{"_id":"668da04f0b76658b4c2333d3","title":"Where should one place their hands while standing in Salah?","question":"I was recently corrected by a person at my local Masjid about my hand placement in Salah before Ruku. Sometimes, I place my right arm over my left forearm with my right hand clasping the end of my forearm but before my elbow. I was told that this was impermissible and that my right hand should strictly be above my left hand and that’s it. The person said all four main Madhabs are in agreement on this but I didn’t fact check him. Is it impermissible to have my right forearm over my left and clasping my forearm in Salah? And what are the permissible hand placements for Salah? And if possible, can you please reference some sources as well?","answer":"To begin with, the positioning of the hands during prayer is not a matter of halal or haram; it is a recommended practice. Therefore, ultimately, where one places their hands will not invalidate their prayer. Even if one were to rest their left hand on the forearm before the elbow, it would not be considered impermissible; it might go against recommended practices, but it would not be sinful.\n\nNow, addressing the second assertion: there is no consensus on clasping the hands, as Imam Malik suggests that it is disliked to clasp hands during obligatory prayers and only recommends it for supererogatory prayers. Regarding the placement of the hands, the opinion of the Shafis and Malikis is to position them between the chest and abdomen, and below the navel according to the Hanafis and Hanbalis. Both opinions are supported by hadith evidence. Additionally, concerning how the clasping is performed, none of the schools advocate clasping near the elbow; rather, it should be closer to the wrist. Here's a breakdown of the positions of the four schools regarding clasping and hand placement:\n\nThe Hanafi school differs in the way of clasping between men and women, as they say that the man takes with his right hand the wrist of the left, such that the index finger and thumb hover over the wrist and the three fingers are extended.\nAl-Kasani said: He hovers his thumb, index finger, and middle finger and places the ring finger and pinky finger on his wrist. As for the woman, she places her palm on the other palm.\nThe Maliki and Hanbali schools say that he clasps with his right hand on the wrist of the left, because the Prophet ﷺ placed his right hand on the left.\nAnd the Shafi'i school says: he clasps with his right palm on the wrist and some of the forearm, and he spreads his fingers in the width of the joint or he spreads them towards the forearm; as Wail ibn Hujr narrated: I said, 'Let me see how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prays,' so I looked at him and he placed his right hand on the back of his left hand, wrist, and forearm.","tags":[{"_id":"668d9fe30b76658b4c23281e","tag":"Salah: Other","count":138},{"_id":"668d9ff90b76658b4c232aa0","tag":"Knowledge: Madhabs","count":65}],"createdOn":"2024-07-09T20:40:47.898Z"}