Should the hands be kept folded or released after the fourth takbir of the funeral prayer?

Question

In a book called “Khulasat al-Fatawa”, vol. 1, p. 225 (Nawal Kishore edition, Lucknow), it is stated. The text is as follows: [ar]ولا يعقد بعد التكبير الرابع؛ لأنه لا يبقى ذكر مسنون حتى يعقد، فالصحيح أنه يحل اليدين ثم يسلم تسليمتين. هكذا في الذخيرة.[/ar] “After the fourth takbir [the hands] are not folded, because no sunna dhikr remains for which they would be folded; what is correct is that he releases the hands and then gives the two salams. So it is in ‘al-Dhakhira’.

Answer

After the fourth takbir he should not fold the hands, because no sunna dhikr remains for which the hands would be folded; so what is correct is that he unfolds both hands and then gives both salams. So it is in “al-Dhakhira”. Folding the hands is a sunna of a standing that has stillness (qarar) (i.e. is somewhat prolonged)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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