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What is the reason behind raising one's hands up to the shoulder and near the ears with the palms facing in the direction of sight, while saying Takbir (Allahu Akbar)?
Closing ears while making adhan(call to prayer) is concentrated towards azhan. But takbir is said more oftenly with the above mentioned action usually associated with it.
Someone told me the other day, that when you raise your hands up to say takbir to start your salaah, it is done or should be done in a sort of motion from your sides "throwing up" to your ears. Now when I say throwing I don't mean like a party. But anyway, when you do this, you're "throwing behind" everything worldly; your family, people, life, dunyah and also acknowledging Allah as your one creator and lifting that veil between you and him. That's why our salaah should have total concentration, not worry about noises, think about worldly things.
In Islam, Quran and Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) Sunnah is taken as a source of "deen". As mentioned in the other answer, saying takbir to start the prayer is established as a Sunnah of our prophet (PBUH). It does not need to have a reason to make it part of religion. Salah is an act of worship. It is symbolic in nature. Not every symbolic has a logical reason.
Here are some of the authentic hadith about raisig hands in Salah:
Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 12, Number 704: Narrated Abu Qilaba:
Isaw Malik bin Huwairith saying Takbir and raising both his hands (on starting the prayers and raising his hands on bowing and also on raising his head after bowing. Malik bin Huwairith said, “Allah’s Apostle did the same.”
Volume 1, Book 12, Number 705: Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar:
I saw Allah’s Apostle opening the prayer with the Takbir and raising his hands to the level of his shoulders at the time of saying the Takbir, and on saying the Takbir for bowing he did the same; and when he said, “Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida “, he did the same and then said, “Rabbana wa laka-l-hamd.” But he did not do the same on prostrating and on lifting the head from it.”
Volume 1, Book 12, Number 706: Narrated Nafi’:
Whenever Ibn ‘Umar started the prayer with Takbir, he used to raise his hands: whenever he bowed, he used to raise his hands (before bowing) and also used to raise his hands on saying, “Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida”, and he used to do the same on rising from the second Rak’a (for the 3rd Rak’a). Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Prophet used to do the same.”
Sahih Muslim Book 004, Number 0759:
Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), when he stood up for prayer, used to raise his hands apposite the shoulders and then recited takbir (Allah-o-Akbar), and when he was about to bow he again did like it and when he raised himself from the ruku’ (bowing posture) he again did like it, but he did not do it at the time of raising his head from prostration.
Book 004, Number 0762:
Malik b. Huwairith reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) raised his hands apposite his ears at the time of reciting the takbir (i. e. at the time of beginning the prayer) and then again raised his hands apposite the ears at the time of bowing and when he lifted his head after bowing he said: Allah listened to him who praised Him, and did like it (raised his hands up to the ears).
Muwatta Imam Malik Book 3, Number 3.5.21:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say “Allah is greater” in the prayer whenever he lowered himself and raised himself. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to raise his hands to the level of his shoulders when he began the prayer and when he raised his head from the ruku he would raise them less than that.
Book 3, Number 3.5.17:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to raise his hands to the level of his shoulders when he began the prayer and when he raised his head from the ruku he raised them in the same way, saying, “Allah hears whoever praises him, our Lord and praise belongs to You.” He did not raise them in the sujud.
Book 3, Number 3.5.18:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that AIi ibn Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say, ‘Allah is greater’ whenever he lowered himself and raised himself, and he continued to pray like that until he met Allah.”
Hadith:
Narrated by Wail Ibn Hujar (RA) that he saw at the beginning of salah prophet (SAW) used to start his salah by saying Allahu Akbar and raise his hands up to the ears. (According to Hammam) (SahihMuslim1/401)
Regarding your point of facing palms to direction of Qibla, i could not find any evidence of it. And i heard from different scholars that facing hands towards qibla is not necessary, just the hands should be upto the ears, they can or cannot face qibla.
