would raise his hands, and whenever he intended to stand up he would raise them. Its chain is sound and meets al-Bukhari’s criteria for the Sahih. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal acted upon this Sunnah, as reported by al-Athram; the same position is attributed to Imam al-Shafiʿi, and it is the view adopted by Ibn Hazm—see Al-Muhallā.

He (the author) says: “In the ḥadith of Mālik ibn al-Huwayrith occurs the wording, ‘He pronounced the takbir, then raised his hands,’ recorded by Muslim. This indicates that the takbir precedes the raising of the hands. Yet al-Ḥāfiẓ remarked: ‘I have not found anyone who prefers the takbir before the raising.’”

I reply: On the contrary, such an opinion is found within the Ḥanafi school. Once the ḥadith has been authenticated, no one has any excuse to withhold from acting upon it—especially since it has corroboration in the narration of Anas recorded by al-Dāraqutni, p. 113. The correct course, therefore, is to practice all three modes: at times in this manner, at times in that, and at times in the third, for that is more complete in following him ﷺ.

He goes on, in the section on the opening supplications: “2. ʿAli reported: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood for prayer he would pronounce the takbir and then say, ‘I have turned my face toward the One who originated the heavens and the earth… and I am of those who submit…,’ and so on. Narrated by Ahmad, Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and others.”

I say: The wording in al-Tirmidhi’s “Supplications” (3419) reads, “…the prescribed prayer…,” and he commented, “A ḥasan ṣaḥiḥ ḥadith.”

The same report is found in Abu ʿAwānah’s Ṣaḥīḥ 2/112, 205, and in al-Dāraqutni 1/297. Its chain is sound and all its transmitters are reliable, as Abu al-Tayyib al-ʿAẓīmābādī noted in his commentary; it also meets Muslim’s criteria.

As for the statement of al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar in Bulūgh al-Marām after he cited Muslim’s version