Question
When is the proper time to raise your hands when making du‘a? When I pray in the masjid I see some brothers raise their hands during Jumu‘ah or qunoot in witr, and others do not raise their hands. Sometimes I see the khateeb raise his hands and other times not. So when is it permissible or sunnah, and when should we avoid it?
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.
General Principle of Raising the Hands in Du‘a
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed Allah is shy and generous. He is shy that His servant would raise his hands to Him and He would return them empty.” (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi). This establishes the sunnah of raising the hands in du‘a in general.
But scholars distinguished between contexts where the Prophet ﷺ consistently raised his hands, contexts where he did not, and contexts where the act is neutral (neither emphasized nor forbidden).
Situations Where Raising the Hands is Sunnah
- Outside of salah: In personal du‘a, whether alone or in a gathering, raising the hands is sunnah.
- Qunoot al-nazilah (special du‘a in calamities): Narrations indicate the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands.
- Qunoot in witr: The Shafi‘i madhhab holds that raising the hands in qunoot witr is sunnah, while Hanafis generally do not raise them. Both are considered valid practices based on different evidences.
Situations Where Raising the Hands is Not Established Sunnah
- During the Jumu‘ah khutbah: The Companions narrated: “We never saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raise his hands during the khutbah, except when he made du‘a for rain.” (Muslim).
- Likewise, it is narrated that Bashir ibn Sa‘d, a Companion, objected when Marwan ibn al-Hakam raised his hands in the khutbah and said: “May Allah cut off these hands, for I have never seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ do more than this,” and he gestured with his finger. (Muslim, Abu Dawud).
- This shows that raising the hands in the khutbah is not from the established sunnah. However, if a khateeb raises his hands, scholars said it is not considered haram or an innovation of blame, but it should not be treated as part of the sunnah of the khutbah.
- After the obligatory prayers: The Prophet ﷺ did not habitually raise his hands for du‘a after every fard prayer. But if a Muslim raises his hands after salah, it is not considered bid‘ah in the prohibited sense, because the du‘a after salah is separate from the salah itself, not a part of its form. What is discouraged is turning it into a fixed ritual believed to be compulsory.
Final Ruling
- Raising the hands in du‘a is sunnah in general, and especially outside salah, in calamities, and in qunoot according to some madhhabs.
- In the Jumu‘ah khutbah, the Prophet ﷺ never raised his hands except in istisqa, and the Companions objected when Marwan ibn al-Hakam raised his hands. Therefore, it is not sunnah, though not strictly forbidden.
- After salah, raising the hands for du‘a is permissible as a general act of du‘a, but it should not be made a binding practice.
And Allah knows best.