A Discussion with a Modern Day Maliki on Placing the Hands on the Chest or Side

A Discussion with a Modern Day Maliki on placing the Hands on the Chest or Side 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

A poet once said:

السدل بدعة قبح لا صلاح به               و ليس فيه سوى الإعراض عن سنن

القبض جاءت به الأخبار ثابتة             تفيد شرعته من غير ما وهن

Letting the hands fall on the side is an evil innovation which isn’t right

Doing it is nothing more than turning away from the Sunnan

Placing the hands on the chest has been mentioned in the authentic reports

These reports prove its legislated except if  a person is incapable of it

Many of the contemporary scholars of the Maliki Jurisprudence School are stringent in regards to the issue of lowering the hands by their sides while praying to point they say, “Placing the hands of the chest during prayer is Haraam.”

Those who blindly follow this view do so without any proof or evidence from the Quran, or, Sunnah, or Salaf. There are a few observations as to why this view has spread, and in this article, we will glance at their views and discuss what’s the strongest.

• Weak hadith as support.

مُعَاذِ بن جَبَلٍ، قَالَ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا”كَانَ فِي صَلاتِهِ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ قُبَالَةَ أُذُنَيْهِ، فَإِذَا كَبَّرَ أَرْسَلَهُمَا

Mu’adh ibn Jabal (Radi Allah anhu) said : The Prophet (sallAllahu Alayhi wa salam) used to raise both his hands up to his ears and say when he said, “ Allahu Akbar” he lowered them by his sides. [ At-Tabarani:14/478]

In the isnad of this hadith is a narrator named, Al-Khaseeb ibn Jahdar. He has been recorded as being a liar by Imam Al-Bukhari, Ibn Qattan, Shu’bah, and Ibn Ma’een.

• The hadith of Humayd As-Sa’idee which doesn’t mention placing the hands on the chest.

The contemporary Maliki’s take the view that every hadith which doesn’t mention placing hands on the chest during prayer is proof for placing them on the sides.

This isn’t a strong argument from a couple of  angles;

1: The fact that placing the hands on the chest during the prayer wasn’t mentioned doesn’t mean it didn’t happen absolutely.

2: Similarly to how placing the hands on the chest weren’t mentioned, then neither was leaving them on the sides.

• Placing the hands on the chest has been abrogated by placing them on the sides.

This claim is also false as scholars like Ibn Abdul Bar mentioned. The scholars have said that the only things that are abrogated are rulings; Wajib, Haraam, and Halal and not Sunnah or Makruh. Moreover, for a ruling to be abrogated it must be done by the Quran and the Sunnah, and not the verdicts of the Sahabah.

• The people of Madinah used to pray with their hands on their sides

This position doesn’t hold any weight from 4 perspectives;

1. The scholars who narrated the Maliki School of Jurisprudence didn’t mention that the people of Madina used to pray in this fashion. From among those scholars are; At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Al-Munthir, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Hazm, An-Nawawi, and Ibn Qudammah. The only one who mentioned that it was the way the people of Madinah prayed was Imam As-Sawy.

2. There is no authentic chain of narration back to the people of Madinah about this act, nor is there a consensus among them. The only one who mentioned it was Sa’eed ibn Musayb.

3. The four rightly guided Caliphs all prayed with their hands on their chest and this fashion of praying was done by their students and their followers as mentioned by the first 3 generations.

4. The issue of the people of Madinah being proof for Imam Malik’s school of Jurisprudence is only mentioned in 90 issues and praying with the hands by the side wasn’t one of them.

• Some say the hadith in Al-Bukhari and Muslim is weak

Saying the hadith in Al-Bukhari and Muslim are weak goes against the consensus of the scholars who say otherwise and consider both books are  Sahih. Going against the consensus of the scholars is Haraam

Imam An-Nawawi said: There is a consensus that the most authentic books after the Quran are Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Ironically, saying the hadith for placing the hands on the chest found in Al-Bukhari is weak would by default make the same hadith found in the Muwatta of Imam Malik weak as well. Reason being, Imam Al-Bukhari narrated the hadith by way of Imam Malik’s chain. Also scholars like Imam Ash-Shafa’I and Qadi Iyyad, and Muhammad Bazmoul all consider the Muwatta as an authentic book.

• The Prophet disliked praying with his hands on the chest as it was from the acts of the Jews.

The hadith is Mursal as Imam Hasan Al-Basri reported it on the Prophet and he wasn’t a companion.

عَنِ الْحَسَنِ ، قَال َ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إلَى أَحْبَارِ بَنِي إسْرَائِيلَ وَاضِعِي أَيْمَانِهِمْ عَلَى شَمَائِلِهِمْ فِي الصَّلاَةِ.

“It’s like I’m looking at a priest from the Children of Israel by placing the right hand on the left hand during the prayer.”[Musanaf Ibn Abi Shaybah:3958]

And even if they wanted to say it’s fine to use a Mursal Hadith, then we’d reject as we have a hadith with is Mar’fu Hukm [attributed to the Prophet] by Abu Darda [Radi Allah anhu]

مِنْ أَخْلاَقِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَضْعُ الْيَمِينِ عَلَى الشِّمَالِ فِي الصَّلاَةِ.

From the manners of the Prophets is to place the right hand over the left while praying.” [ Musanaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 3957]

When the Mar’fu hadith is present then no consideration is given to the Mursal in the Jurisprudence of the Imams.

In conclusion, there are so many other angles to argue that show why placing the hands on the chest is the legislated way of the Prophet, his companions, and the Salaf. However, in order to avoid a long drawn out discussion, I felt that summarizing their arguments and mentioning why they are weak would suffice as an awareness to those who seek the truth and perfection belongs solely to Allah.

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Prepare and arranged by;

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha, Qatar 1439©

Refer to

• Irsal Malik by Imam Mulla Ali Al-Qari
• Tanbeen An-Nasik Al-Abid by Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Qadir [1418H]