to the bones of the spine—as noted above. His own practice corroborates this: “…he remained standing until every vertebra returned to its place.” Reflect on this with fairness. I am certain that placing the hands on the chest during this standing is a misguided innovation (bidah), for it is never mentioned—at all—in any of the numerous hadiths on the prayer. Had it possessed the slightest foundation, it would have reached us through at least one chain. Supporting this is the fact that none of the early generations practiced it, nor, to the best of my knowledge, has any scholar of hadith recorded it. What Shaykh al-Tuwayjri quotes in his treatise (pp. 18–19) from Imam Ahmad—may Allah have mercy on him—does not contradict this. He reports that the Imam said: “If he wishes, he may let his arms hang after rising from ruku; if he wishes, he may fold them.” (This is the gist of what Salih ibn Ahmad cites from his father in his Masa’il, p. 90.) Imam Ahmad did not attribute that allowance to the Prophet but voiced it as personal ijtihad—and an opinion can err. Once a sound proof shows that a given practice—such as the one at hand—is an innovation, an imam’s endorsement does not annul its innovativeness, as Ibn Taymiyyah explains. Indeed, Imam Ahmad’s very words suggest the placement lacks any Sunnah basis, for he left the worshipper free either to do it or leave it. Would our esteemed shaykh assume the Imam likewise offers such a choice regarding the pre-ruku hand-placement? Hence it is clear that the post-ruku placement is not from the Sunnah—that is what is meant. This brief remark could be expanded, but this is not the place; the full refutation is found where I indicated in the introduction to the fifth edition (p. 30) of this new printing. (*) Sifat al-Salat, printed ed., pp. 138–139.