Al-Bayhaqi then transmitted the narration from ‘Umar through several additional chains and remarked: “It is authentic from ‘Umar, and al-Bukhari likewise graded it sahih.” He further said: “A version is also reported from ‘Ali – though its isnad is weak – and it is likewise related from ‘Abd Allah b. Mas‘ud and Abu Hurayrah regarding the qunut of witr. As for wiping the face with the hands after completing the supplication while still in the prayer, no sound report establishes it, nor is there any reliable Companion practice or valid analogy (1). The preferable course, therefore, is to omit it and restrict oneself to what the early generations actually did: raising the hands without wiping them over the face during the prayer. Allah alone grants success.” [End of the abridged citation.] (1) This was the view adopted by Imam Ahmad (see p. 956 above). It is also the sounder of the two Shafi‘i opinions: one merely says amin to the imam’s supplication and does not himself recite qunut. (2) The report in question is the hadith of ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abbas: “The Messenger of Allah performed qunut for a full month in the noon, afternoon, sunset, night, and dawn prayers; at the end of every prayer, after saying, ‘Allah hears him who praises Him’ in the final rak‘ah, he would supplicate against certain clans of Banu Sulaym—Ra‘l, Dhakwan, and ‘Usayya—and those behind him would say amin.” Recorded by Abu Dawud (1/228), Ibn Nasr (137), al-Hakim (1/225), and by al-Bayhaqi via al-Hakim’s chain. _________ (1) Wiping the face after the supplication is therefore an innovation. Outside of the prayer it is likewise unsupported, for every narration on the matter is weak, some exceedingly so, as demonstrated in Da‘if Abi Dawud (no. 262) and Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah (no. 597). Hence al-‘Izz b. ‘Abd al-Salam said in one of his legal responsa: “Only the ignorant do it.”