How is the finger moved in the tashahhud?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Yes, another question. We heard on some of your tapes that moving the finger in the tashahhud is not done by raising and lowering it, meaning from right to left. We apply this, and praise be to Allah, but people ask us what is the evidence for that?
The Shaykh : How do you apply it?
The questioner : I mean, I move my finger from right to left.
The Shaykh : Who told you that?
The questioner : I heard it on one of your tapes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, you are mistaken.
The questioner : And what is the correct way?
The Shaykh : The correct way is to move it in its place, not to the right and left. In other words, it is lowering and raising, but in a manner that is barely visible.
The questioner : Ah, understood. Yes.
The Shaykh: Understood
The questioner : Understood, O Shaykh. Understood.
The Shaykh : As for moving it to the right and left, this has crept into you from your old school of thought, or the school of some of you in Algeria and Morocco and those countries on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, namely the Maliki school.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So those who do as you described?
The questioner : Yes. You mentioned in the description of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer that when Imam Ahmad was asked whether a man points with his finger in prayer, he said: “Yes, strongly.” What is meant by “strongly” here? Does it mean quickly, or what?
The Shaykh : It means this, i.e., a lot.
The questioner : A lot.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : This is what we have, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner: May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And may Allah bless you.
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings and His forgiveness
The Shaykh : How do you apply it?
The questioner : I mean, I move my finger from right to left.
The Shaykh : Who told you that?
The questioner : I heard it on one of your tapes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : No, you are mistaken.
The questioner : And what is the correct way?
The Shaykh : The correct way is to move it in its place, not to the right and left. In other words, it is lowering and raising, but in a manner that is barely visible.
The questioner : Ah, understood. Yes.
The Shaykh: Understood
The questioner : Understood, O Shaykh. Understood.
The Shaykh : As for moving it to the right and left, this has crept into you from your old school of thought, or the school of some of you in Algeria and Morocco and those countries on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, namely the Maliki school.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So those who do as you described?
The questioner : Yes. You mentioned in the description of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer that when Imam Ahmad was asked whether a man points with his finger in prayer, he said: “Yes, strongly.” What is meant by “strongly” here? Does it mean quickly, or what?
The Shaykh : It means this, i.e., a lot.
The questioner : A lot.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : This is what we have, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner: May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And may Allah bless you.
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings and His forgiveness
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.