Taken From

AhluSunnahWalJamaah.Com

A Look At The Hadeeths

Concerning Putting Your Hands
On Your Chest & Below Your
Navel In Prayer

By Abdul Kareem Ibn Ozzie

Many Muslims of today pray by placing their hands below the navel
however this incorrect and contradicts the Sunnah.

Those who place their hands below the navel in prayer often use the
hadeeth narrated by Abd ar-rahmaan ibn ishaaq to support their view
tha hadeeth. From irwaa' al-ghaleel (353) and Abu daawood (756),
Daaraqutni (107), Baihaqi (2/310),Ahmed in his son Abdullah's
masaa'il (62/2) and also in Zawaa'id al-musnad (1/110), and Ibn Abi
Shaiba (1/156/1) transmitted: from Abd ar-rahmaan ibn Ishaaq from
Ziyaad ibn zaid as-sawaai from Abu juhaifah from ali (the sahabi),
who said, it is from the sunnah during the prayer to place one palm
on the other, below the navel"

This is a daeef (weak) hadeeth as it as a weak chain of narration

(isnad) due to Abd Ar-Rahmaan Ibn ishaaq (Al-waasiti al koofi) who
is daeef (weak).

(1) Abu daawood - said," i heard Ahmed ibn hanbal declaring Abd ar-
rahmaan ibn ishaaq al- koofi daeef (weak)." This is why imam Ahmed
did not accept this hadeeth of his, for his son Abdullah said, "i saw
that when praying, my father placed his hands, one on the other,
above the navel."

(2) Nawawi- said "in majmoo’ (3/313)'and also in sharh saheeh

muslim and else where, "they (scholar of hadeeth) agree in declaring
this hadeeth weak, because it is a narration of abd ar-rahmaan ibn
ishaaq al-waasiti, who is da'eef (weak) narrator, as agreed upon by
the imaams of jarh and ta'deel (authentication and disparagement of
reporter)"

(3) Zayla'i -said in nasb ar raayah (1/314)," baihaqi said in al-ma'rifah

"its isnaad is not firm, for it is a unique narration of abd ar-rahmaan
ibn ishaaq al-waasiti, who is matrook (abandoned)"
In regards to the hadeeth about placing the hands below the navel all
these scholars have declared it weak (daeef):

1. Abu daawood
2. Daaraqutni
3. Baihaqi
4. Ahmed
5. Ibn Abi Shaiba
6. Imam Nawawi
7. Imam Zaylai

Al-Kamal ibn al-Hamam is of the opinion, "There is no authentic

hadeeth stating that one must place the hands under the chest or
below the navel. According to the Hanifiyyah the hands are to be
placed below the navel and the Shafiyyah say below the chest (or on
the chest over the heart). Ahmad has two narrations corresponding to
these two opinions (Maalikis place their hands by their sides in
prayer). The correct position is somewhere in the middle - to be
equal."

The correct place to put your hands during the prayer is on the centre
of your chest as it is reported by Hulb at-Ta'i, "I saw the Prophet
praying with his right hand over his left upon his chest
above the elbow." This is related by Ahmad and at-
Tirmidhi, who grades it as hasan.

Also Wa'il ibn Hajr said, "Once when I prayed with the
Prophet he placed his right hand over his left upon his
chest." The report is recorded by Ibn Khuzaimah, who
considers it as saheeh, and by Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i
with the wording, "Then he put his right hand over the
back of his left wrist and forearm."