Do you raise your hands in dua?

The four schools agree on this.

Explanation

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Your Lord is shy and generous; He is shy, when His servant raises his hands to Him, to return them empty." He also taught to ask Allah with the palms of the hands, not their backs. Anas reports that in a dua for rain he raised his hands so high that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen. The four schools agree that raising the hands is recommended.

Anas also said he did not raise his hands in any of his duas except for rain. The scholars explain that Anas meant raising them that high, since other authentic reports show the Prophet ﷺ raising his hands in many duas.

• Hold your palms up and open, at chest level, together or slightly apart.
• Face the qibla if you can.
• Do not raise your hands during the duas inside the prayer, such as in sujood or the tashahhud.
• Listeners do not raise their hands during the Friday khutbah, since they must listen in silence.

Some scholars outside the Hanafi school do not raise their hands for a regular dua after every fard prayer, holding that it is not reported as a fixed habit. The Hanafi position rests on the general hadith above, and either way it should never be treated as part of the salah. For the end of the dua, see wiping your face after dua, and for the full manners, how to make dua properly.

The evidence

Where the ruling is recorded

• Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Chapter on the adhkar after the prayer. Raising the hands for dua after the prayer, with the palms toward the sky.
• Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the description of prayer, discussion of dua after the salam. The manners of dua after the prayer.

This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.