My father said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to raise both his hands up to the level of his shoulders when opening the prayer; and on saying the Takbir for bowing. And on raising his head from bowing he used to do the same and then say "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka l-hamd." And he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.
Hadith Text & Context
"My father said, 'Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to raise both his hands up to the level of his shoulders when opening the prayer; and on saying the Takbir for bowing. And on raising his head from bowing he used to do the same and then say "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka l-hamd." And he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.'"
Book: Sahih al-Bukhari | Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 735
Scholarly Commentary
This narration establishes three specific positions during prayer where hand-raising (raf' al-yadayn) is legislated: at the opening takbir, when bowing into ruku', and when rising from ruku'. The hands are raised to shoulder-level with fingers naturally spread.
The wisdom behind raising hands demonstrates submission and magnification of Allah, as if the worshipper is casting aside worldly concerns. When rising from ruku', the hands are raised before saying "Sami'a Allahu liman hamidah" to maintain the proper sequence of movements.
The explicit exclusion of hand-raising during prostration clarifies that this practice is limited to these three instances only, preventing innovation in prayer acts not established by the Prophet.
Legal Rulings
This hadith forms the primary evidence for the Sunnah of raising hands in prayer according to the majority of scholars including Imam al-Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad. The Hanafi school interprets similar narrations differently, limiting hand-raising to the opening takbir only.
The practice is considered emphasized Sunnah (Sunnah mu'akkadah), and omitting it intentionally without valid reason is disliked but doesn't invalidate the prayer according to most scholars.
Spiritual Significance
Each hand-raising symbolizes casting aside distractions and fully turning to Allah. The movement physically demonstrates the transition between prayer postures while maintaining continuous spiritual awareness.
The synchronization of physical action with verbal remembrance (takbir) exemplifies the integration of body and soul in worship, fulfilling the Quranic command to "establish prayer" in its complete form.