It is of Sunnah also to put both hands on the chest as reported in W?’il’s Ibn Hujr narration; he said: ‘I decided to watch the prophet’s manner in doing Sal?t carefully. He ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) first stood up and said Takb?ratul Ihr?m, raising his hands to the level of his ear lobes. Then he ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) put his right hand on the dorsum of his left hand, the wrist and the arm’. (1) That is, he ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) put all his right hand on his left hand’s dorsum, wrist and arm. (2)
It was also affirmed that he ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used, sometimes, to take hold of his left hand with his right one. (3)
The had?th affirms that it is of Sunnah to grasp the left hand with the right one, so is putting the right hand on the left. Joining between the two ways is, however; improper, i.e. putting and grasping, that is to put the right hand on the left seizing it with the thumb and the little finger letting he other three fingers spread- as is mentioned in some late scholars’ books. (4)
The afore mentioned two ah?d?th affirm that putting the hands on the chest is the Sunnah, and all narrations that indicated the opposite are either weak or fabricated ones. (5)
Im?m Ish?q Ibn Rahawaih followed this Sunnah earnestly as Al-Marwazi reported in his “Mas?’il”: ‘Ish?q used to lead us in the Witr Sal?t .. raising his hands in the Qun?t Du‘?’, which he used to
(1) Narrated by Ibn Khuzaimah in his “Sah?h” (vol. 1 / p. 243) (no. 480), An-Nas?’? in “Al-Mujtab?” (vol. 2 / no. 98), Ab? D?w?d in “As-Sunnan” (vol. 1 / no. 193), Ahmad in “Al-Musnad” (vol.4 /p.318), Ibn M?jah in “As-Sunnan, (vol.1 /no. 266), Ad-D?rim? in “As-Sunnan” (vol. 1 / p. 314), Ibn Al-J?r?d in “Al-Muntaq?” (no. 208), At-Tay?lis? in “Al-Musnad” (vol. 1 / p. 89) and Ad - D?raqutn? in “As-Sunnan” (vol. 1 / no. 290). The had?th’s chain of narrators is true, it was also authenticated by Ibn Hibb?n in his “Sah?h” (no. 485), so did An-Nawaw? and Ibn Al-Qayyim. See: “Irw?’ul Gal?l” (vol. 2 / p. 69).
(2) See: “Naylul ’Awt?r” (vol. 2 / p. 200)
(3) See: “Sifat Salatun Naby” (p. 79).
(4) Such as: “H?shiat Ibn ‘Abd?n” (vol. 1 / p. 454).
(5) As narrated in “Sunnan Ab? D?w?d” from ‘Al? ( - رضي الله عنه -) to have said: ‘It is of Sunnah to put the right hand on the left one is Sal?t below the navel’. In this ’Athar’s chain of narrators, there is Abdur Rahman Ibn Ish?q Al-K?f? whom Ahmad Ibn Hanbal considered as a weak narrator. Al-Bukh?r? said: ‘ There is some doubt in its chain of narrators’. See: “Naylul ’Awt?r” (vol. 2 / p. 203) and “Ibk?rul Minan” (p. 116, ... ).