Categories: blessings

Rafa Yadain in Namaz: Hadith and the Views of 5 Imams

Rafa yadain (also written rafa ul yadain or raful yadain) means raising both hands during namaz. Everyone agrees that the hands are raised at the opening takbir. The question is whether they are also raised before ruku and when rising from it. This page explains the hadith on both sides and the views of five great imams, so you can understand why Muslims pray differently and still respect each other.

What Is Rafa Yadain in Namaz?

Rafa yadain is Arabic for “raising the two hands”. In salah it can happen at four points:

At the opening takbir (takbir-e-tahrima). All schools agree on this.
When saying the takbir to go into ruku.
When rising from ruku, while saying “Sami’allahu liman hamidah”.
When standing up for the third rak’ah, according to some scholars.

The basic principle all sides accept is the command of the Prophet ﷺ in Sahih Bukhari 631:

صَلُّوا كَمَا رَأَيْتُمُونِي أُصَلِّي

اسی طرح نماز پڑھو جس طرح تم نے مجھے نماز پڑھتے دیکھا ہے۔

English: “Pray as you have seen me praying.” The disagreement is about what the Companions saw and reported.

Hadith in Favour of Rafa Yadain

Abdullah ibn Umar reported in Sahih Bukhari 735:

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ حَذْوَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ إِذَا افْتَتَحَ الصَّلاَةَ، وَإِذَا كَبَّرَ لِلرُّكُوعِ، وَإِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ رَفَعَهُمَا كَذَلِكَ أَيْضًا، وَكَانَ لاَ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ فِي السُّجُودِ

رسول اللہ ﷺ جب نماز شروع کرتے تو دونوں ہاتھ کندھوں کے برابر اٹھاتے، اور جب رکوع کے لیے تکبیر کہتے اور جب رکوع سے سر اٹھاتے تب بھی اسی طرح ہاتھ اٹھاتے، اور سجدوں میں ایسا نہیں کرتے تھے۔

Sahih Bukhari 736 reports the same from Ibn Umar.
Sahih Bukhari 739 adds raising the hands when standing up after the second rak’ah.
Malik ibn al-Huwairith reported the same three points in Sahih Muslim 391.

Hadith on Not Doing Rafa Yadain

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, one of the most senior Companions, led a prayer to show how the Prophet ﷺ prayed (Jami at-Tirmidhi 257):

أَلاَ أُصَلِّي بِكُمْ صَلاَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَصَلَّى فَلَمْ يَرْفَعْ يَدَيْهِ إِلاَّ فِي أَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ

کیا میں تمہیں رسول اللہ ﷺ کی نماز پڑھ کر نہ دکھاؤں؟ پھر انہوں نے نماز پڑھی اور صرف پہلی مرتبہ ہاتھ اٹھائے۔

Imam Tirmidhi graded this hadith hasan and said that more than one scholar among the Companions and Tabi’in held this view, as did Sufyan ath-Thawri and the scholars of Kufa. A similar report is in Sunan Abi Dawud 748. Some hadith critics, including Abu Dawud himself, questioned this wording, while others accepted it. This is why both practices continue today.

Rafa Yadain: Views of 5 Imams

Here is a neutral summary of the well-known position of each imam on rafa yadain. All of them agree that the prayer is valid either way. The difference is about which practice is more correct or recommended.

Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (Ja’fari fiqh): raising the hands is recommended (mustahabb) with every takbir in the prayer, including the takbir before ruku and before and after sajdah. The well-known Ja’fari view is that it is recommended, not obligatory.
Imam Abu Hanifa (Hanafi): the hands are raised only at the opening takbir. This is based mainly on the hadith of Ibn Mas’ud and the practice of the scholars of Kufa. Most Muslims in Pakistan and India follow this view.
Imam Malik (Maliki): the best-known Maliki position, narrated by Ibn al-Qasim, is to raise the hands only at the opening takbir, following the practice of the people of Madinah. Another narration from Imam Malik matches Ibn Umar’s hadith, which Malik himself narrated in his Muwatta.
Imam Shafi’i (Shafi’i): raise the hands at the opening takbir, before ruku and when rising from ruku, based on the hadith of Ibn Umar and Malik ibn al-Huwairith. This is the view of most Muslims in Indonesia, Malaysia, East Africa and parts of the Arab world.
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Hanbali): the same three points as Imam Shafi’i, and in one narration also when standing up after the second rak’ah (Bukhari 739). Ahl-e-Hadith scholars in Pakistan and India also follow this practice.

Is Namaz Valid Without Rafa Yadain?

Yes. No imam of the four Sunni schools or the Ja’fari school says that prayer becomes invalid because of doing, or not doing, rafa yadain. For those who do it, it is a Sunnah or recommended act, not a pillar (rukn) of salah. A Hanafi may pray behind a Shafi’i imam and the other way round.

The respectful way is to follow the practice of your own school with knowledge, and not to argue with or look down on a brother who prays differently.

How to Do Rafa Yadain Correctly

Raise both hands with palms facing the qiblah and fingers naturally apart.
Bring them to shoulder level, or to the earlobes, as reported in different hadith.
Raise them together with the takbir, not after it.
Lower them calmly and place them in the position of your school.

رفع یدین اردو ترجمہ کے ساتھ

رفع یدین کے بارے میں دونوں طرف کی احادیث اور پانچ ائمہ کی آراء اس صفحے پر غیر جانب دار انداز میں بیان کی گئی ہیں۔ عربی متن کاپی کرنے کے لیے بٹن استعمال کریں۔

FAQ: Rafa Yadain

Rafa yadain karna sunnat hai ya nahi?
Imam Shafi’i, Imam Ahmad aur Ahl-e-Hadith ke nazdeek ruku se pehle aur baad rafa yadain sunnat hai. Imam Abu Hanifa aur mash-hoor Maliki raye mein sirf pehli takbir par haath uthaye jate hain.

Kya rafa yadain na karne se namaz ho jati hai?
Ji haan, kisi bhi imam ke nazdeek is se namaz baatil nahi hoti.

Hanafi rafa yadain kyun nahi karte?
Woh Abdullah ibn Mas’ud ki riwayat (Tirmidhi 257) aur ahl-e-Kufa ke amal par chalte hain.

Shia namaz mein haath kab uthaye jate hain?
Ja’fari fiqh mein har takbir ke saath haath uthana mustahab hai.

کیا رفع یدین نہ کرنے سے نماز ہو جاتی ہے؟
جی ہاں، کسی بھی امام کے نزدیک رفع یدین کرنے یا نہ کرنے سے نماز باطل نہیں ہوتی۔