Hand Upside Down In Dua
A forgotten Sunnah …
Do you know why the Imam sometimes holds his hands facing down when making Du’a (supplication)?
It is reported in Sahih Muslim:
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم اسْتَسْقَى فَأَشَارَ بِظَهْرِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ
“Anas b. Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed for rain POINTING THE BACK OF HIS HANDS TO THE SKY.”
[“Sahih Muslim”, 895b].
https://sunnah.com/muslim:895b
Other narrations don’t restrict it to the rain prayer:
It is also reported in a Hadith:
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ إِذَا سَأَلَ جَعَلَ بَاطِنَ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَيْهِ، وَإِذَا اسْتَعَاذَ جَعَلَ ظَاهِرَهُمَا إِلَيْهِ
“When the Prophet asked something to happen from God, he would make his palms face the sky. However, when he wanted to avoid something, he would make his palms face the ground.”
[“Musnad Ahmad”, 27/98].
Imam Al-Haythami said:
قال الهيثمي في « مجمع الزوائد » (10/ 168) :« رواه أحمد مرسلاً، وإسناده حسن »!
“It has been narrated by Ahmad in Mursal form, and the chain of narrators is good (hassan).”
[“Majma’ al-Zawaid”, 10/168].
The reliability of this second narration is disputed, but many scholars adopted this practice:
Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani said:
قال النووي: قال العلماء: السنة في كل دعاء لرفع البلاء أن يرفع يديه جاعلاً ظهور كفيه إلى السماء، وإذا دعا بسؤال شيء وتحصيله أن يجعل بطن كفيه إلى السماء.
“Imam Nawawi said: The scholars said: The Sunnah in every supplication when asking for protection from afflictions is that one should turn the palms downwards, and when asking for blessings, upwards toward heaven.”
[“Fath al-Bari”, 2/601].
Imam al-Isnawi said:
قال الاسنوي: أن السنة لمن دعا لرفع بلاء أن يجعل ظهر كفيه إلى السماء، ولمن دعا لتحصيل شئ أن يجعل بطنهما إلى السماء.
“When asking for the relief of a calamity, the Sunnah is to raise the back of the hand to the sky and when one asks to get something, they raise the palm of the hand towards the sky.”
[“Al-Muhimmat”, 3/89].
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami affirms this in Tuhfah (3/78):
قَالَ تَعَالَى {ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً} [الأعراف: ٥٥] وَيَجْعَلُونَ ظُهُورَ أَكُفِّهِمْ إلَى السَّمَاءِ كَمَا ثَبَتَ فِي مُسْلِمٍ وَكَذَا يُسَنُّ ذَلِكَ لِكُلِّ مَنْ دَعَا لِرَفْعِ بَلَاءٍ وَلَوْ فِي الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ لِيُنَاسِبَ الْمَقْصُودَ وَهُوَ الرَّفْعُ بِخِلَافِ قَاصِدِ تَحْصِيلِ شَيْءٍ، فَإِنَّهُ يَجْعَلُ بَطْنَ كَفِّهِ إلَى السَّمَاءِ.
Imam ar-Ramli is asked about this by a questioner and he responds with the mu’tamad and extends it even to (prevent) something that hasn’t happened.
(سُئِلَ) عَمَّنْ دَعَا بِطَلَبِ رَفْعِ شَيْءٍ هَلْ يَرْفَعُ ظَهْرَ كَفَّيْهِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ الشَّيْءُ وَاقِعًا؟
(فَأَجَابَ) بِأَنَّهُ يُسَنُّ لِلدَّاعِي لِرَفْعِ بَلَاءٍ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَقَعْ رَفْعُ ظَهْرِ كَفَّيْهِ إلَى السَّمَاءِ.
(Fatawa ar-Ramli, 1/134)
Furthermore, It’s come in Hashiyah of Bujayrami on al-Iqna’ of Khateeb-i Shirbini that the participants in the prayer should do the same.
وَيَرْفَعُ الْحَاضِرُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ فِي الدُّعَاءِ مُشِيرِينَ بِظُهُورِ أَكُفَّهُمْ إلَى السَّمَاءِ لِلِاتِّبَاعِ، وَالْحِكْمَةُ فِيهِ أَنَّ الْقَصْدَ رَفْعُ الْبَلَاءِ بِخِلَافِ الْقَاصِدِ حُصُولَ شَيْءٍ.
(2/245)
Let’s revive this forgotten Sunnah…
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