What is the manner of moving the finger in the final tashahhud?
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The questioner : Is moving the finger in the prayer done continuously, or not?
The Shaykh : Some people perform the tashahhud by moving the finger in a way that adds to the meaning of the movement, making it a lowering and raising. For example, I place my hand on my thigh, then I clench all my fingers, but I circle the middle finger and the thumb like this, then I raise this index finger and point it toward the qiblah. What do people do!!
Lowering and raising, regardless of the speed. I am not speaking about speed now, but about the lowering and raising. This has no basis. This has no basis. What has a basis is that after pointing the finger toward the qiblah, he moves it while maintaining the state of not lowering and raising it, because not a single hadith has come that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to raise and lower it. Everything that has come is that he points with it and moves it. So Wa'il ibn Hujr said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 1268Sahih (Darussalam).
As for the type of movement, there is also no specification of the type of movement in any hadith. For example, does he move it so that its movement is barely visible, as some do out of modesty, because they are in a community hostile to the Sunnah and have never seen this movement, so he conforms to them and convinces himself that this is movement, even if this movement is barely visible? Is the movement to be such that it is not visible except with close inspection, or is it to be a vigorous movement?!
Nothing has come in the Sunnah whatsoever. Therefore, I believe that the important thing is that he moves it, and does not fix it, and does not raise and lower it. However, there is a narration from Imam Ahmad that he said: "I saw him pointing with it vigorously". So what does "vigorously" mean?
It appears that its meaning is that he points, moving it with a vigorous movement. But this has not come in the Sunnah. This is the opinion of the Imam of the Sunnah, Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him). If a Muslim follows him, there is no blame on him, because he does not contradict a known Sunnah. But he does not impose it on others, nor does he say: the movement must be a vigorous movement as Imam Ahmad said, for example. Just as he does not impose a movement of another type. What is made general in the Shari'ah we make general, and what is restricted in the Shari'ah we restrict. Perhaps in that lies sufficiency and adequacy, if Allah wills, for what you asked?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Some people perform the tashahhud by moving the finger in a way that adds to the meaning of the movement, making it a lowering and raising. For example, I place my hand on my thigh, then I clench all my fingers, but I circle the middle finger and the thumb like this, then I raise this index finger and point it toward the qiblah. What do people do!!
Lowering and raising, regardless of the speed. I am not speaking about speed now, but about the lowering and raising. This has no basis. This has no basis. What has a basis is that after pointing the finger toward the qiblah, he moves it while maintaining the state of not lowering and raising it, because not a single hadith has come that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to raise and lower it. Everything that has come is that he points with it and moves it. So Wa'il ibn Hujr said:
and I saw him moving it, supplicating with it
فرأيته يحركها يدعو بهاAs for the type of movement, there is also no specification of the type of movement in any hadith. For example, does he move it so that its movement is barely visible, as some do out of modesty, because they are in a community hostile to the Sunnah and have never seen this movement, so he conforms to them and convinces himself that this is movement, even if this movement is barely visible? Is the movement to be such that it is not visible except with close inspection, or is it to be a vigorous movement?!
Nothing has come in the Sunnah whatsoever. Therefore, I believe that the important thing is that he moves it, and does not fix it, and does not raise and lower it. However, there is a narration from Imam Ahmad that he said: "I saw him pointing with it vigorously". So what does "vigorously" mean?
It appears that its meaning is that he points, moving it with a vigorous movement. But this has not come in the Sunnah. This is the opinion of the Imam of the Sunnah, Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him). If a Muslim follows him, there is no blame on him, because he does not contradict a known Sunnah. But he does not impose it on others, nor does he say: the movement must be a vigorous movement as Imam Ahmad said, for example. Just as he does not impose a movement of another type. What is made general in the Shari'ah we make general, and what is restricted in the Shari'ah we restrict. Perhaps in that lies sufficiency and adequacy, if Allah wills, for what you asked?
The questioner : Yes.