Is it better to abandon raising the hands in prayer because it was the Prophet’s — may God’s prayers and peace be upon him — last action, and are the claims of the Hanafis in this regard correct, and did the Rightly Guided Caliphs raise their hands in their prayers?

The Hanafis hold that raising the hands is sunnah (definition) only at the takbirat al-ihram (definition) (the opening takbir). They cite as evidence what Abu Hanifa narrated from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) "used to raise his hands at the takbirat al-ihram and then would not repeat it." They believe that other hadiths indicating the raising of hands at times other than the takbirat al-ihram are abrogated, and that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ultimately abandoned that practice.

The preponderant view is that it is sunnah for the worshipper to raise their hands in four positions: at the takbirat al-ihram, when bowing (ruku'), after rising from bowing, and after standing for the third rak'ah. Furthermore, the hadiths used by the Hanafis as evidence for not raising the hands are weak. Indeed, the consistent practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was to raise his hands, and it has not been authentically reported from the Rightly Guided Caliphs or any of the Companions that they did not raise their hands.