: he pointed with the finger next to his thumb. ‘This is supplication,’ and he raised his hands level with his shoulders. ‘And this is earnest entreaty,’ and he raised his hands fully extended.” It was narrated by Abū Dāwūd in his Sunan, al-Tabarānī in al-Duā, and others.1

Shaykh Bakr ibn Abd Allāh Abū Zayd—may Allah preserve him—commented on this hadith: “The hadiths reporting the Prophet’s practice—peace and blessings be upon him—have explained the proper context for each of these three forms. They are not merely alternative variants. Their explanation is as follows:

The first context is that of general supplication. It is called petition, or simply supplication. It consists of raising the hands to shoulder level or thereabouts, keeping them together, with the palms open toward the sky and their backs toward the ground. Alternatively, one may hold them before one’s face, with their backs facing the qiblah. This is the general manner of raising the hands when making supplication in general, during the qunūt of the Witr prayer, when praying for rain, at the six occasions for raising them during Hajj [namely, at Arafah, at the Sacred Monument, after stoning the first and middle pillars, and upon Safā and Marwah], and on other occasions.

The second context is seeking forgiveness, which is also termed sincerity. It consists of raising one finger—the index finger of the right hand. This form is specific to remembrance and supplication during the sermon from the pulpit, the tashahhud in prayer, and remembrance, glorification, and the declaration of Allah’s oneness outside prayer