As for raising the hands with every declaration of “Allah is the Greatest,” even when prostrating, this is not the Sunnah that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—practised. The Muslim community does, however, agree that the hands are raised with the opening declaration of “Allah is the Greatest.”

As for raising them when bowing and when standing upright after bowing, most jurists of Kufa, such as Ibrāhīm al-Nakha‘ī, Abū Hanīfa, al-Thawrī, and others, did not know of this practice. Most jurists of the other centres and scholars of transmitted reports, however, knew of it, since reports of this Sunnah from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—were widely transmitted. These included al-Awzā‘ī, al-Shāfi‘ī, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishāq, and Abū ‘Ubayd. It is also one of the two positions reported from Mālik. Indeed, it is established in the two Sahīh collections, through reports from Ibn ‘Umar and others:

“The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would raise his hands when beginning the prayer, when bowing, and when raising his head from bowing. He would not do so when prostrating or between the two prostrations.”

This practice is also established from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in authentic hadith reports from Mālik ibn al-Huwayrith, Wā’il ibn Hujr, and Abū Humayd al-Sā‘idī, the latter in a gathering of ten Companions of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—one of whom was Abū Qatāda. It is also known through reports from ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, Abū Hurayra, and many other Companions, from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Whenever Ibn ‘Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—saw someone praying without raising his hands during the prayer, he would throw pebbles at him.

‘Uqba ibn ‘Āmir said:

“For each gesture, he is credited with ten good deeds.”