#432: Ruling on Rubbing the Face with the Palms after Du`a

QUESTION

” Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullaah wabarakaatuh. I have a question. when someone raises his hands during du’a, when he finishes, should he drop the hands or rub them on his face. I always see people dropping their hands after making du’a, while their is a hadeeth in which the prophet (SAW) said we should rub our face and body after making certain du’a before we sleep.”

ANSWER

Wa alaykum salaam warahmatullaah wabarakaatuh

Alhamdulillaah!

A weak Hadith has been transmitted and recorded in this regard from ‘Abdullah Ibn Umar – radiyallaahu ‘anhuma – that:

“Whenever the Prophet – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – raises his hands (to make du’a) he never brings it down until he has wiped his faces with them both.”

The Hadith is weak and for that reason, Shaykhu Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah – rahimahullaah – said in the Fataawa:

“As for wiping his face with his both hands, there is nothing reported from him in that regard but for one or two hadiths which cannot both be used as evidence.”

It has come in the ‘Adab Al-Mufrad’ from Muhammad Ibn Falih who said: I was told by my father from Abu Nu’aym – who is Wahb – who said: “I saw Ibn Umar and Ibn Az-Zubayr making du’a and wiping their faces with both hands.”

While some of the Ulamaa of hadith consider this Isnaad weak, Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar – rahimahullaah – declared it Hasan in his writing ‘Amaali Al-Adhkaar’.

Imaam Maalik, Imaam Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubaarak, Imaam Ahmad and Imaam Sufyan Ath-Thawri – rahimahumullaah – all held that the wiping the face with the hands after du’a is Makruh (disliked).

Shaykh Al-Bassaam – rahimahullaah – mentioned in ‘Tawdihu Al-Ahkaam Sharhu Bulughi Al-Maraam’ that Imaam Is’haaq Ibn Raahawayh, An-Nawawi, Ibn Hajar, As-San’aani and Ash-Shawkaani – rahimahumullaah – are of those that held the position that the Hadith was safe to work with since some of the Companions were known to practice it.

Shaykh Al-Uthaymin – rahimahullaah – said:

“What is best is not to wipe with the palms but we should not blame those who wipe it by relying on the grading of the Ahaadith that has come on it as Hasan. That is because it is one of the things that the People (of Ilm) have differed upon.”

Ash-Sharhu Al-Mumti’ Ala a Az-Zaadi Al-Mustaqni’i

Therefore, the position we hold on this regard is that we should not wipe our faces or body after making the du’a. The exception to this is at the time of sleep where it is the Sunnah to wipe the entire body as much as one can with Aayatu Al-Kursiyy, Suratu Al-Ikhlaas and the Mu’awwidhatayn.

Allāhu A’alam

Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.

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