Is raising the index finger when mentioning Allah only in prayer, or in all circumstances?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.
The questioner : I ask you, Shaykh, may Allah reward you, about raising the index finger when passing through the remembrance of Allah. Is it specific to the tashahhud only, or in all times when you are in your prayer or outside of prayer? If you pass through the remembrance of Allah, do you raise the index finger, or is it specific to the tashahhud?
The Shaykh : What has become clear to me is that raising the index finger occurs in prayer whenever one makes a supplication, in the tashahhud and in the sitting between the two prostrations.
The questioner : And outside of prayer, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : As for the tashahhud, the hadiths regarding it are clear and evident. As for the sitting between the two prostrations, that was reported in the hadith of Wail ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him), which Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal included in his Musnad with a good chain. It is the context of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding the description of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer in Zad al-Ma’ad.
The questioner : But I ask.
The Shaykh : Placing the right hand and pointing with its finger in the sitting between the two prostrations, just as in the first and second tashahhud.
The questioner : And after the prayer, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : The claim of those who say that doing so is an innovation is an incorrect claim. Rather, it is an addition from a trustworthy narrator that does not contradict other reported hadiths. Anomalousness is only judged when it is contradictory, as is known in the terminology of hadith. Furthermore, no one can prove that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spread his right hand between the two prostrations as he spreads his left hand; rather, what was reported is that he spreads only the left hand. Yes.
The questioner : Yes, after the prayer, at “O Allah, You are Peace and from You comes peace.”
The Shaykh : No, do not raise the finger.
The questioner : Do not raise your voices, may Allah reward you, peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. May Allah thank you, Honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.
The questioner : I ask you, Shaykh, may Allah reward you, about raising the index finger when passing through the remembrance of Allah. Is it specific to the tashahhud only, or in all times when you are in your prayer or outside of prayer? If you pass through the remembrance of Allah, do you raise the index finger, or is it specific to the tashahhud?
The Shaykh : What has become clear to me is that raising the index finger occurs in prayer whenever one makes a supplication, in the tashahhud and in the sitting between the two prostrations.
The questioner : And outside of prayer, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : As for the tashahhud, the hadiths regarding it are clear and evident. As for the sitting between the two prostrations, that was reported in the hadith of Wail ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him), which Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal included in his Musnad with a good chain. It is the context of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding the description of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer in Zad al-Ma’ad.
The questioner : But I ask.
The Shaykh : Placing the right hand and pointing with its finger in the sitting between the two prostrations, just as in the first and second tashahhud.
The questioner : And after the prayer, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : The claim of those who say that doing so is an innovation is an incorrect claim. Rather, it is an addition from a trustworthy narrator that does not contradict other reported hadiths. Anomalousness is only judged when it is contradictory, as is known in the terminology of hadith. Furthermore, no one can prove that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spread his right hand between the two prostrations as he spreads his left hand; rather, what was reported is that he spreads only the left hand. Yes.
The questioner : Yes, after the prayer, at “O Allah, You are Peace and from You comes peace.”
The Shaykh : No, do not raise the finger.
The questioner : Do not raise your voices, may Allah reward you, peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. May Allah thank you, Honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 355- هل يكون رفع السبابة عند ذكر الله في الصلاة فقط ام في كل الأحوال /سؤال على الهاتف 📞 /ابن عثيمين — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.