Regarding the pointing gesture, moving the finger?

The questioner : Regarding the pointing gesture, moving the finger, is there any evidence...?

The Shaykh : There is no hadith in the Sunnah, absolutely, that clarifies that one raises the finger when negating "no," and affirms it when affirming "except Allah." Nothing of this kind has come from this generalization. Therefore, the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr remains free from any opposing hadith. It is known that those who say it is raised—as we mentioned—only say so based on opinion, independent legal reasoning, and derivation. And it is certain from the rules of all scholars, with no disagreement among them despite their different schools of jurisprudence and inclinations, that: "There is no independent legal reasoning in the place of an explicit text." So, when the hadith of Wa'il describes his movement—peace and blessings be upon him—with his finger from the beginning of his sitting until his closing salam, it is not permissible to oppose this explicit, authentic Sunnah with any derivation issued by any scholar.