Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
For the sake of Allah, affirmation of fingers is established in accordance with His majesty.
From the hadith, the affirmation of all five fingers for Allah is established.
Thus, it is obligatory to have faith in Allah along with all His attributes, without interpretation (ta’wil) or seeking the modality (takyeef).

Hadith Commentary:
In this hadith as well, the speech of Allah the Exalted is mentioned.
This is the point of relevance to the chapter.
It is also established from the hadith that affirming the truthful statements of the People of the Book is not something blameworthy.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) smiled at the fact that a Jew was describing the attributes of Allah in various ways, even though the Jews are the people who did not truly recognize the majesty and status of Allah the Exalted as is His due, and they falsely made ‘Uzayr (alayhis salam) the son of Allah, whereas Allah the Exalted is far above and exalted from such relationships and connections.
He has spoken the truth: “He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.”

Hadith Commentary:
1.
It is as if all the false deities will also be in the grasp of Allah, whom these polytheists today consider equals to Allah.
In this hadith as well, Allah’s speech is mentioned: “I am the King.”
Without doubt, on the Day of Resurrection, there will come a time
when everyone will be concerned only with themselves.
All will be terrified by the horrors of the Resurrection.
No one will have the courage or opportunity to speak.
Complete silence and stillness will prevail everywhere.
In such circumstances, Allah will address everyone and ask:
“To whom does the dominion belong today? Where are the kings of the world today? Where are the tyrants? Where are the arrogant ones?” No one will answer these questions.
Then Allah Himself will declare:
“Today, sovereignty belongs solely to Allah, the One, the Overpowering.”
()
2.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) smiled at the way the Jewish scholar described the majesty of Allah.
Even though the Jews are the people who did not truly recognize the status and grandeur of Allah, and they needlessly made ‘Uzayr (alayhis salam) the son of Allah.
3.
From this hadith, it is also understood that affirming the correct and truthful statements of the People of the Book is not blameworthy.

Hadith Commentary:
From this hadith, fingers are affirmed for the Lord, because the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) confirmed what the Jew said, and it is impossible that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would confirm something false.
Now, some people say that the confirmation was merely the assumption of the narrator, who said it based on his own conjecture.
However, it is not correct to say that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) laughed not out of confirmation, but because he considered the Jew’s statement to be incorrect, since the Jews were anthropomorphists and corporealists (mushabbihah and mujassimah), who affirmed fingers and such for Allah.
This is not correct, because Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad (rahimahullah) narrated from Mansur that in it is also: “He was amazed at what the rabbi said and confirmed him.”
Tirmidhi said: This hadith is hasan sahih.
In another authentic hadith it is stated:
“There is no heart except that it is between two fingers of the fingers of the Most Merciful.”
And in the authentic hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas (radi Allahu anhuma):
“My Lord came to me last night in the most beautiful form, and placed His hand between my shoulders until I felt the coolness of His fingertips between my breasts.”
Anamil means the tips of the fingers.
The point is that affirming fingers for the Lord is just like affirming face (wajh), two hands (yadayn), foot (qadam), leg (rijl), side (janb), etc., and the belief of the Ahl al-Hadith regarding these is that all of them are to be understood according to their apparent meaning, but their reality is known only to Allah. The theologians (mutakallimun) interpret these things as referring to power and so on.
I say: Muhammad ibn Salt, the narrator, when narrating this hadith, pointed to his little finger, then to the finger next to it, then to the one next to that, until he reached the thumb, and from this the doctrine of the people of interpretation (ahl al-ta’wil) is refuted.
(Wahidi)

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The belief of the hadith scholars (muhaddithin) and the pious predecessors (salaf) is that it is necessary to have faith, without asking how (bi-la kayf), without likening (tashbih), and without figurative interpretation (ta’wil) or distortion (tahrif), in all the attributes of Allah mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith—such as the affirmation of “hand” in the noble verse and “fingers” in the hadith. Therefore, it is not correct to interpret the reality mentioned here merely as dominance or power.
➋
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) confirmed the truth stated by this Jewish scholar by smiling, so this statement should be understood upon its apparent reality.
Further details will be mentioned in the benefits of Kitab al-Tawhid, Hadith: 7414, 7415,
by the permission of Allah the Exalted.

Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number: 7451 Chapter: «بَابُ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: {إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُمْسِكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ أَنْ تَزُولاَ} :»
Relevance between the Chapter and the Hadith:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has not explicitly clarified what he intends by the chapter heading in this place, nor is it present here. In reality, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is establishing, from the previous chapter, the matter of «امساك السمٰوٰت»—that is, “the holding of the heavens”—that Allah Most High’s holding of the heavens and the earth is, in fact, connected to His mercy. The previous chapter, which Imam Bukhari rahimahullah established regarding Allah’s mercy, perhaps indicates this point in this chapter, because the previous chapter is substantiated with the attribute of mercy (sifat al-rahmah). The reasoning for this relevance can also be indicated through a verse of the Noble Qur’an, where Allah Most High says:
«﴿وَيُمْسِكُ السَّمَاءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ﴾» [الحج : 65]
“He is the One Who holds the heaven so that it does not fall upon the earth except by His permission. Indeed, Allah is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful to the people.”
From this blessed verse, it is established that Allah Most High holds the heavens by His mercy. It is also possible that Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is explaining the meaning of ‘holding’ (imsak) mentioned in the verse through the hadith.

Hadith Commentary:

Affirmation of a finger for Allah has been established, and to interpret it figuratively is contrary to the methodology of the pious predecessors (salaf salihin).

Hadith Commentary:
1.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has explained the relevance of this hadith to the chapter heading in these words: Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has alluded to that narration whose wording is:
"Allah, the Exalted, will restrain the heavens with one finger on the Day of Resurrection and the earths on another finger."
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tawhid, Hadith: 7414)
That is, both the verse and the hadith mention Allah restraining the heavens and the earth.
(Fath al-Bari: 13/541)
2.
According to us, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s intent is that some of Allah’s attributes are such that He has been characterized by them from pre-eternity to post-eternity, such as hearing (sam‘), seeing (basar), and knowledge (‘ilm), etc., and some attributes are dependent upon Allah’s will and intent.
Among these, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned one attribute: that He is holding the earth and the heavens.
Then a time will come when He will place them on His fingers and shake them, and He will say:
"I am the King! Where are the arrogant, the tyrants, and the kings today?"
3.
From this, it is also understood that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would openly mention Allah’s attributes and, in order to make them understandable to the listeners, would also demonstrate them practically. Whereas some people think that the attributes should not be mentioned in front of the general public, this stance is contrary to the Prophetic biography. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam recited the noble verse to confirm the statement of the Jewish scholar, because in this verse, the same state of the heavens and the earth on the Day of Resurrection is described as the Jewish scholar had described in his own way.
(Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid lil-Ghunayman: 2/202)

Hadith Commentary:

It is mentioned further (وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ) — On that Day, the entire earth will be in His grasp.

The righteous predecessors (salaf salihin) did not approve of interpreting these attributes figuratively.

And this is the straight path.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah with the mentioned title and the presented ahadith is that Allah, the Exalted, has two hands and that the hands have fingers, which is explicitly stated in these ahadith. However, Allamah Khattabi says that the mention of fingers is not found in the Qur’an, nor is there any clarification of them in any hadith of definitive authenticity. Furthermore, by “hand” is not meant a limb, such that by establishing it, the existence of fingers would also be established.
The mention of fingers in the aforementioned ahadith is, according to him, the fabrication of the Jewish scholar, and the laughter of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam at his statement was as a form of rejection.
It is the narrator’s own assumption that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam laughed in affirmation of his statement.
This assumption has no basis in reality.
(A’lam al-Hadith: 1903/3)

➋
We did not expect from a muhaddith like Allamah Khattabi rahimahullah that he would go so far in siding with those who interpret (ta’wil) the attributes of Allah, the Exalted.
In our view, the mention of fingers is present in the Qur’an in this way: Allah, the Exalted, says:
“Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you from, abstain from it.” (: al-Hashr: 7)
Thus, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has mentioned fingers, palm, right hand, and fist, etc., and these are established for Allah, the Exalted. In fact, the Qur’an states:
(Bal yadāhu mabsūtatān)
“Rather, both His hands are outstretched.” (: al-Ma’idah: 64)
Other verses can also be presented, and then in the aforementioned ahadith of definitive authenticity, the mention of fingers is found.
When something is mentioned in authentic ahadith, it is necessary to accept it, whether it pertains to actions or beliefs. However, the people of innovation (ahl al-bid’ah) say that the mention of the attributes of Allah, the Exalted, must be in the Qur’an or in mutawatir (mass-transmitted) ahadith.
This principle of theirs is self-invented and contrary to the principles of the hadith scholars.

➌
Furthermore, when the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned these attributes, his audience were those who understood the Arabic language and acted according to its apparent meaning.
It is not established, even from a weak hadith, that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ever instructed his audience not to act upon the apparent meaning of the texts.
Can it be believed about Allah, the Exalted, and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that they would address the servants in such a way that the apparent meaning would be disbelief (kufr), as those who interpret (ta’wil) claim?
Safety lies in acting with submission and acceptance, and holding the belief according to the apparent meaning of these texts: that Allah, the Exalted, has two real hands, befitting His majesty.
On the Day of Resurrection, Allah, the Exalted, will place the heavens, the earth, and other creations on the fingers of these hands, shake them, and proclaim His sovereignty.

➍
How can it be assumed about the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that a long and incorrect statement would be made in his presence, and instead of refuting it, he would laugh at it?
In our view, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam laughing upon hearing the statement of the Jewish scholar is a sign of his approval and affirmation of it. Thus, Imam Ibn Khuzaymah rahimahullah says:
The Prophet of Allah is far above that, in his presence, an attribute of Allah, the Exalted, would be mentioned which does not befit Him, and instead of refuting it, he would laugh at it.
This is by no means the station of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
(Kitab al-Tawhid, p. 76)
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam laughing at the statement of the Jewish scholar was not as a form of rejection, but rather as affirmation, as Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu has explicitly stated.
To say about such a great Companion that it was merely his own assumption is a bold and audacious claim, especially when the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in affirmation of this statement, recited the following noble verse:
“They did not appraise Allah with true appraisal. On the Day of Resurrection, the whole earth will be in His grasp, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand. Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him.” (: al-Zumar: 67)
Thus, all the false deities of the polytheists will also be in the grasp of Allah, the Exalted, whom they today associate as partners with Him.
The mention of Allah’s fingers is also found in other ahadith. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“The hearts of the children of Adam are between two fingers of the Most Merciful, as if they are one heart. He turns them however He wills.” Then the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam recited this supplication:
(Allahumma musarrif al-qulubi, sarrif qulubana ‘ala ta’atik)
“O Turner of the hearts! Turn our hearts towards Your obedience.”
(Musnad Ahmad: 168/1)

➎
Hafiz Ibn Qayyim rahimahullah writes:
In the Qur’an, the Prophetic ahadith, and the statements of the Companions radi Allahu anhum and the Followers (Tabi’un) rahimahumullah, the word “yad” (hand) has been used for Allah, the Exalted, more than a hundred times. From their attributes, it is known that what is meant is a real hand, for example:
Grasping, folding, spreading, contracting, shaking hands, kneading, writing, having a right and left, being full of goodness and blessing, and planting trees in the Garden of Eden, etc.
From all these actions and attributes, it is known that Allah, the Exalted, has two real hands, for which there can be no interpretation, and these hands bear absolutely no resemblance to the hands of creation. Rather, it is necessary to affirm them and have faith in them as befits Allah, the Exalted.
(Mukhtasar al-Sawa’iq, p. 348)