435 Maalik, Bukhaari & Abu Daawood.
436 Bukhaari , Muslim & Ahmad. It is given in Irwaa' (no. 307).
437 Bukhaari & Muslim (first sentence only), Daarimi, Haakim, Shaafi'i & Ahmad. By 'bones' here is meant those of the spinal structure, the vertebrae, as has preceded in the main text.
*NB: The meaning of this hadeeth is clear and obvious: to be at ease in this standing. As for the usage of this hadeeth by our brothers from the Hijaaz and elsewhere as evidence to justify placing the right hand on the left in this standing, it is far-removed from the meaning of the multitude of narrations of this hadeeth. In fact it is a false argument, since the placing mentioned is not referred to with regard to the first standing in any of the narrations or wordings of the hadeeth; therefore, how can "the bones taking their proper places" mentioned in the hadeeth be interpreted as referring to the right hand taking hold of the left before rukoo'?! This would apply if all the versions of the hadeeth could be construed to mean this, so what about when they imply an obviously different meaning? In fact, this placing of theirs cannot be inferred from the hadeeth at all, since what is meant by "bones" is the bones of the spine, as confirmed by the Sunnah, "... he would stand straight until every vertebra returned to its place."
I, for one, am in no doubt that to place the hands on the chest in this standing is an innovation and a leading astray, for it is not mentioned in any of the ahaadeeth about prayer, despite their large number. Had this practice any foundation, it would have reached us by at least one narration. Further, not one of the Salaf practised it, nor has a single leading scholar of hadeeth mentioned it, as far as I know.
This is not inconsistent with what Shaikh Tuwaijiri has quoted in his article (pp. 18-19) from Imaam Ahmad (rahimahullaah), "if one wishes, he may leave his hands by his sides, or, if he wishes, he can place them on his chest", for Imaam Ahmad did not attribute this to the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), but said it from his own ijtihaad and opinion, and opinion can be erroneous. When authentic evidence establishes the innovatory nature of any practice, such as this one, then the saying of an imaam in its favour does not negate its being an innovation, as Shaikh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) has written. In fact, I see in these words of his, an indication that Imaam Ahmad did not regard the above- mentioned placing as being proved in the Sunnah, for he allowed a choice between practising it and leaving it! - Does the respected shaikh think that the Imaam also allowed a similar choice regarding placing the hands before rukoo'? Thus, it is proved that the placing of the hands on the chest in the standing after rukoo' is not part of the Sunnah. This is a brief discussion of this issue, which could be dealt with in more detail and depth, but due to lack of space here, that is done instead in my Refutation against Shaikh Tuwaijiri.
438 Ahmad & Tabaraani in Mu'jam al-Kabeer with a saheeh isnaad.
439 Bukhaari & Muslim.
440 Abu Daawood & Haakim, who declared it saheeh and Dhahabi agreed.
441 Abu Ya'laa in his Musnad (284/2) with a good isnaad & Ibn Khuzaimah (1/79/2) with a different, saheeh isnaad.
442 Nasaa'i, Daaraqutni & Mukhlis in al-Fawaa'id (1/2/2) with two saheeh isnaads. This raising of the hands has been reported from ten Companions, and a number of the Salaf viewed it as correct, among them Ibn 'Umar, Ibn 'Abbas, Hasan Basri, Taawoos, his son 'Abdullaah, Naafi' the freed slave of Ibn 'Umar, Saalim the son of Ibn 'Umar, Qaasim bin Muhammad, 'Abdullaah bin Deenaar & 'Ataa'. Also, 'Abdur Rahmaan bin Mahdi said, "This is from the Sunnah", it was practised by the Imaam of the Sunnah, Ahmad bin Hanbal, and it has been quoted from Maalik & Shaafi'i.
443 Ibn Khuzaimah (1/76/1), Daaraqutni & Haakim, who declared it saheeh and Dhahabi agreed. All the ahaadeeth which contradict this are inauthentic. This way has been endorsed by Maalik, and similar is reported from Ahmad in Ibn al-Jawzi's al-Tahqeeq (108/2). Also, al-Marwazi quoted with a saheeh isnaad, Imam al-Awzaa'i in his Masaa'il (1/147/1) as saying, "I found the people placing their hands before their knees."
444 Abu Daawood, Tammaam in al-Fawaa'id, & Nasaa'i in Sunan as- Sughraa and Sunan al-Kubraa (47/1) with a saheeh isnaad. 'Abdul Haqq declared it saheeh in al-Ahkaam (54/1), and went on to say in Kitaab al-Tahajjud (56/1), "it has a sounder isnaad than the previous one", i.e. the hadeeth of Waa'il which is the other way round (knees before hands). In fact, the latter hadeeth, as well as being contradictory to this saheeh hadeeth and the preceding one, is neither authentic in isnaad nor in meaning, as I have explained in Silsilah al- Ahaadeeth ad-Da'eefah (no. 929) and al-Irwaa' (357).
It should be known that the way to differ from the camel is to place the hands before the knees, because the camel places its knees first; a camel's "knees" are in its forelegs, as defined in Lisaan al-'Arab and other books of the 'Arabic language, and as mentioned by Tahaawi in Mushkil al-Aathaar and Sharh Ma'aani al-Aathaar. Also, Imaam Qaasim al-Saraqusti (rahimahullaah) narrated in Ghareeb al-Hadeeth (2/70/1-2), with a saheeh isnaad, Abu Hurairah's statement, "No one should kneel the way a runaway camel does", and then added, "This is in sajdah. He is saying that one should not throw oneself down, as a runaway (or untamed) camel does, hurriedly and without calmness, but he should go down calmly, placing his hands first, followed by his knees, and an explanatory marfoo' hadeeth has been narrated in this regard." He then mentioned the hadeeth above.
As for Ibn al-Qayyim's extremely strange statement, "These words are incomprehensible, and not understood by the experts of the language", it is answered by the sources which we have mentioned, and also many others which can be consulted. I have also expanded on this in the refutation against Shaikh Tuwaijari, which may be published.
445 Ibn Khuzaimah(1/79/2), Ahmad & Siraaj; Haakim declared it saheeh and Dhahabi agreed. It is given in Irwaa' (313).
446 Abu Daawood & Haakim, who declared it saheeh and Dhahabi agreed.
447 Ibn Khuzaimah, Baihaqi & Haakim, who declared it saheeh and Dhahabi agreed.
448 Baihaqi with a saheeh isnaad. Ibn Abi Shaibah (1/82/2) & Siraaj have related the pointing of the toes in a different narration.
449 Abu Daawood & Tirmidhi, who declared it saheeh, as did Ibn al- Mulaqqin (27/2); it is given in Irwaa' (309).
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