Imam Tajud-Din As-Subki in his Tabaqat reports the following beneath his entry on Abi Ibrahim Isma’il ibn Yahya Al-Muzani:
“And Al-Muzani reported from Imam Ash-Shafi’i that he heard him saying, ‘It is not permitted (لا يحل) for anyone who hears the the hadith of Rasulullah 
(‘alayhis salam) regarding raising the hands at the beginning of Salah, upon bowing, upon rising from bowing to abandon his [exemplary] model of his actions.”
As-Subki then said:
قلت : هذا صريح في أنه يوجب ذالك
“I say: This is obvious [proof] that he obligated this action.”1
The mu’tamad of the madh-hab is that it is “sunnah” as stated by Abi Shujaa’, Imam An-Nawawi, Taqiy-ud-Din Al-Hisni as well as others.
- Tabaqat Ash-Shafi’iyyah of Taj As-Subki Vol 2 pg 100 pub. 1383 A.H. [↩]
does ‘upon bowing’ mean right before rukuu’?
yes.
The hands are raised with saying Allahu Akbar.
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
when do we say the takbirs? do we say them before we start to change the position, or while we change it or when we reached the next position?
and would we then say that lift up the hands is already the start of changing the position?
What is the position of the Malikis? ibn Qaasim writes in al-Mudawwanah al-Kubraa that Imam malik’s position was not to raise the hands. But i have heard that is a weak report and that his position was to raise the hands. Is that true?
The Malikis and the Hanafis only raise their hands for the first Takbeer, and a weeker/minority opinion in the Maliki states that one should raise the hands before ruku and upon rising. The Shafi’i and Hanbali Madhabs agree upon rafa ul-yadain, that it is done for the first takbeer, before ruku, and upon rising from ruku.. oh and the Shafi’i Madhab you also raise your hands after rising from the second rakat.