Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) stated, in what he transmitted from Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the chapter on warning against religious innovations, that he said: meaning on Friday He did this because it is more effective in influencing the listener. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in this state for the sake of public benefit. Otherwise, it is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the best of people in character and the gentlest in temperament. However, every occasion has its own appropriate speech. Therefore, the sermon should move the hearts and affect the souls, either in its subject matter, or in the manner of its delivery, or in both. If this is achieved, and he used to say: That is: between the index finger, which is between the middle finger and the thumb, and the middle finger. If you place them side by side, you will find them adjacent, with only a slight gap between them. The space between the middle finger and the index finger is very small, about the width of a fingernail or half a fingernail. The meaning is that the end of this worldly life is near and not far. This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did one day when he addressed the people in the late afternoon, with the sun at the tops of the palm trees, and he said: If that is the case, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away one thousand and four hundred years ago and the Hour has not yet come, this indicates that the duration of this worldly life is long. However, the estimates made by some geologists regarding the past age of the world, in millions of millions, are mere conjecture that is neither confirmed nor denied; it is like the reports of the Children of Israel. This is because we have no knowledge from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the exact amount of time that has passed in this world, nor the exact amount of time remaining. It is only as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) struck these examples. Anything that has no evidence from the Book or the Sunnah, and which concerns reports of the past, is not accepted. Rather, it falls into three categories:
The first category: what the Shari'ah has testified to as true. This is accepted because of the testimony of the Shari'ah.
The second: what the Shari'ah has testified to as false. This is rejected because of the testimony of the Shari'ah that it is false.
The third: what is neither of these. In this case, one suspends judgment, either that it is true or that it is false. And this is indicated by the saying of Allah the Exalted: If Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) has restricted knowledge to Himself, then He does not receive the knowledge of these people except from His revelation (Mighty and Majestic). No one knows them except Allah. So whoever claims something about the past, whether it relates to humanity, the nature of the earth, the celestial bodies, or otherwise, we do not believe it and we do not deny it. Rather, we divide what is reported into the three aforementioned categories. As for the future, the future is also divided. First: what the Shari'ah has reported as occurring. This must occur, such as the reports of Gog and Magog, the reports of the Dajjal, the descent of 'Isa ibn Maryam, and similar matters established in the Book and the Sunnah.
The second: what has not come in the Book or the Sunnah. This statement involves guessing and opinion. Rather, it is not permissible for anyone to believe in what is to come in the future, because it is from the knowledge of the unseen, and no one knows the unseen except Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So the result is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The index finger is the finger between the thumb and the middle finger. It is called the index finger because when a person wants to insult someone, he points to him with it, saying, “You, so-and-so, what is in you is not in me,” and he points with it. It is also called the pointing finger because when a person points to exalt Allah (Mighty and Majestic), he raises it and points with it to the sky. Then he says: The discussion of these phrases has already been mentioned. Then he says: As His Lord (Mighty and Majestic) said: He is more worthy of you than yourself, and He is Most Merciful and Compassionate to the believers (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he says: Meaning: small children who are neglected. This was how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was when Allah opened up for him. But before that, a man would be brought to him to be prayed over, and he would ask: If they said: Yes, and he had no means to pay, he would leave off praying over him. And in this is proof of the greatness of debt, and that it is not permissible for a person to take on debt except when necessity calls for it. One should not take on debt for marriage, or for building a house, or for luxuries in the house. All of this is foolishness. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: This is marriage, so what about what is far less than it? Many ignorant people take on debt and buy, for example, a mattress. For what? For the stairs. “I will furnish the stairs just as so-and-so and so-and-so furnished theirs.” A mattress for the courtyard. “Shall I buy a garage door that opens electrically or something like that?” While he is poor and takes it on debt. Meaning, on debt. It is not necessary for him to go and buy a car. Even if you buy something on deferred payment, it is a debt. Even if you buy something for a price you have not paid, the price is in your liability, a debt. Because debt, according to the scholars, is everything that is established in the liability, whether it is the price of a sale, a loan, a wage, or otherwise. So beware of debts, beware of them, for they will destroy you, except for something necessary. That is a different matter. But as long as you are in abundance, do not borrow. Many poor people borrow, for example, forty thousand. When the term comes, they say: I have nothing. Fine, borrow. He borrowed forty thousand, and what he owes, he wants to borrow sixty thousand for. Then he borrows the second year, and the many debts accumulate on him before he realizes it. And success is from Allah.