What is the most complete way to position the index finger during the tashahhud: moving it up and down, or right and left, or moving it in a circle?

The questioner : What is the most complete way to position the index finger during the tashahhud: moving it up and down, or right and left, or moving it in a circle?

The Shaykh : There is no specification in the Sunnah regarding the manner of the gesture, or more precisely... to be precise: there is no specification in the Sunnah regarding how to move the index finger. However, I see that the stronger position, or the most likely one, is to move it in a manner close to lowering and raising it. I say "close to" because many of those who follow this Sunnah lower and raise the index finger, as this is an addition to the text. The text, as in the hadith of Wa'il, states: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) moving it." Moving it does not necessarily imply lowering and raising it; therefore, I said to move it close to lowering and raising it in order to reject the other two forms: one is moving it right and left, and the other is moving it as one who draws a circle by moving his finger. These two forms are clearly artificial in the first place, and they also imply a deviation, even if slight, from the direction of the qiblah as an independent direction. This is unlike the movement we have directed, which combines two Sunnahs: the Sunnah of moving the finger and the Sunnah of pointing the finger toward the qiblah.
This is what we see, and Allah knows best.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.