Did the Prophet(saws) raise his hands till he met Allah?

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

Al Shawkani said in Nayl al-Awtar: 

It is established from the Hadith of ‘Umar according to al-Bayhaqi that he said after mentioning the Messenger of Allah would raise his hands upon the opening takbir and upon bowing and straightening. “And this remained his Salah until he met Allah (Exalted is He).” (Nayl al-Awtar, 2: 68)

And he said after transmitting the Hadith with the wording of al-Bukhari and Muslim without the addition of “and this remained his Salah until he met Allah (Exalted is He)”:

The Hadith was transmitted by al-Bayhaqi with the addition, “And this remained his Salah until he met Allah (Exalted is He).” Ibn al Madini said; “This Hadith according to me is a proof for all the creation. All who hear it must act upon it, because there is nothing (problematic) in its chain.” (Nayl al-Awtar, 2:67)

This gives the impression apparently that Ibn al Madini strengthened it with this addition which Bayhaqi narrated, and that it is established from Allah’s Messenger as such and there is nothing wrong with its chain. This is an error. Rather the speech of Ibn al Madini refers to the Hadith with the wording transmitted by the two Shaykhs and there is no doubt in the authenticity of its chain and its being free from any defect. Yet, we have criticism of it from the perspective of [its] comprehension due to the narrations from Ibn ‘Umar being contradictory on this [matter] as we discussed earlier.

As for the one with the addition that al Bayhaqi narrated, it is not sahih at all. Rather it appears tio be fabricated, since Zayla’i mentioned its chain and said:

Shaykh [Ibn Daqiq al Id] said in al Imam: This doubt, I,e, the claim of abrogation through the route of al-Hassan ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Hamdan al-Raqqi; ‘Ismah ibn Muhammad al-Ansari narrated to us; Musa ibn ‘Uqbah narrated to us from Nafe’ from Ibn ‘Umar that Allah’s Messenger would when beginning Salah raise his hands and when bowing and raising the head from bowing and he would not do this during prostration, and this remained his Salah until  he met Allah( Exalted Is He). He narrated it from Abu ‘Abdullah al-Hafiz  [ ie.] from Ja’far ibn Muhammad al Nasr, from ‘Abdur Rahman ibn Quraysh ibn Khuzaymah al-Harawi from ‘Abdullah ibn Ahmad al-Dajmashi from al-Hasan with it.” (Nasb al-Rayah)

Abdul Rahman ibn Quraysh was accused by al Sulaymani of fabricating Hadith as mentioned in LIsan al Mizan (3:425), and no one declared him trustworthy. 

As for ‘Ismah ibn Muhammad al Ansari;

 Abu Hatim said, “He is not strong,”

 Yahya ibn Ma’in said, “An excessive liar fabricating hadith” 

al-‘Uqayli said, “He narrates falsehoods from trustworthy narrators,” 

al-Daraqutni and others said, “Abandoned,” 

Ibn ‘Adi said, “’Ismah ibn Muhammad ibn Fudalah ibn ‘Ubayd al-Ansari the Medinan. None of his hadiths is recorded. (Lisan al-Mizan, 3:170)

Hence there is no proof therein and the claim of abrogation is not repelled thereby at all, so be wary of this for indeed many people were misled by this addition.
Taken from 'Ila al Sunan by Imam Zafar Ahmad al-'Uthmani Thanwi.

Wa'laykum Salam.