The point of the hadithic dot that the Shaykh introduces in his gatherings, and with which he concludes the discussion

The Shaykh : And by saying on an occasion like this, I have placed a hadithic dot to indicate that I have finished. The hadithic dot is, of course, a way to soften the scientific research. Among the hadith scholars, in their terminology, when they copied a book from the author’s manuscript, you know that they had what is called collation, to ensure that the copied version was an exact replica of the original. So, whenever they copied a hadith with its chain of narration, they would end the hadith with a circle, similar to the circles found in current mushafs, but without any decorative patterns inside the circle. When the copyist finished copying the version, he would go back and collate it against the Shaykh’s copy, or the copy of another scholar whose knowledge is trusted. Whenever he finished reading a text, he would place a dot in the center of the circle. This meant that the text had been collated and the matter was concluded.