219 – Waʾil ibn Ḥujr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “I prayed with the Prophet ﷺ, and he placed his right hand over his left hand on his chest.” Related by Ibn Khuzaymah ⦗1⦘.
Grade of the ḥadith:
The report is sound. It was collected by Aḥmad ⦗18375⦘ and by Muslim ⦗401⦘—the latter without the words “on his chest.” A second chain is found with Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī in al-Kubrā ⦗1/310⦘, al-Dārimī ⦗1/312⦘, Ibn al-Jārūd, and al-Bayhaqī ⦗2/28⦘ with an isnād that meets Muslim’s criteria. Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Nawawī in al-Majmūʿ, and Ibn al-Qayyim in Zād al-Maʿād all declared it authentic.
Vocabulary:
– “His hand”: when the term “hand” (yad) is used without qualification, it refers to the palm. Allah says, “As for the thief, male or female, cut off their hands” (Q 5:38); here “hands” means the palms.
– “His chest”: pronounced ṣadr, linguistically denotes the front part of anything; with regard to a human being it is the area extending from the base of the neck to the upper torso.
Points derived from the ḥadith:
- The narration proves the legitimacy of placing the right hand over the left upon one’s chest during the standing portion of the prayer while reciting.
- This act is recommended and meritorious but not obligatory.
- Placing one hand over the other and holding them upon the chest is the posture of the humble, reverent