Raising the Hands During Jummah Khutbah for Duaa’ by Sheykh Ahmad Jibril

Author: Shaykh Ahmad Musa Jibril (Hafidhullah)

Raising hands in general duaa is sunnah with many hadith to support that and it is among the etiquette of duaa in showing humility to Allah subhanu watala.

Alnawawi said:

There is an exception in raising hands in duaa’ and that is where there is proof from the action of the prophet sallah allahu alieh wasalam that he did not do it in particular matters of worship such as during Jummah Khutbah.

The correct opinion is neither the imam nor the followers raise their hands in duaa’.

Al Nawawi commenting on this hadith said:

Ibn Hajar and others mentioned that Anas radia Allahu Anh did not mean in (ALL of duaa’) as his statement may appear, but rather only in specific situations.  In clearer terms, Anas radia Allahu anh meant that he, sallah allahu alieh wasalam, did not raise his hands on the pulpit except in Istiskaa (rain-seeking) prayers.  Even though he did not mention on the pulpit, that’s definitely what he meant because there are so many hadith on raising ones hands in general duaa’.  There is no way that could have went unnoticed by a companion who so long served and followed the prophet Muhammad Sallah Allahu alieh wasalam.

Therefore, it is not in compliance with Sunnah to raise the hands in supplication during  jummah for the imam or for the followers.

We don’t raise our hands in salah, in circumbulating the ka’bah, or running in safah and marwah, even though we make duaa’ in those ibadah.  Likewise, due to the fact that the prophet sallah allahu alieh wasalam did not raise his hands during jummah, we follow in his footsteps and also not raise our hands.

Rasing the hands within a ibadah (circumumbulating the kaa’bah, during jummah, or during salah) is an additional move within a worship that needs proof. That’s why the scholars said it was wrong to raise the hands during jummah.

The prophet sallah allahu alieh wasalam remained preaching on the pulpit for ten years and we don’t have a single authentic narration that he raised his hand in a single jummah.  The sahabah were specific in narrating to us his moves.  He, sallah allah alieh wasalam, did istiskaa (rain-seeking) prayers a few times during his life yet prayed nearly every jummah for ten years.  For istiskaaa, they narrated to us that he raised his hands to the point the whiteness under his armpits show, yet did not narrate the same about jummah.

In fact, they were so specific in narrating his moves during jummah that they narrated he never raised but his index finger while on the pulpit and nothing else.

This shows who in reality follows the sunnah.  We raise our hands on the pulpit during istiskaa and we do not raise our hands during jummah khutbah.  The Prophet sallah allahu alieh wasalam did it in one scenario and one scenario only which was for istiskaa.

As to those who make a distinction between the imam and followers that say the imam does not raise his hands but the followers do:

The respose to that aspect is that in that in analogy (قياس مع نفي الفارق) where there is no difference in the situation, setting or circumstance between the two,  the same ruling applies.  The follower is like the imam because there is no distinguishing factor between the two in qiyas.

Ibn Taymiyyah said in the Fatawa: