The ruling on placing the palms over the ears instead of the fingers in the adhan

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, does placing the palms over the ears suffice in place of the fingers? This is the guidance.

Answer:
No, it does not suffice except for what is reported in the hadith, which is placing the fingers in the ears. This is what the Sunnah has come with. So if he covers his ears with his palms, the Sunnah is not achieved, and if he plugs his ears with cotton or rags or whatever that is called, the Sunnah is not achieved. The Sunnah is placing the two fingers in the two ears, because the two fingers are limbs, and they are used in worship, such as in tasbih (glorification of Allah) and placing them in the ears during the adhan, and pointing with them during the tashahhud. They are limbs used in tasbih and the remembrance of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), pointing to tawhid (the oneness of Allah), so nothing else can replace them.