The phrase “Raf’ul yadain” refers to the act of raising one’s hands during certain parts of prayer. There are several Hadiths recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari that mention this practice. Here are some of the relevant Hadiths:
- Hadith 735: Narrated by Salim bin Abdullah bin Umar that his father said: “I saw Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) raising both his hands up to the level of his shoulders while pronouncing the Takbir (i.e. saying Allahu Akbar) at the beginning of the prayer and on saying the Takbir on bowing (i.e. ruku’), and on raising his head from bowing he used to do the same posture and on saying “Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida”, and he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.“
- Hadith 744: Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar: “Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) used to raise his hands up to the level of his shoulders when opening the prayer; and when saying the Takbir (Allahu Akbar) for bowing; and on raising his head from bowing; and on saying, ‘Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida’ (Allah hears him who praises Him); and on saying the Takbir for prostrating and on raising his head from prostration.“
- Hadith 846: Narrated by Ibn Abbas: “The Prophet (ﷺ) used to do three things which none of us used to do: (1) He used to raise his hands up to the level of his shoulders when beginning the prayer, and also used to do that on saying the Takbir for bowing. (2) He used to raise his hands to the level of his shoulders when saying, ‘Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida’, and before prostrating, he would do the same when saying, ‘Allahu Akbar’. (3) The Prophet (ﷺ) used to separate his arms from his body when he rose from the prostration and used to keep them away till he stood erect.“