Step 3 of 14
Intention and the Opening Takbir
Stand facing the qiblah and make the intention in your heart for the prayer you are about to pray, for example the Dhuhr prayer. There are no words to say for it; the Prophet ﷺ said that actions are only by intentions.
Then raise your hands and say "Allahu akbar", Allah is the Greatest. This is the opening takbir, and with it you enter the prayer. Ibn 'Umar described the Prophet ﷺ raising his hands to the level of his shoulders when he opened the prayer, and Malik ibn al-Huwayrith described him raising them level with his ears.
After the takbir, the right hand is placed over the left. Sahl ibn Sa'd said that people were commanded to place the right hand on the left forearm in the prayer, and Wa'il ibn Hujr saw the Prophet ﷺ place his right hand over his left. Where exactly the hands rest is a point on which the schools differ, as shown below.
From this moment until the salam, speaking, eating and turning away are no longer allowed. Keep your gaze lowered and your mind on the prayer.
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allahu akbar
Allah is the Greatest.
The four schools differ on some details. Show them
Each school's ruling, with the schools that share it named together.
Where are the hands placed while standing?
2 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Maliki, Shafi'i.
Show each school
- Folded, below the navelHanafi · Hanbali
- Hands at the sides (sadl)Maliki
- Folded, below the chestShafi'i
- Hanafi
- A man places his right hand over his left below the navel, while a woman places them on her chest.
- Maliki
- In the well-known view the hands are left hanging at the sides in an obligatory prayer, while folding them is allowed in a voluntary prayer; other Malikis held folding to be recommended in every prayer.
- Shafi'i
- The right hand holds the left wrist, and both are placed below the chest and above the navel.
- Hanbali
- In the relied-upon view the right hand holds the left wrist below the navel; other narrations from Ahmad place them under the chest or leave the choice open.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 735 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 391Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 740 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 401Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sunan Abi Dawud 61 Graded by Al-Albani: Hasan Sahih · Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid: Hasan Sahih · Zubair Ali Zai: HasanSahih
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
The positions of the four schools are summarised from their standard references and are pending review by a qualified scholar. Follow the school you were taught, and for your own situation, ask a scholar.
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