and he also cited the ḥadith through that chain. The report has further routes from Abū Ḥumayd in which three of the Ten Companions promised Paradise are explicitly named—Muḥammad ibn Maslamah, Abū Usayd, and Sahl ibn Saʿd. This is the version recorded by Ibn Mājah, related by ʿAbbās ibn Sahl ibn Saʿd from his father.
Glossary of the ḥadith
– ḥadhw: pronounced with an open ḥāʾ and a silent dotted dhāl; it means “in line with, directly opposite” his shoulders.
– mankabayhi: the dual of mankab (plural manākib), the joint where the upper arm meets the shoulder; masculine in grammar.
– furūʿ udhunayhi: the upper parts of his ears.
Points derived from the ḥadith
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It is recommended to raise the hands until they reach shoulder level when opening the prayer with the inaugural takbīr, and likewise when pronouncing the takbīr for bowing and when lifting the head after bowing. Thus there are three occasions in which it is recommended to raise the hands in line with the shoulders.
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Muḥammad ibn Naṣr al-Marwazī stated that the scholars of the various centers of learning agree on this practice, except the people of Kūfa. The Ḥanafīs differed regarding the two latter positions, citing as evidence the report recorded by Abū Dāwūd from Ibn Masʿūd that he saw the Prophet ﷺ “raise his hands at the opening and then did not repeat it.”
The answer is that raising the hands at the other two positions is soundly established, and an affirmative proof outweighs a mere negation. Furthermore, the ḥadith of Ibn Masʿūd is not authentic, as al-Shāfiʿī declared; and even if it were established, his omission would simply show permissibility, not prohibition.
Al-Bukhārī transmitted from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and Ḥumayd ibn Hilāl that raising the hands was the practice of the Companions. For this reason ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī said: “It is incumbent upon the Muslims to raise their hands when going into bowing and when rising from it.”
Shaykh al-Islām said: Raising the hands when bowing and when rising from bowing, in the same manner that they are raised