The Kufans base their argument on the fact that ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd—may Allah be pleased with him—did not raise his hands. They are excused until the authentic Sunnah reaches them, for ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd was the jurist whom ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb sent to teach the people of Kufa the Sunnah. Nevertheless, many Companions—may Allah Most High be pleased with them—preserved the Prophet’s practice of raising his hands, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ibn Mas‘ūd did not explicitly state that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—raised his hands only at the beginning; rather, they saw Ibn Mas‘ūd praying and raising his hands only at the beginning. A person may forget or have a lapse of attention. The matter of pressing the hands together during prayer had also escaped Ibn Mas‘ūd: when praying, he would press his hands together as he bowed, as they used to do in the early days of Islam. This practice was subsequently abrogated, and they were instructed to place their hands on their knees. Ibn Mas‘ūd had not retained this. The disputed raising of the hands does not invalidate the prayer; indeed, one may pray without raising them, though raising them is better and more commendable.

If someone follows Abū Hanīfa, Mālik, al-Shāfi‘ī, or Ahmad, then finds another imam’s position stronger on certain issues and follows it, he has acted well. There is no dispute that this does not detract from either his religious commitment or his uprightness. Rather, such a person is closer to the truth and more beloved to Allah and His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—than someone who is partisan towards a particular individual other than the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. This includes someone who is partisan towards Mālik, al-Shāfi‘ī, Ahmad, or Abū Hanīfa and considers that particular imam’s position to be the correct one that ought to be followed, rather than the position of the imam who disagreed with him.