A related narration from al-Bara ibn Azib reads: “close to the lobes of his ears.” It is reported by al-Tahawi (1/115–116), Abu Dawud (1/121) and others, but its chain is weak; it will likely reappear under “Raising the hands when going into ruku.” There is also a weak chain from Anas, to be cited in the section on the opening supplication (istiftah) with the wording “Subhanaka…”. Abu Hanifa and his school acted on these reports, saying: “He raises them to the ear-lobes.” They confined women, however, to raising the hands only to shoulder level— a restriction supported by opinion alone. Indeed, in the version transmitted by al-Hasan from him, Abu Hanifa said: “She raises them in line with her ears.” Scholars have exerted much effort to reconcile these narrations with those that mention raising to the shoulders, yet the issue is easier than that. Al-Sindi, may Allah have mercy on him, observed: “There is no contradiction between different actions, for all could have occurred at separate times; therefore they are all sunnah unless evidence proves that some were abrogated, in which case no inconsistency remains…” * * *