| 62- The ruling on raising one's hands during Du`a' Q: Did the Prophet (peace be upon him) raise his hands during Du`a' (supplication) in all cases?  A: The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to raise his hands during Du`a' in specific situations and in casual Du`a', while there were some situations in which he did not raise his hands. It was authentically reported that he (peace be upon him) raised his hands in Salat-ul-Istisqa' (Prayer for rain) which took place on a Friday. During the Khutbah (sermon), he raised his hands. When he went to the desert and offered two Rak`ahs (units of Prayer) there, he also raised his hands in Du`a'. When he used to supplicate to Allah for someone, he used to raise his hands. This was authentically reported in many Hadiths. Raising hands is a Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet) and one of the reasons of answering Du`a'. | | (Part No. 26; Page No. 140) | |
It was authentically reported in the Sahih (authentic book of Hadiths) of Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:  Allah is Good and accepts only that which is good. Allah commanded the Mu'mins (believers) to follow the same commandments He has given to the Messengers, according to His saying:  O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allâh He (Glorified be He) also says: O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibât [all kinds of Halâl foods which Allâh has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits, etc.] and do righteous deeds. He then made a mention of a man who travels on a long journey, disheveled and covered with dust; he stretches forth his hands to the heaven calling, "O Lord! O Lord", but his food is ill-gotten, his drink is ill-gotten, his clothing is ill-gotten and he has been nourished from ill-gotten money. How can he expect his Du`a' to be answered? The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned that one of the reasons of Du`a' is answered is raising one's hands. However, if the supplicant is surrounded with ill-gotten money, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said it is unlikely for their Du`a' to be answered, because of their dealing with ill-gotten money. Thus, it is known that raising hands is one of the reasons for answering Du`a'.There is another Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Your Lord (Blessed and Exalted be He) is Munificent and Generous; He is too kind to turn His servants away empty | | (Part No. 26; Page No. 141) | |
handed when they raise them to Him.This indicates the permissibility of raising hands during Du`a', and that it is one of the reasons for Dua' being answered. However, it was authentically reported in other situations that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not raise his hands in Du`a', such as Du`a' between the two Sujuds (prostrations), at the end of Salah (Prayer) before Taslim (salutation of peace ending the Prayer), and after the five obligatory daily Prayers. The Sunnah (supererogatory act of worship following the example of the Prophet) in these cases is not to raise the hands; it is rather a Bid`ah (innovation in Islam), as it was never authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) or one of his Sahabah (Companions). It is known that the Prophet (peace be upon him) informed the Ummah (nation based on one creed) regarding every form of goodness, and warned them against every form of evil.However, it is permissible to raise the hands after Ruku` (bowing) in Qunut (supplication recited while standing after bowing in the last unit of Prayer) when there is a catastrophe, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did it when he supplicated to Allah against the tribes who attacked the Muslims who recited the Qur'an. He also did it when he supplicated to Allah against | | (Part No. 26; Page No. 142) | |
the Kafirs (disbelievers) of Quraysh before the Liberation of Makkah. The same applies to raising the hands in the Qunut of the Witr (Prayer with an odd number of units). May Allah grant us success. |
|
|