What is your opinion on clarifying the issue of pointing with the index finger?

The questioner : I wish you would clarify the issue of pointing with the index finger, just as you clarified it before.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : I say, clarify for him the movement of the index finger. I say, and also between the two prostrations, as people do...

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. We have clarified for you, after gathering the hadiths regarding the issue of pointing with the index finger in the tashahhud, that when the worshipper sits for the tashahhud, he should place his left palm on his left knee and his right palm on his right knee, directly and continuously without any pause. He spreads his fingers and makes a circle between the middle finger and the thumb, like this. Then he extends the index finger, extending it upright, and directs it toward the qiblah. He does not lower it, as some people do. If he extends it, he moves it in its place; he does not lower and raise it, because this lowering has no mention whatsoever in any of the hadiths regarding the description of prayer. It is only the practice of people who do not know the Sunnah. This lowering and raising has no basis. What has a basis is the movement, and the movement is achieved with the least amount of motion. If the matter reaches the point of lowering and raising, we would be doing something that has no mention at all. However, this movement should not be excessive, because bending the finger is mentioned in a hadith containing an unknown narrator that is not used as evidence in some of the Sunan collections. So we said he should extend it, because this extension is mentioned in the hadith of Wail and others, who extended it. Then it came in a sound chain that he said: "I saw him moving it." So moving it is done while it is directed toward the qiblah, because the Muslim directs his entire being to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), facing the Ka'bah. So he faces it even with his index finger, like this, not like this. Then he moves it like this, not like this. We see some people who believe in all these things, but they feel they are in an atmosphere that does not support the movement, so they move it shyly, meaning barely, so precisely that you can hardly tell he is moving it. If he is asked why he does not move it, he answers that he is moving it. If he is objected to, why are you moving it? He says, "Oh, this is not intentional," and similar words. The description of the Muslim is that he does not fear the blame of anyone in the matter of Allah, especially since he does not live among the Rafidah or the Shi'ah with hatred, but rather among the people of the Sunnah. Although there is some disagreement among the people of the Sunnah, this disagreement does not make him fear people instead of fearing Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So, in summary, as soon as he places his right palm on his right knee, he gathers his fingers and makes a circle like this, and extends his index finger, directing it toward the qiblah and moving it. He continues moving it until he says the taslim, until he exits the prayer. He does not stop it in any place, and he does not stop it at the beginning of the tashahhud on the claim that the movement is at the testimony. This has no basis. The statement of some schools of jurisprudence that he raises it at the negation and lowers it at the affirmation, or the opposite, all these details are merely opinions and independent legal reasoning. It is also necessary to point out that after we place our palm on the right thigh and right knee like this, some people, when we told them to gather, then circle, then extend, what do they do? This turning is an extra movement that has no mention at all in any hadith. It is only the opinion of some later Maliki scholars. So, gather like this, circle like this, extend like this. But if he comes and turns it a second time, placing the base on his knee and then becoming like this, this, first of all, has no basis in the Sunnah. It has turned the index finger away from the qiblah. This is among the misfortunes of deviating from the Sunnah. This is what comes to my mind regarding the manner of pointing in prayer. I hope that no one among the attendees will ask themselves, "My brother, this issue is trivial, an issue of the husk, while we are concerned with the kernel." We say that Islam is all kernel. And if it is true that there is a husk in it, the husk was not created in vain, even in material fruits. How much more so in spiritual and devotional matters? If we accept that there is a husk in Islam, this husk was not legislated in vain, but to preserve the kernel. So let no one say that this is a trivial issue, or a husk, or that it has no value. The value lies in you, O Muslim, fulfilling the words of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): He did not say "Pray as you saw me praying" only in the ruku' and sujud, nor only in the pillars and obligations, but he generalized and included everything, saying: Therefore, if there are some details in the branches of Islamic jurisprudence where this is distinguished as a condition, this as a pillar, this as an obligation, this as a wajib, this as a confirmed Sunnah, that as a recommended Sunnah, and another as a mandub, this is what they did due to their precision in knowledge. But this does not benefit the general public, because the general public cannot maintain this precise detail. They may mix things up, as it is said, "mixing the rope with the nail." It is sufficient for them to know how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed. Similarly, we say regarding his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): "Take from me your rituals of Hajj." No philosophy: a pillar without which Hajj is not valid, an obligation without which Hajj is valid but requires a sacrifice, or an obligation without a sacrifice, or a Sunnah without any sacrifice. The general public does not benefit from these details. In my opinion, these details are like philosophy for the general Muslim; they do not benefit them. But teach them how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed. Each one of them should come with what he can of the description of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer. Teach them how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj. Then each one, when he is sincere, tries to follow the Messenger of Allah, because he is the role model .

The questioner : .

The Shaykh This is how we must teach people.
Please proceed.