Is it correct to understand from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to move his index finger when he sat) that the one who prays, when he sits,

The Shaykh : Yes, what do you have?

The questioner : ... Moving the index finger is reported from Ibn 'Umar, who said: The sitting is general, so some scholars say that even when he sits between the two prostrations, he moves his index finger because of the coming of this hadith.

The Shaykh : And this was our topic today in the morning.

The questioner : Glory be to Allah.

The Shaykh : Glory to Allah, your problem is the same everywhere. Look now at what I am doing. I enter the prayer, Allahu Akbar, and so on, is the hadith of Ibn 'Umar correct?

The questioner : The hadith was reported regarding sitting.

The Shaykh : The hadith was reported regarding sitting, okay.
The student : This will not appear in the recording.

The Shaykh : How?
The student : This movement will not appear in the recording.

The Shaykh : Hehe, okay.

The questioner : ... The sitting.

The Shaykh : So what did you do now? You did not accept this movement from me in the standing position.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Why? Because you restricted the absolute hadith in prayer with what? With sitting. So then, restrict the sitting with the tashahhud, and may Allah suffice the believers in the battle.

The questioner : The hadith was reported regarding sitting.

The Shaykh : Rest yourself and think about the previous speech. If you say that the hadith which explicitly states that the pointing was in the tashahhud does not contradict the hadith which said that the pointing was in what? In the sitting. That is, the sitting is broader than what? The tashahhud. And this is what those people must say. So we will also say that the absolute pointing in some narrations is broader than the pointing in the sitting. Is that clear?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : So rest yourself and rest others.

The questioner : Okay, if his answer is that he does not deny this...

The Shaykh : This remains... We say, as we said regarding the situation that spread in this era after the ruku', we said, we are sorry, since about twenty years that it is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and we do not mean, and this is also what we researched in the Holy City of Madinah, we do not mean that the one who does this is an innovator (mubtadi'), because an innovator is not described as an innovator unless innovation predominates in his religion. But if he says a statement based on his independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) and another person sees it as a religious innovation because it is not based on a scriptural proof, this does not mean that the one who does or says it is an innovator. But for the one looking at it from the end, it is an innovation, as mentioned regarding Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), a very great statement. He says about the opponents from the deniers of attributes (ta'til) and the figurative interpreters (ta'wil) that what they say is disbelief if it falls upon him, he judges himself with disbelief. Why? Because he knows it is disbelief. But those people do not know; they think they are doing well. So if the matter reaches establishing the pointing with the finger in every place of the prayer, whether in the first or second standing, that means we have brought a matter that has no basis throughout these centuries that have passed. And for some reason, I proposed and I am still insisting on this proposal that our call must not be absolute like this: Book and Sunnah, but Book and Sunnah and on the methodology of the righteous predecessors (Salaf). Otherwise, we will permit ourselves innovations, and perhaps we will specialize in innovating in the religion more than the earlier innovators whom we all agree to fight in their innovations, even though they do not fail to find a general text to support their innovation. And as you know from the words of al-Shatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his great book al-I'tisam, where he divided innovation into two categories: one is a true innovation and the other is an additional innovation. And most of the innovations existing today among Muslims are of the second category, additional innovations. And he explains there why he called it additional? Because if you look at it from one side, you find it prescribed, and if you look at it from another side, you find it not prescribed. And so is the case with most of the innovations today. And I gave a very beautiful example, and I hope it does not become a reality. A group entered the mosque, I hope it does not become a reality, based on adhering to general texts that have not been acted upon in some of their parts. And here is the example: A group entered the mosque at the time of a prayer, like Zuhr for example, and each one of them went to a side of the mosque wanting to pray the regular voluntary prayer (sunnah) of the time. So one of them called them and said: "O group, why are we praying separately? Come, let us pray in congregation." And he said (peace and blessings be upon him): , and so on. And he said (peace be upon him): Is there a proof greater than this? No. What is the ruling of this congregation? We will all say with one voice: Is this an innovation?
The student : A religious innovation.

The Shaykh : Why is this an innovation? The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says: , Yes, this was not the practice of the Salaf. And the explanation of this statement "it was not the practice of the Salaf" means that the Salaf did not understand from these texts what you understood. And consequently, when they did not understand this understanding, they did not do your action. So, as the one who said:
"And all good is in following those who came before, and all evil is in innovating what those who came after have introduced."
If we do not adhere to this rule, we will fall into innovation while seeking the Sunnah.

The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah reward you...