Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.

ذِكْرُ الْإِبَاحَةِ لِلْمَرْءِ أَنْ يَرْفَعَ يَدَيْهِ عِنْدَ الدُّعَاءِ لِلَّهِ جَلَّ وَعَلَا

ibnhibban:877al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAbdullāh b. Yazīd al-Qaṭṭān Bi-al-Rraqqah > Sahl b. Ṣāliḥ al-Anṭākī > Yazīd b. Hārūn > Shuʿbah > Thābit > Anas

[Machine] The translation of the given Arabic sentence is: "The Prophet ﷺ used to raise his hands in supplication until the whiteness of his armpits was visible."  

ابن حبّان:٨٧٧أَخْبَرَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ الْقَطَّانُ بِالرَّقَّةِ حَدَّثَنَا سَهْلُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ الْأَنْطَاكِيُّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ

«كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ فِي الدُّعَاءِ حَتَّى يُرَى بَيَاضُ إِبْطَيْهِ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Muslim, Aḥmad, Ṭabarānī, Nasāʾī's Kubrá
bukhari:1031Muḥammad b. Bashhār > Yaḥyá And Ibn Abū ʿAdī > Saʿīd > Qatādah > Anas b. Mālik

The Prophet ﷺ never raised his hands for any invocation except for that of Istisqa' and he used to raise them so much that the whiteness of his armpits became visible. (Note: It may be that Anas did not see the Prophet ﷺ raising his hands, but it is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ used to raise his hands for invocations other than Istisqa. See Hadith No. 807 & 808 and also see Hadith No. 612, Vol. 5).  

البخاري:١٠٣١حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى وَابْنُ أَبِي عَدِيٍّ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ

كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لاَ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ فِي شَىْءٍ مِنْ دُعَائِهِ إِلاَّ فِي الاِسْتِسْقَاءِ وَإِنَّهُ يَرْفَعُ حَتَّى يُرَى بَيَاضُ إِبْطَيْهِ  

bukhari:6341Abū ʿAbdullāh > al-Ūwaysī > Muḥammad b. Jaʿfar > Yaḥyá b. Saʿīd And Sharīk Samiʿā Anas

Narrated Anas, "The Prophet ﷺ raised his hands (in invocation) till I saw the whiteness of his armpits."  

البخاري:٦٣٤١قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَقَالَ الأُوَيْسِيُّ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ وَشَرِيكٍ سَمِعَا أَنَسًا

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى رَأَيْتُ بَيَاضَ إِبْطَيْهِ  

muslim:895aAbū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Yaḥyá b. Abū Bukayr > Shuʿbah > Thābit > Anas

I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raising his hands (high enough) in supplication (for rain) that the whiteness of his armpits became visible.  

مسلم:٨٩٥aحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ

رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ فِي الدُّعَاءِ حَتَّى يُرَى بَيَاضُ إِبْطَيْهِ  

ahmad:12903Wakīʿ > Shuʿbah > Thābit > Anas

[Machine] That the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands until the whiteness of his armpits could be seen.  

أحمد:١٢٩٠٣حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ قَالَ قَالَ شُعْبَةُ سَمِعْتُ ثَابِتًا عَنْ أَنَسٍ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى رُئِيَ بَيَاضُ إِبِطَيْهِ  

ahmad:13726Aswad b. ʿĀmir > Shuʿbah > Thābit > Anas

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to raise his hands in supplication until the white color of his armpits could be seen.  

أحمد:١٣٧٢٦حَدَّثَنَا أَسْوَدُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ فِي الدُّعَاءِ حَتَّى يُرَى بَيَاضُ إِبْطَيْهِ  

ahmad:14006Muḥammad b. Jaʿfar > Saʿīd > Qatādah > Anas b. Mālik

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was not accustomed to raise his hands in any supplication he made except when praying for rain. He would then raise them high enough so much so that the whiteness of his armpits was visible. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 1170)   

أحمد:١٤٠٠٦حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدٌ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ لَا يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ إِلَّا عِنْدَ الِاسْتِسْقَاءِ حَتَّى يُرَى بَيَاضُ إِبْطَيْهِ  

tabarani:6933Muḥammad b. Rāshid al-Aṣbahānī > al-Haytham b. Marwān al-Dimashqī > Zayd b. Yaḥyá b. ʿUbayd > Saʿīd b. Bashīr > Maṭar al-Warrāq > al-Ḥasan > Samurah

[Machine] "That the Prophet ﷺ used to raise his hands when delivering a sermon until the whiteness of his armpits could be seen."  

الطبراني:٦٩٣٣حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَاشِدٍ الْأَصْبَهَانِيُّ ثنا الْهَيْثَمُ بْنُ مَرْوَانَ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ ثنا زَيْدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ ثنا سَعِيدُ بْنُ بَشِيرٍ عَنْ مَطَرٍ الْوَرَّاقِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ سَمُرَةَ

«أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ إِذَا خَطَبَ حَتَّى يُرَى بَيَاضُ إِبْطَيْهِ»  

nasai-kubra:1834Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > al-Muʿtamir from my father > Barakah > Bashīr b. Nahīk > Abū Hurayrah

I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raising his hands (high enough) in supplication (for rain) that the whiteness of his armpits became visible. (Using translation from Muslim 895a)   

الكبرى للنسائي:١٨٣٤أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا الْمُعْتَمِرُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي بَرَكَةُ عَنْ بَشِيرِ بْنِ نَهِيكٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

«كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ فِي الدُّعَاءِ حَتَّى تُرَى إِبْطَاهُ»