Wiping the face after Dua?

Question

Q. When I make a dua, I “wipe” my face with my hands at the end of the dua. I was told that it is a sin and innovation. But I see other Muslims doing the same! I was told that Prophet (peace be upon him) never did that… I tried to stop, but this gesture is like a habit and I feel like my dua is incomplete without it… Is it really innovation? Where did it come from?

Jamiatul Ulama KZN · Accepted Answer

The practice of wiping the face with one’s hands after completing the Dua is correct and is also Sunnah. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) advised this and also practiced this.

Consider the following Ahadith:

1) Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) advised the Sahaabah when making Dua:

“Ask Allah with your palms and do not ask Him with the back of your hands, and when you complete your Dua, wipe your face with your palms” – (Abu Dawood, Hadith #: 1487, Narrated by Abdullah bin Abbaas)

2) It was the practice of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to wipe his face with his hands after the Dua as narrated by Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (Radiyallahu Anhu)

“Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) would never lower his hands whenever he raised them in Dua until he wiped his face with both his hands” (Tirmizi, Hadith #: 3386)

It is evident from the abovementioned Ahadith that it is indeed Sunnah to wipe the face with one’s hands after making Dua. It is not an innovation or Bid’ah as claimed by some.

And Allah Knows Best

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