Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (3/89)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

bow, then places them on his knees. The evidence for this is the hadith of Ibn Umar: “The Prophet ﷺ would raise his hands when he said the takbir for bowing.” This hadith is established in the two Sahih collections and elsewhere (1).

His statement, “and places them on his knees”: “places them” refers to the two hands; what is meant here by “the hands” is the palms, for we have previously explained the principle that when the term “hand” is used without qualification, it means the palm. The evidence for this principle is that when Allah intended what extends beyond the palm, He specified it in His saying, “Wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows” [al-Ma'idah 5:6].

For this reason, the thief’s hand is cut off at the wrist joint, due to Allah’s saying, “Cut off their hands” [al-Ma'idah 5:38]; it is not cut off from the elbow, for had Allah intended that, He would have specified it.

AND HE PLACES THEM ON HIS KNEES WITH THE FINGERS SPREAD APART, ............

His statement, “places them on his knees”: this is the sunnah, and it is the later sunnah. Previously, the sunnah was taṭbīq: that the worshipper would place the palm of one hand against the palm of the other, then place them between his knees or thighs. This was later abrogated, as recorded in Sahih Muslim (2). Abdullah ibn Mas'ud ﵁ continued to practise this because the abrogating report had not reached him (3).

Accordingly, he places both palms upon the knees, leaning upon them; it is not merely a matter of touching them.

(1) Its source has been cited above, p. 26. (2) Narrated by al-Bukhari, Book of the Adhan, chapter: Placing the hands on the knees during bowing (790); and Muslim, Book of Mosques, chapter: The recommendation to place the hands on the knees during bowing and the abrogation of tatbiq (placing the palms together between the knees) (535) (29). (3) Narrated by Muslim, in the preceding location (534) (26).

يركع، ثم يضعهما على رُكبتيه، ودليل ذلك: حديث ابن عُمر أنَّ النبيَّ ﷺ: «كان يرفعُ يديه إذا كَبَّرَ للرُّكوعِ» والحديث ثابت في «الصحيحين» وغيرهما (١). قوله: «ويضعهما على رُكبتيه» «ويضعهما» أي: اليدين، والمراد باليدين هنا: الكَفَّان؛ لأنه سبق لنا بيان قاعدة: أنَّ اليدَ إذا أُطلقت فهي الكَفُّ. ودليل هذه القاعدة: أنَّ الله لما أراد ما زَادَ عن الكَفِّ بَيَّنه في قوله تعالى: ﴿فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ﴾ الآية [المائدة: ٦]. ولهذا يُقطع السارق مِن مفصل الكَفِّ؛ لقوله تعالى: ﴿فَاقْطَعُوا أَيدِيَهُمَا﴾ الآية [المائدة: ٣٨] ولا يُقطع من المِرفق؛ لأن الله لو أرادَ ذلك لقيَّده. وَيَضَعُهُمَا عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ مُفَرَّجَتَيْ الأَصَابِع، ............ وقوله: «يضعهما على رُكبتيه» هذا هو السُّنَّة، وهي السُّنَّة الأخيرة، وقد كانت السُّنَّة قبل ذلك التطبيق، وهي: أن يضعَ المصلِّي بطن كَفِّه على بطن كَفِّه الأُخرى، ثم يضعهما بين رُكبتيه أو فخذيه، ثم نُسِخَ هذا بعد ذلك، كما في «صحيح مسلم» (٢)، وقد كان عبدُ الله بن مسعود ﵁ يَعملُ بذلك؛ لأنه لم يبلغه الناسخ (٣). وعلى هذا؛ فيضعُ الكفَّين على الرُّكبتين معتمداً عليهما؛ وليس مجرد لَمْسٍ.

(١) تقدم تخريجه ص (٢٦). (٢) أخرجه البخاري، كتاب الأذان، باب وضع الأكف على الرُّكب في الركوع (٧٩٠)؛ ومسلم، كتاب المساجد، باب الندب إلى وضع الأيدي على الرُّكب في الركوع ونسخ التطبيق (٥٣٥) (٢٩). (٣) أخرجه مسلم، الموضع السابق (٥٣٤) (٢٦).