What is the opinion of Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani on placing the right hand over the left hand in prayer?
There is no disagreement among Muslims that placing the right hand over the left hand in prayer is not obligatory; because most of the narrations describing the prayer of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, are devoid of any mention of it, and if it were obligatory, they would not be devoid of its mention; because it would be a delay in explaining at the time when it is needed. However, they disagree about its ruling after agreeing that it is not obligatory. Most of them have considered it recommended; because it has been mentioned in some narrations. Some people have considered it not recommended; because it is obligatory to comply with the narrations that do not include this addition; considering that they are more, and because this addition is not relevant to the actions of prayer and is only by way of seeking help[1]. Furthermore, those who have considered it not recommended have disagreed among themselves; some of them, the majority of the Malikis, have considered it detested because it is a form of leaning, and leaning in prayer is detested, except in a nafilah prayer when the standing position is prolonged, and some of them, the majority of the Imamiyyah, have considered it forbidden and stated that it invalidates the prayer; because there are narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt that prohibit it; as it has been narrated from Ali, peace be upon him, that he said: «لَا يَجْمَعُ الْمُسْلِمُ يَدَيْهِ فِي صَلَاتِهِ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَتَشَبَّهُ بِأَهْلِ الْكُفْرِ»[2]; “A Muslim does not hold his hands together in prayer while he is standing before Allah the Exalted, the Majestic, copying the people of disbelief,” and from Ali ibn al-Husain, peace be upon them, that he said: «وَضْعُ الرَّجُلِ إِحْدَى يَدَيْهِ عَلَى الْأُخْرَى فِي الصَّلَاةِ عَمَلٌ، وَلَيْسَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ عَمَلٌ»[3]; “A man’s placing one of his hands on the other in prayer is an (additional) action, and there is no (additional) action in prayer.” A report similar to this has been narrated from Ali, peace be upon him[4]. Also, it has been narrated from Abu Ja‘far, peace be upon them, that he said: «إِذَا قُمْتَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَعَلَيْكَ بِالْإِقْبَالِ عَلَى صَلَاتِكَ، وَلَا تُكَفِّرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ الْمَجُوسُ»[5]; “When you stand up for prayer, focus on your prayer, and do not place your hands on your chests; because the Magians do that,” and from Ja‘far, peace be upon him, that he said: «إِذَا كُنْتَ قَائِمًا فِي الصَّلَاةِ، فَلَا تَضَعْ يَدَكَ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى الْيُسْرَى وَلَا الْيُسْرَى عَلَى الْيُمْنَى، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ تَكْفِيرُ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ، وَلَكِنْ أَرْسِلْهُمَا إِرْسَالًا، فَإِنَّهُ أَحْرَى أَنْ لَا يَشْغَلَ نَفْسَكَ عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ»[6]; “When you are standing in prayer, do not place your right hand over your left hand, nor your left hand over your right hand; because placing the hands over each other is what the people of the Book do. Rather, let them hang down; that is more likely not to distract you from prayer.” Also, Ali ibn Ja‘far has narrated from his brother Musa ibn Ja‘far, peace be upon them, and said: «سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ فِي صَلَاتِهِ، أَيَضَعُ إِحْدَى يَدَيْهِ عَلَى الْأُخْرَى بِكَفِّهِ أَوْ ذِرَاعِهِ؟ قَالَ: لَا يَصْلُحُ ذَلِكَ، فَإِنْ فَعَلَ فَلَا يَعُودُ لَهُ»[7]; “I asked him about a man who is in his prayer, ‘Should he place one of his hands over the other with his palm or his forearm?’ He said: ‘That is not correct. If he does that, he should not repeat it.’” However, as you can see, these narrations are not explicit about this practice being prohibited, let alone invalidating prayer, but rather they indicate the detestation held by the majority of the Malikis and some of the Imamiyyah; especially considering that it does not disturb the standing position, contradict tranquility, spoil the manner of prayer, or constitute a gross innovation. Therefore, only the detestation remains, and that is true in the opinion of His Eminence Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him; as one of our companions informed us, he said:
«سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنِ الْقَبْضِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، فَكَرِهَهُ وَقَالَ: أَقُولُ فِيهِ بِقَوْلِ فُقَهَاءِ الْمَدِينَةِ، قُلْتُ: تُرِيدُ مَالِكًا؟ قَالَ: مَالِكًا وَخَيْرًا مِنْ مَالِكٍ»[8]; “I asked Mansoor about holding (one hand over the other) in prayer. So he considered it detested and said: ‘I say about it according to the view of the jurists of Medina.’ I said: ‘Do you mean Malik?’ He said: ‘Malik and those better than Malik.’”
This is also the view of Abdullah ibn al-Zubair, Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, Sa‘id ibn Jubair, Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i, Hasan al-Basri, Ata’, ibn Jurayj, Layth ibn Sa‘d, Muhammad ibn Sirin, and others. It has been narrated that “Sa‘id ibn Jubair saw a man performing prayer with one hand placed on the other, so he went and separated them.”[9] The evidence for this, as mentioned previously, is that most of the narrations describing the prayer of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, are devoid of any mention of it. Rather, it is not mentioned in any authentic narration, and the narrations that mention it are either weak, mursal, or mawquf. For this reason, al-Bukhari has included only one of them in his Sahih, which is the narration of Abu Hazim from Sahl ibn Sa‘d that he said: «كَانَ النَّاسُ يُؤْمَرُونَ أَنْ يَضَعَ الرَّجُلُ الْيَدَ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى ذِرَاعِهِ الْيُسْرَى فِي الصَّلَاةِ، قَالَ أَبُو حَازِمٍ: لَا أَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا يَنْمِي ذَلِكَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ: يُنْمَى ذَلِكَ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ يَنْمِي»[10]; “‘People were ordered to place the right hand on the left forearm in prayer.’ Abu Hazim said: ‘All I know is that he has attributed it to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family.’ Isma‘il said: ‘It was attributed to him. He did not say that he attributed it to him.’” This narration, as you can see, is mawquf and contains some uncertainty and ambiguity that weaken its authenticity; as Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Tahir al-Dani has said in Atraf al-Muwatta’: “This is a ma‘lul hadith; because it is (based on) conjecture and assumption.”[11] What further weakens it is that the first person to narrate it was Malik, and he was one of those who said that it is detested. This means that he did not consider it reliable, which is why Muslim did not include it in his Sahih, but rather included another narration, which is the narration of Alqamah ibn Wa’il from his father Wa’il ibn Hujr «أَنَّهُ رَأَى النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حِينَ دَخَلَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، كَبَّرَ، ثُمَّ الْتَحَفَ بِثَوْبِهِ، ثُمَّ وَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى الْيُسْرَى، فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ أَخْرَجَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الثَّوْبِ، ثُمَّ رَفَعَهُمَا، ثُمَّ كَبَّرَ فَرَكَعَ»[12]; “that he saw the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, raise his hands when he entered prayer, say takbir, then wrap himself in his garment, then place his right hand on his left hand. When he wanted to bow, he took his hands out of the garment, then raised them, then said takbir and bowed.” However, this narration is most likely mursal; as ibn Abi Khaythamah has said: “Yahya ibn Ma‘in was asked about (the narration of) Alqamah ibn Wa’il from his father. So he said: ‘(it is) mursal,’”[13] and al-Tirmidhi has said: ‘I asked Muhammad -meaning al-Bukhari- about Alqamah ibn Wa’il, ‘Did he hear from his father?’ So he said: ‘He was born six months after his father’s death.’”[14] Moreover, there is a contradiction in this narration; because it has been said in it that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, wrapped himself in his garment and put his hands inside it. How then did the narrator know that he placed his right hand on his left hand while they were under the garment?! Perhaps it appeared so to him, or perhaps the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, took the ends of his garment so that it would not fall or come undone, or he did that because he was cold or had a pain in his hand; as it appears so from the statement of Malik; he said about placing the right hand on the left hand in prayer: “I do not know of that in obligatory prayer -and he detested it-, but in nawafil, if the standing position is prolonged, then there is nothing wrong with doing it to support oneself.”[15] Therefore, no proof is established by this narration.
Yes, Alqamah ibn Wa‘il has not been the only one to narrate it, and Asim ibn Kulayb has also narrated from his father, from Wa’il ibn Hujr that he said: «رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي، فَأَخَذَ شِمَالَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ»[16]; “I saw the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, performing prayer, and he took hold of his left hand with his right hand.” However, it has been narrated from Ali ibn al-Madini that he said about Asim ibn Kulayb: “His narrations are not quoted as evidence if he is the only narrator,”[17] and this weakens his credibility. Also, it has been narrated from Hasan ibn Ubaidullah that he said: “I said to Asim ibn Kulayb: ‘You are an old man who lost his mind,’”[18] and it has been said that he was a Murji’i[19]. Even if his narration were authentic, it would be completely inadequate; because it ends with Wa’il ibn Hujr, who had only seen the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, for a few days during his visit to him. If this action was known from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, in his prayers at night and day, it would have become well-known and widely transmitted from his companions. However, what has been soundly narrated from Wa’il ibn Hujr has not been soundly narrated from any of them. Therefore, Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i has rejected his hadith and said: “Do you think that Wa’il ibn Hujr is more knowledgeable than Ali and Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud?! He is a Bedouin who does not know the laws of Islam, and he only performed one prayer with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family. So perhaps he did it only once.”[20] Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i spoke the truth, and he was one of the great and wise followers of the Sahabah. It is possible that the narration of Asim ibn Kulayb is abbreviated from the narration of Alaqamah ibn Wa’il, and the contradiction in the narration of Alqamah has been explained previously. This is the case with the other narrations on this topic; because they are weaker in terms of chain of narrators or indication, which we have already mentioned.
This is also the case with what has been narrated from Ali, peace be upon him, that he said: «وَضْعُ الْيَمِينِ عَلَى الشِّمَالِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ تَحْتَ السُّرَّةِ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ»[21]; “Placing the right hand on the left hand in prayer below the navel is from the Sunnah,” and with what has been narrated from Uqbah ibn Zabyan, from Ali, peace be upon him, that about the words of Allah Almighty: ﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ﴾[22]; “So pray to your Lord and sacrifice,” he said: «وَضْعُ الْيَمِينِ عَلَى الشِّمَالِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ»[23]; “Placing the right hand on the left hand in prayer.” They are not authentic; because the first narration includes Ziyad ibn Zayd, who is unknown, and the second one includes Asim al-Jahdari, who was one of the reciters and “his recitation was odd and not proven,” as stated by al-Dhahabi[24], and one whose recitation is like that, his narration is odder and less proven. Therefore, al-Haythami has not considered him trustworthy, when he said after a hadith narrated through him: “It includes Asim al-Jahdari, who was a reciter. Al-Dhahabi has said: ‘His recitation was odd and contained what is reprehensible.’ The rest of its narrators are trustworthy.”[25] In addition, his narration from Uqbah ibn Dabyan is not proven; as ibn Abi Hatim has said: “He narrated from Uqbah ibn Dabyan, and some of them say: ‘from his father, from Uqbah,’”[26] while his father is not known. Rather, al-Maturidi has narrated this narration as the words of Asim and has not attributed it to Ali, peace be upon him[27]. Moreover, what further weakens his narration is that it contradicts what has been narrated from Ali, peace be upon him, that about the words of Allah Almighty: ﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ﴾; “So pray to your Lord and sacrifice,” he said: «النَّحْرُ رَفْعُ الْيَدَيْنِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ نَحْوَ الْوَجْهِ»[28]; “The sacrifice is raising the hands in prayer toward the face,” and in another narration, he said: «لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ ﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ﴾ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: يَا جِبْرِيلُ، مَا هَذِهِ النَّحِيرَةُ الَّتِي أَمَرَنِي بِهَا رَبِّي؟ فَقَالَ: إِنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِنَحِيرَةٍ، وَلَكِنَّهَا رَفْعُ الْأَيْدِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ»[29]; “When it was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: ‘So pray to your Lord and sacrifice,’ the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: ‘O Jibril! What is this sacrifice that my Lord has commanded me?’ So he said: ‘It is not a sacrifice, but it is raising the hands in prayer.’” The Imams from the descendants of Ali, peace be upon him, have said the same; as al-Bayhaqi has said: «رُوِّينَا عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ، ﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ﴾ قَالَ: رَفْعُ الْيَدَيْنِ»[30]; “It has been narrated to us from Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husain (that about the words of Allah Almighty,) ‘So pray to your Lord and sacrifice’ he said: ‘Raising the hands.’” A similar report has also been narrated from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad[31]. It is not unlikely that this is what has been reached Asim al-Jahdari from Ali, peace be upon him, but he went wrong in it and then interpreted raising the hands in prayer as placing the right hand on the left hand; as Judge Husain went wrong in it in his Ta‘liqah, when he said: “When His words: ﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ﴾; ‘So pray to your Lord and sacrifice,’ was revealed, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to Jibril: ‘What is this sacrifice that my Lord has commanded me?’ Jibril, peace be upon him, said: ‘This is not one of your sacrifices, but rather it is placing the right hand on the left hand below the chest in prayer.’”[32] Moreover, it contradicts what has been narrated from Ali, peace be upon him, through his descendants that he said: «لَا يَجْمَعُ الْمُسْلِمُ يَدَيْهِ فِي صَلَاتِهِ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَتَشَبَّهُ بِأَهْلِ الْكُفْرِ»; “A Muslim does not hold his hands together in prayer while he is standing before Allah the Exalted, the Majestic, copying the people of disbelief.” The detestation of this action due to it being an act of copying the people of disbelief, which has been stated in his narration and his descendants’ narration, is decisive proof; because there is no disagreement among Muslims about the detestation of copying the people of disbelief, and holding one hand over the other is undoubtedly an act of copying the people of disbelief; because it is evident in the remaining relics of the house of Pharaoh; as you can see it on their statues in the picture below:
This is what His Eminence Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, has explicitly referred to in the report that one of his companions told us; he said:
«سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ التَّكْفِيرِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، فَقَالَ: إِنِّي وَاللَّهِ لَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ أَتَشَبَّهَ بِآلِ فِرْعَوْنَ، أَلَا تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى تَمَاثِيلِهِمْ كَيْفَ يُكَفِّرُونَ؟! قُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ سُنَّةٌ! قَالَ: سُنَّةٌ لِآلِ فِرْعَوْنَ! ثُمَّ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُرْسِلُ يَدَيْهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، وَكَانَ لَا يَتَصَنَّعُ كَمَا تَتَصَنَّعُونَ»[33]; “I asked him about placing the hands over each other in prayer. So he said: ‘Indeed, by Allah, I hate to copy the house of Pharaoh! Do you not see their statues, how they have placed their hands over each other?!’ I said: ‘They say it is Sunnah!’ He said: ‘A sunnah for the house of Pharaoh!’ Then he said: ‘The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, let his hands hang down in prayer, and he did not act pretentiously as you do!’”
Acting pretentiously is feigning proper conduct, which may manifest in the effort to position the limbs in a specific way that is usually not typical of them in order to display humbleness or other qualities that should reside within the heart, regardless of whether or not they actually exist in it. It has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, that he said: «تَعَوَّذُوا بِاللَّهِ مِنْ خُشُوعِ النِّفَاقِ، قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَمَا خُشُوعُ النِّفَاقِ؟ قَالَ: خُشُوعُ الْبَدَنِ وَنِفَاقُ الْقَلْبِ»[34]; “‘Seek refuge with Allah from hypocritical humbleness.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! What is hypocritical humbleness?’ He said: ‘Humbleness of the body and hypocrisy of the heart.’” Abu al-Darda’ has said in his commentary on it: “It is that you see the body humbled while the heart is not humbled.”[35] In another narration, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, said: «مَا زَادَ خُشُوعُ الْجَسَدِ عَلَى مَا فِي الْقَلْبِ فَهُوَ عِنْدَنَا نِفَاقٌ»[36]; “If the humbleness of the body exceeds what is in the heart, it is hypocrisy in our view.” Therefore, Fudayl ibn Iyad has said: “It was detested that a man should be seen to have more humbleness than what was in his heart.”[37] It has been mentioned that Umar ibn al-Khattab saw a man bowing his head in prayer; then he said: “O man with the bowed neck! Raise your head. Humbleness is not in necks, but rather in hearts.”[38] Ibn al-Qayyim has said: “One of them saw a man with bowed shoulders and body. So he said: ‘O so-and-so! Humbleness is here,’ and he pointed at his chest, ‘not here,’ and pointed at his shoulders.”[39] Abu al-Hasan al-Lakhmi has narrated that one of them expressed detestation for holding one hand over the other in prayer, “fearing that he might display humbleness with his limbs that is not harbored in his heart.”[40] This is the correct view.