Is wiping the face after du'a outside of salah a recommended practice

Answer

Wiping the face after du'a outside of the prayer is a recommended act according to the overwhelming majority of Muslim scholars. Imam al-Tirmidhi narrated on the authority of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet raised his hands in supplication, he would not lower them until he had wiped his face with them, graded sahih gharib or hasan gharib in different manuscripts. Al-Hakim similarly reported from Ibn 'Abbas that the Prophet said: "When you ask Allah, ask Him with the palms of your hands... and wipe your face with them," graded hasan. Scholars such as al-Nawawi and Ibn Hajar are emphatic this is a recommended sunnah, though a small minority, including 'Izz al-Din ibn 'Abd al-Salam and Ibn Taymiyyah, held it is not recommended outside of prayer. *And Allah knows best.*