Contents of Article:
1. Evidence of Pointing Finger without continuous movement
2. The narration related to Moving Finger during Tashahhud, Clarification & its Status
3. Ruling of Four Schools of Thought (Fiqh)
4. The misunderstanding and the source of opinion of continuously moving the finger
1. Evidence of Pointing Finger without continuous movement.
1. Abdullah b. Zubair narrated on the authority of his father: When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sat in prayer. he placed the left foot between his thigh and shank and stretched the right foot and placed his left hand or his left knee and placed his right hand on his right thigh, and raised his finger. (Sahi Muslim, Kitab Kitab Al-Salat- 04, Hadith 1201)
2. 'Abdullah b. Zubair narrated on the authority of his father that when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sat for tashahhud, he placed his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his left thigh, and pointed with his forefinger, and placed his thumb on his (milddle)finger, and covered his knee with the palm of his left hand.. (Sahi Muslim, Kitab Kitab Al-Salat- 04, Hadith 1202)
3. Narrated Sahl ibn Sa'd: I never saw the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) raising his hands and praying on the pulpit or otherwise. But I saw him saying (doing) this way, and he would point with his forefinger making a circle by joining the middle finger with his thumb. (Sunan Abu Dawood, Book of Prayer, under chapter - details of commencing prayer -3, hadith 1100)
4. Narrated Wa'il ibn Hujr: I purposely looked at the prayer of the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him), how he offered it. The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) stood up, faced the direction of the qiblah and uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) and then raised his hands in front of his ears, then placed his right hand on his left (catching each other). When he was about to bow, he raised them in the same manner. He then placed his hands on his knees. When he raised his head after bowing, he raised them in the like manner. When he prostrated himself he placed his forehead between his hands. He then sat down and spread his left foot and placed his left hand on his left thigh, and kept his right elbow aloof from his right thigh. He closed his twofingers and made a circle (with the fingers). I (Asim ibn Kulayb) saw him (Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal) say in this manner. Bishr made the circle with the thumb and the middle finger and pointed with the forefinger. (Sunan Abu Dawood, Book of Prayer, under chapter - details of commencing prayer -3, hadith 725)
5. Yahya related to me from Malik from Muslim ibn Abi Maryam that AIi ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Muawi said, "Abdullah ibn Umar saw me playing with some small pebbles in the prayer. When I finished he forbade me, saying, 'Do as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did.' I said, 'What did the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, do?' He said, 'When he sat in the prayer, he placed his right hand on his right thigh and he closed his fist and pointed his index finger, and he placed his left hand on his left thigh. That is what he used to do.' " (Maliks Muwatta, Book of Prayer-3, Hadith 3.13.51)
6. As Abdullah ibn Umar sat during the prayer, he placed his hands upon his knees and pointed with his finger (the Oneness of Allah) and cast a full glance towards it. Then reported that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: It has a more terrible effect upon Satan than even that of iron i.e. the effect of (attesting the Oneness of Allah) with the help of the forefinger. (Al-Tirmidhi Hadith, Hadith 287)
7. The clear evidence of not moving finger is explicitly borne out by well authenticated hadiths related from the Companion Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr and recorded in Sunan Abu Dawood & Bayhaqi as mentioned below.
8. Narrated Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) used to point with his finger (at the end of the tashahhud) and he would not move it. (Sunan Abu Dawood, Book of Prayer, under chapter - details of commencing prayer -3, Hadith 984)
9. Related in Bayhaqi from the Companion Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr that "the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to point with his index finger when making supplication, without moving it" (Bayhaqi, 2.131–32, hadith 2786)
10. In Nasa'i it says: "he used to point with this finger when making dua but he did not move it." (Al Nasa'i 1270) (similar words "he would not move it" in masahib as sunnah 676).
11. Imam Nawawi has declared it sahih in his al Majmu'3/454.
12. Ibn 'Umar reported that when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sat for tashahhud he placed his left hand on his left knee. and his right hand on his right knee. and he raised his right finger, which is next to the thumb, making supplication in this way, and he stretched his left hand on his left knee. Another version on the authority of Ibn Umar says: When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sat for tashahhud, he placed his left hand on his left knee and placed his right hand on his right knee, and he formed a ring like (fifty-three) and pointed with his finger of attestation. (Sahi Muslim, Kitab Kitab Al-Salat- 04, Hadith 1203)
13. 'Ali b. 'Abual-Rahman al-Mu'awi reported: 'Abdullah b. Umar saw me playing with pebbles during prayer. After finishing the prayer he forbade me (to do it) and said: Do as the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to do. I said: How did Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) do? He said that he (the Messenger of Allah) sat at tashahhud, placed his right palm on the right thigh and closed all his fingers and pointed with the help of finger next to the thumb, and placed his left palm on his left thigh. (Sahi Muslim, Kitab Kitab Al-Salat- 04, Hadith 1204)
2. The narration related to Moving Finger during Tashaddud, Clarification & its Status:
However there are few ahadith which talks about moving finger in tashahhud. But all these ahadith have been narrated by only one narrator. To clarity this we need to understand in brief condition of sahi hadith and should know meaning of "shadh hadith" (deviant/odd hadith)
One of the condition for a sahih hadith is that the text and transmission of the hadith must be free of "variance (shudhudh) from established standard narrations of it”. For example, when a hadith is related by five different narrators who are contemporaries of one another, all of whom relate the same hadith from the same source/sheikh through his chain of transmission back to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Here, if we find that four of the hadiths have the same wording but one of them has a variant wording, the hadith with the variant wording is called shadhdh or a "deviant," and it is not accepted, because the difference is naturally assumed to be the mistake or slip of the one narrator, since all of the narrators heard the hadith from the same source/sheikh.
The issue of difference here revolves around a similar deviant hadith for example, There is a hadith related by Ahmad (4.318), Bayhaqi (2.132), Ibn Khuzayma (1.354), and Ibn Hibban, with a reliable chain of narrators (thiqat)—except for Kulayb ibn Hisham, who is a merely "acceptable" (saduq), not "reliable" (thiqa)—that the Companion Wa’il ibn Hujr al-Hadrami said that, when he watched the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) kneeling in the Tashahhud or "Testification of Faith" of his prayer, the Prophet lifted his [index] finger, and I saw him move it, supplicating with it. I came [some time] after that and saw people in [winter] over-cloaks, their hands moving under the cloaks (Ibn Hibban, 5.170–71).
Now, all of the versions of the hadith mentioning that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) moved his finger have been related to us by way of Za’ida ibn Qudama al-Thaqafi, a narrator who is considered reliable, and who transmitted it from the hadith sheikh ‘Asim ibn Kulayb, who related it from his father Kulayb ibn Shihab, from Wa’il ibn Hujr al-Hadrami. But we find that this version of "moving the finger" contradicts the other versions of the hadith transmitted from the same sheikh, ‘Asim ibn Kulayb, by no less than ten of his (Asim’s) other students, all of them reliable, who heard ‘Asim report that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not move but rather pointed (ashara) with his index finger (towards the qibla or "direction of prayer").
These companions of ‘Asim (with their hadiths, which are well authenticated (hasan) are:
a. Sufyan al-Thawri: "then he pointed with his index finger, putting the thumb to the middle finger to make a ring with them" (al-Musannaf 2.68–69)
b. Sufyan ibn ‘Uyayna: "he joined his thumb and middle finger to make a ring, and pointed with his index finger" (Ahmad, 4.318)
c. Shu‘ba ibn al-Hajjaj: "he pointed with his index finger, and formed a ring with the middle one" (Ahmad, 4.319)
d. Qays ibn al-Rabi‘: "then he joined his thumb and middle finger to make a ring, and pointed with his index finger" (Tabarani, 22.33–34)
e. ‘Abd al-Wahid ibn Ziyad al-‘Abdi: "he made a ring with a finger, and pointed with his index finger" (Ahmad, 4.316)
f. ‘Abdullah ibn Idris al-Awdi: "he had joined his thumb and middle finger to make a ring, and raised the finger between them to make du‘a (supplication) in the Testification of Faith" (Ibn Majah, 1.295)
g. Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiya: "and I saw him [‘Asim] say, ‘Like this,’—and Zuhayr pointed with his first index finger, holding two fingers in, and made a ring with his thumb and second index [middle] finger" (Ahmad, 4.318–19)
h. Abu al-Ahwas Sallam ibn Sulaym: "he began making du‘a like this—meaning with his index finger, pointing with it—" (Musnad al-Tayalisi, 137)
i. Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal: "and I saw him [‘Asim] say, ‘Like this,’—and Bishr joined his thumb and middle finger to make a ring, and pointed with his index finger" (Abi Dawud, 1.251) and
j. Khalid ibn Abdullah al-Wasiti: "then he joined his thumb and middle finger to make a ring, and pointed with his index finger" (Bayhaqi, 2.131)
In the above narration, the source of all the narrators is same. All of these narrators are reliable (thiqat) and all heard ‘Asim ibn Kulayb relate that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) "pointed with (ashara bi) his index finger" during the Testimony of Faith in his prayer except one with change of wordings. The point is, for illustrating the meaning of a shadhdh or "deviant/odd hadith," that the version of moving the finger was conveyed only by Za’ida ibn Qudama from ‘Asim. Ibn Khuzayma says: "There is not a single hadith containing yuharrikuha (‘he moved it’) except this hadith mentioned by Za’ida" (Ibn Khuzayma, 1.354).
So we know that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to point with his index finger, and that the version (particular sentence) of "moving his finger" is shadhdh or "deviant," and represents a slip of the narrator, for the word ishara in the majority’s version means only "to point or gesture at," or "to indicate with the hand," and has no recorded lexical sense of wiggling or shaking the finger (Lisan al-‘Arab, 4.437 and al-Qamus al-muhit (540). As relayed in previous section, this interpretation is explicitly borne out by well authenticated hadiths related from the Companion Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr that "the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to point with his index finger when making supplication [in the Testification of Faith], and did not move it" (Abi Dawud, 1.260) and that he "used to point with his index finger when making supplication, without moving it" (Bayhaqi, 2.131–32). And many other narrations of "pointing with the index finger" transmitted through sheikhs other than ‘Asim are mentioned in earlier section.
Finally, we may note that Imam Bayhaqi has joined between the Za’ida ibn Qudama hadith and the many hadiths that apparently contradict it by suggesting that moving the finger in the Za’ida hadith may mean simply lifting it (rafa‘a), a wording explicitly mentioned in one version recorded by Muslim that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) "raised the right finger that is next to the thumb, and supplicated with it" (Muslim). So according to Bayhaqi, the contradiction is only apparent, and raising the finger is the "movement" that Wa’il saw from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and the people’s hands under their cloaks, according to Za’ida’s version, which remains, however, shadhdh or "deviant" from a hadith point of view, unless understood in this limitary sense.
3. Ruling of Four Schools of Thought (Fiqh)
a. Hanafi School
Abdullah bin zubair narrated on the authority of his father taht when the messenger of Allah (peae be upon him) sat for supplication, ie. Tashahhud (blessing and supplication), he placed his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his left thigh and pointed with his foreginger, and placed his thumb on his (middle) finger, and covered his knee with the palm of his left hand [muslim]
Imam ibn abideen wrote a monograph Rafa at-Taraddud fi Qadi'l asabiy inda't Tashahhud on this subject which also examines different ways of raising this finger. The chosen position from vaious of hanafi reources is that which is narrated from imam abu ja'far [at-Tahawi] that you should levave the fingers open and just before you say "laa", clasp the last two fingers within the palm: make a circle with the tip of the thumb and middle finger and then raise the finger. After the saying of name of Allah you drop the finger.
In the muatta of imam muhammad (rah) it is written:
Maalik has informed that Muslim ibn abi maryam informed from ali ibn abdur rahman al muawiy that he said, 'abdullah ibn umar (ra) saw me whilst i was playing with pebbles in salaat. When i truned (agater completing my salaat), he prevented me sayin "do as nabi (peace be upon him) did. I asked 'what was Nabi's practice?. He said,'when nabi sat in salaat, he pleaced his right hand on his right thigh and he lasped all his fingers and ponted with the finger next to thumb, ie. Index finger and he placed his let hand on his left thigh.
Imaam Muhammad [ra] said, ‘We adopt the practice of Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] and this is the view of Imaam Abu Hanifa [ra]’
b. Maliki Fiqh
Imam Maalik also only mentioned pointing of the index finger and not moving of it in Mo'atta: (Behaviors in the sitting in the prayer, book 3, number 3.13.51)
Ibn Abi Zyad al Qayrawani (d. 389 H) says in his risala on maaliki fiqh:
"while you are saying the tashahhud you put your hands on your thighs, clenching all the fingers of the right hand except your forefinger which you extend with its side uppermost.
Meaning: the side of the finger is facing upwards, while the bottom of the finger is neither facing the sky or the earth:
There is some difference of opinion as regards the movement of this finger. There are those who say that by holding it straight you are indicating that Allah is one God while those who move it say that doing so repels shaytan. I think they mean by this that you will be reminded in your prayer by moving your finger of what will prevent you, if Allah wills, from becoming forgetful and distracted. Your left hand is laid flat on your left thigh and you neither move it not point with it.
Al-Qadi Abu Bakr ibn Al Arabi said:
"And I wonder at the one who says it repels the shaytan if it is moved and know that if you move for shaytan one finger, he will move for you ten. Shaytan is only repelled by sincerity, khushoo', dhikr, and seeking refuge in Allah from him. But from moving it, no! one should only point with the forefinger"
And he said: "beware of moving your fingers in the tashahhud! And don't pay attention to the narration in the Utbiyaa, for it is a catastrophe/scourge".
[the narration found in the Utbiyaa book that he refers to is report that someone saw Imam Maalik moving his finger in the fajr prayer]
And most hadiths say that the messenger of Allah (peace be upn him) used to clench the fingers of his right hand and make a ring, except the forefinger with which he would point.
There is only one narration that he (peace be upon him) moved his finger, and it has been questioned.
Now, the Maaliis used to be the only people to move the finger, based on ;the report in the Utbiyya which al Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al Arabi attached, and they moved it from side to side.
Ibn al Hajib al Maaliki has also clearly mentioned in his al Mukhtasar of fiqh that the most famous view of Imam Maalik is not to move the finger. Besides, the movement ;of the finger even according to those Maaliki scholars who are of that opinion is quite different from the constant and rigorous shaking that some people practice.
c. Shaf'i Fiqh:
Imam Nawawi said in al Majmu (3/398):
"And should one move his finger when lifting it to point with it? There are several opinions on this. The correct one - which is the clear opinion of the majority of scholars - is that one should not move his finger, and if he does happen to move it, this is makruh and does not nullify his prayer due to it being a minor movement. The second opinion is that it is haram to move his finger, and his prayer is nullified if he moves it... and this is a weak opinion. The third opinion is that it is mustahab to move it, and their proof for this is the hadith of wa'il bin hujr in which he described the messenger of Allah placing his hands in the tashahhud, saying: "Then, he would raise his finger, and I saw him moving it to make supplications". This was reported by al - Bayhaqi with an authentic chain, and al-Bayhaqi said: "It is possible that what is meant by 'moving it' is that he lifted it upto point with it, not that he would move it repeatedly".
Imam An Nawawi says it in his Minhaaj ut Talibin:
When the shahaada is read in the tashahhud one should raise his finger at saying "illal-laah". The finger will not be moved. According to the zahir qawl the thumb will be joined to the index finger'.
The narration of ibn az-Zubair (ra), who reported, the prophet (peace be upon him) would point with his finger while supplicating, and he would not move it". This is related by Abu Dawud. Imam Nawawi also mentioned it.
Imam al-Bayhaqi and Nawawi were great shafi'i scholars of hadith who followed this hadith of Ibn al Zubair, besides so many other scholars of hadith.
Umdat al-Salik wa Uddat al - Nasik - [this book gives the shaf'i madhhab's views] by sheikh Ahmad Ibn Naqib al - Misri, d. 796 AH/1368 CE (rah), states,
"one does not move it while it is thus raised (sheikh umar barakat said in his commentary to umdat al-salik: following sunnah from a hadith related by abu dawud. It is offensive to move it here, though some hold that it is recommended, the evidence for which is also from the Sunnah, in a hadith related by bayhaqi, who states both hadiths are rigorously authenticated (sahih). Precedence is given to the former hadith (i.e of Ib az- Zubair), which negates moving the finger, over the latter hadith, which affirms it, because scholars hold that what is sought in prayer is lack of motion, and moving it diminishes one's humility)".
d. Hanbali Fiqh
Ibn Qudamah al - Maqdisi said in 'al Mughni' (1/524):
"One should point with his index finger upon mentioning Allah in the tashahhud due to what we have narrated, and he should not move it".
'Utman bin Ahmad al-Hanbali said in 'Hidayat ar-Raghib li Sharh 'Umdat at-talib' (p. 126)
'so, he should raise his finger without moving it around in the tashahhud and while supplicating in his prayer."
Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi said in 'al-Muhall' (4/151):
"And we prefer that when the one in prayer sits for the tashahhud, he points with his finger and does not move it".
This was also affirmed by Muqbil al-Wadi'i in 'as-sahih al-Musnad' (2/265).
4. The misunderstanding and the source of opinion of continuously moving the finger:
The reason behind misunderstanding of few, despite of clear proofs that finger was not moved is due to opinion and ruling of one of the scholar from 20th century named Nasir-al-Albani, he was a self taught claimant to hadith scholarship, had no known teacher in any of Islamic sciences and admitted not to have memorized the Book of Allah nor any book of hadith, fiqh, `aqeeda, usool, or grammar.
He achieved fame by attacking the great scholars from earlier generations, expelled from Syria then Saudi Arabia and lived in Amman, Jordan under house arrest until his death. He remains the Imam/Qibla of the people of Innovation, self-styled re-formers of Islam, who deny the way of true followers of Islam, Aima-e-Arba claiming to be followers of prophet/companions but in reality follow (make taqleed) of this scholar.
Among the many classical hadith analysis by him, was his analysis of the hadith dealing with the movement of fingers during Tashahhud in Salah. It is he who preferred a deviant hadith to establish sunnah, ignoring massive ahadith proving pointing fingers and has classed specific hadith of Abu Dawood saying “but he did not move it” as zaef in “Tamaam al-Minnah, p. 218”. This opinion of his is followed by his followers and gave birth to confusion & misunderstanding to those who lack in-depth knowledge of deen.
The reasons to establish new ways could be many, one out of which could be due to hatred of Aima-e-Arba as currently being observed in the self styled reformers of Islam or may be to establish something new and different to get a quick fame by attacking celebrities of Deen, an easy trick to get recognized.
May Allah protect us from deviance and love of fame and keep us steadfast on the correct path, the path of those who He has blessed the correct understanding of Deen – Ameen.
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