Debate Between Kawthari And Hilali

The
Raf'ul Yadayn Debate: A Historical Encounter Between Shaykh al-Kawtharī and Dr.
al-Hilālī

This account presents a fascinating
intellectual exchange between two prominent scholars of the 20th century
regarding one of the most debated issues in Islamic prayer (Salah) practices:
Raf'ul Yadayn (raising the hands during prayer). The incident, documented by Mu ḥ ammad Zāhid al-Kawtharī (d. 1951) in his work
"al-Nukat al- Ṭ arīfa" (The
Elegant Witticisms, pp. 7-9) [i] ,
details his encounter with Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī (d. 1987), a Moroccan writer
who had transitioned from being a Mālikī-Tijānī to embracing Salafī
methodology.

The discussion centres specifically on
whether Muslims should raise their hands at multiple points during prayer (when
bowing and rising from bowing) or only at the beginning of prayer. This
seemingly minor ritual point represents a larger methodological divide in
Islamic jurisprudence between different approaches to ḥ adīth interpretation and application.

Al-Hilālī challenged al-Kawtharī on what he
considered the Ḥ anafī school's
contradiction of authentic ḥ adīths regarding
raising hands during prayer. Al-Kawtharī’s response illuminated the complexity
of ḥ adīth analysis, highlighting how scholars like Imāms
Mālik and Sufyān al-Thawrī also advocated for not raising hands beyond the
initial takbīr, and how reports from some Sahaba (particularly from Ibn Mas'ūd,
ʿ Umar ibn al-Kha ṭṭ āb, ʿ Al ī
ibn Ab ī Ṭ ālib, Ibn ʿ Umar and o