the former is more frequent. Al-Athram said: I said to Abu Abd Allah: To what extent should one raise [the hands] in the act of raising? He replied: As for me, I prefer the level of the shoulders due to the hadith of Ibn Umar, and whoever chooses to raise his hands to the level of his ears is also doing well. This is because the narrators of the first [opinion] are more numerous and closer to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), while he permitted the other [opinion] because the authenticity of its narration indicates that he would sometimes do this and sometimes that.
Section: It is recommended to extend one's fingers at the time of raising them and to press them together, because Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), when he entered into prayer, would raise his hands extended (6). Al-Shafi'i said: The Sunnah is to spread one's fingers; [because of what Abu Hurayrah narrated] (7) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would spread his fingers for the Takbir (8). Our view is what we have mentioned, and as for their hadith, Al-Tirmidhi said: This is a mistake, and the authentic version is what we have narrated (9). Furthermore, even if it were authentic, its meaning would be the extension of the fingers. Ahmad said: The scholars of Arabic have said: This is compression (damm) and one compresses his fingers, and this is spreading (nashr) and extending one's fingers, and this is separation (tafriq) and one separates his fingers. Also, spreading does not necessitate separation, like the spreading of a garment; that is why it is used for a single object, and there is no separation in it.
Section: He begins raising his hands at the beginning of the Takbir, and its conclusion coincides with the completion of the Takbir; neither one should precede the other. If the Takbir is completed, he lowers his hands. If he forgets to raise his hands until he finishes the Takbir, he does not raise them, because it is a Sunnah whose time has passed. And if he remembers it
(6) Recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on One Who Did Not Mention Raising [the hands] at the Time of Bowing, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/173. Al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Reported Regarding Spreading the Fingers at the Time of Takbir, from the Chapters on Prayer. Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/39. Al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on Raising the Hands Extended, from the Book of Opening the Prayer. Al-Mujtaba 2/95. Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on Raising the Hands When Bowing and When Rising from Bowing, from the Book of Establishing Prayer. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/279, 280. Al-Darimi, in: The Chapter on Raising the Hands at the Opening of the Prayer, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Al-Darimi 1/281. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/375, 434, 500. (7) In manuscript M: "Because of what was narrated from Abu Hurayrah". (8) Recorded by Al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Reported Regarding Spreading the Fingers at the Time of Takbir, from the Chapters on Prayer. Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/39. (9) Al-Tirmidhi's phrasing after citing the hadith of "raising his hands extended": This is more authentic than the hadith of Yahya ibn Yaman [meaning: he spreads his fingers], and the hadith of Yahya ibn Yaman is a mistake.
