Rushd, a prominent Mâlikî scholar and theorist, sees things differently. He writes: "As for the preferred acts of prayer, they are eighteen in number. Among these are placing the right hand over the left in prayer. However, Mâlik, in al-Mudawwanah, is cited as expressing his dislike of this practice. This should be understood to mean that he disliked the practice to be construed as obligatory." [al-Muqaddimât al-Mumahhidât, (1/164)]
According to the Shâfi`î School of Law, the hands should be kept at the side after rising from rukû`. Ibn Hajr al-Haytamî writes: "The reliable opinion is that they should be kept at the side and not placed below the navel." He also says: "What is apparent in this matter is that the hands should not be placed beneath the chest. [al-Fatâwâ al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubrâ, (1/150)]
In the Hanbalî School of Law, a worshipper has the choice of placing his right hand over his left or placing them at his side, since there is no clear statement in the Sunnah about the matter. Al-Mardâwî quotes Ahmad b. Hanbal as saying: "When a worshipper raises his head from rukû`, he may leave his hands at his side if he wishes or he may place his right hand over his left hand." [al-Insâf] Ibn Muflih says: "The statement that we have from Ahmad is that the worshipper may leave his hands at his side if he wishes or place his right hand over his left if he wishes." [al-Mubdi`, (2/64)]
These are the positions of the founders of the four schools of Islamic Law, either according to their own words or to those of their students. Now it would be appropriate for us to briefly investigate the disagreement that exists on this matter.
The earliest scholars of Islam - the four Imams as well as others among their contemporaries and predecessors - had various opinions about where the hands should be placed after rising from rukû'. Some of them believed that it is Sunnah to place the right hand over the left while standing after the rukû`. They support their opinion with the general meaning of the hadîth where Sahl b. Sa`d al-Sâ`idî says: "The people were commanded to place the right hand on the left forearm during prayer." [Related in Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Musnad Ahmad] They argue that the hadîth is general in wording and does not distinguish between standing before rukû` and after it. Since in both cases the worshipper is in a standing position, he should place his right hand over his left.
They also advance the following argument: In each position in prayer there is a place for the hands. During rukû`, the hands are to be placed on the knees. During prostration, the hands are to be placed on the ground. While sitting, the hands are to be placed on the thighs. Likewise, while standing, the hands are to be placed on the chest. This is their place when standing, both before the rukû` and after it.
Other scholars consider folding the hands after rising from rukû` to be completely unfounded. They argue that there is no specific textual evidence to support such a practice. They also object to the idea that a person is truly standing in prayer after rising from rukû`, since he is actually just moving from one prayer position to another.
Some scholars, like Ahmad b. Hanbal, left the matter up to the person praying. It is his choice whether he wishes to fold his hands or leave them at his side, since there is no clear and specific evidence instructing us on the matter one way or the other.
In my opinion, the evidence supports the practice of placing the right hand over the left after rising from rukû'. However, this matter has no bearing on the validity of a person's prayer. There have been scholars of the highest caliber who held each of the various opinions mentioned above. We should not allow our differences in this matter to develop into full-fledged arguments and division. This is a matter wherein people have been disagreeing for ages. It is a fundamental principle in Islamic scholarship that where there is valid disagreement, no one has a right to condemn or criticize anyone else, since everyone has valid evidence to support his case.
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