What is the manner of moving the finger during the tashahhud?
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The questioner : A question, O Shaykh, regarding the manner of moving the finger in prayer. Some people say it should be continuous, and this is the correct view, if Allah wills. But there are people who say you place your finger here, the thumb... and move it like this. And there are people who place it like this, pointing right and left. And there are people who lower and raise it like this. There are people who move it, and there are people who move their hand along with the finger. So the movement, praise be to Allah, we say is established. But the form... scientifically?
The Shaykh : First, to be clear on the matter, there is no hadith that specifies the manner of the movement. All there is is the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr, who saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) moving it, making du'a with it. But we have some hadiths by which we can invalidate some of the descriptions you mentioned just now. For example, this knee with the thigh, and I am placing my fist like this and raising the index finger and pointing to it. If you do it like this and like this, this contradicts the explicit hadith that he was seen facing the qiblah with it. So like this, like this, this has no basis. But like this...
The questioner : Toward the qiblah, meaning.
The Shaykh : Toward the qiblah, so this is invalid.
The questioner : Right and left is invalid.
The Shaykh : The second thing we can invalidate is what some people do of lowering and raising. This is called lowering and raising. This has not been reported at all. What was reported is that I saw him moving it. So he moves it like this. But here is the point I intended by saying there is no hadith that defines the form of the movement. I might do it like this, and another person might do it like this, meaning he speeds up a little, and perhaps a person slows down, and so on. And I say here that we do not have a hadith that we must adhere to regarding the manner of the movement. But this is the opinion, and it is ijtihad, and it is consideration. So whoever sees it as correct stops there, otherwise he moves it as it suits him. I see that this rapid movement has no evidence from the Sunnah that befits prayer, were it not that the hadith of moving it came explicitly, we would say there is no movement. Because it came in Sahih Muslim, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him). We see some people in prayer fiddling with their clothes, their sleeves, perhaps their watches, and so on. This contradicts his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) . This movement is the principle that contradicts the command to be still in prayer. But the religion is not by opinion, as Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If the religion were by opinion, if the religion were by opinion, I would have seen wiping the bottom of the sandal. But I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wiping over the sandal or over the leather sock...
So we move it in a way that establishes our response to the movement of the Messenger of Allah’s finger, but we do not exaggerate in the movement, because it does not befit his saying (peace and blessings be upon him). And this extent is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The questioner : Perhaps there is a question here, O Shaykh. If we say the movement is rapid, as is inferred from the hadith that for every movement there are ten good deeds, for example in moving the finger.
The Shaykh : I did not understand the question.
The Shaykh : First, to be clear on the matter, there is no hadith that specifies the manner of the movement. All there is is the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr, who saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) moving it, making du'a with it. But we have some hadiths by which we can invalidate some of the descriptions you mentioned just now. For example, this knee with the thigh, and I am placing my fist like this and raising the index finger and pointing to it. If you do it like this and like this, this contradicts the explicit hadith that he was seen facing the qiblah with it. So like this, like this, this has no basis. But like this...
The questioner : Toward the qiblah, meaning.
The Shaykh : Toward the qiblah, so this is invalid.
The questioner : Right and left is invalid.
The Shaykh : The second thing we can invalidate is what some people do of lowering and raising. This is called lowering and raising. This has not been reported at all. What was reported is that I saw him moving it. So he moves it like this. But here is the point I intended by saying there is no hadith that defines the form of the movement. I might do it like this, and another person might do it like this, meaning he speeds up a little, and perhaps a person slows down, and so on. And I say here that we do not have a hadith that we must adhere to regarding the manner of the movement. But this is the opinion, and it is ijtihad, and it is consideration. So whoever sees it as correct stops there, otherwise he moves it as it suits him. I see that this rapid movement has no evidence from the Sunnah that befits prayer, were it not that the hadith of moving it came explicitly, we would say there is no movement. Because it came in Sahih Muslim, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him)
Be calm in your prayer.
اسكنوا في الصلاةBe calm in your prayer.
اسكنوا في الصلاةSo we move it in a way that establishes our response to the movement of the Messenger of Allah’s finger, but we do not exaggerate in the movement, because it does not befit his saying (peace and blessings be upon him)
Be calm in your prayer.
اسكنوا في الصلاةThe questioner : Perhaps there is a question here, O Shaykh. If we say the movement is rapid, as is inferred from the hadith that for every movement there are ten good deeds, for example in moving the finger.
The Shaykh : I did not understand the question.