Raising and pointing with the index finger during Tashahhud in Salah is a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, for which there are multiple authentic ḥadīths. This Sunnah is not only established from the Prophet ﷺ by mutawātir transmission, but is also confirmed by the practice of the noble Companions.
Despite this, early Hanafi scholars (prior to Al-Zayla’i) rejected this Sunnah—some even declared it makrūh (disliked) and insisted on abandoning it. In this article, we will present:
✅ Authentic narrations supporting the raising of the index finger
✅ The actions of the Companions
✅ Statements from early and later jurists
✅ Internal contradictions within the Hanafi school
① Ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh bin Zubayr رضي الله عنه – [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 579]
Arabic Text:
«كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِذَا قَعَدَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، جَعَلَ قَدَمَهُ الْيُسْرَى بَيْنَ فَخِذِهِ وَسَاقِهِ، وَفَرَشَ قَدَمَهُ الْيُمْنَى، وَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى رُكْبَتِهِ الْيُسْرَى، وَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى، وَأَشَارَ بِإِصْبَعِهِ»
Translation:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when sitting in Salah, would place his left foot between his thigh and shin, spread his right foot, place his left hand on his left knee, his right hand on his right thigh, and would point with his finger.
📌 The phrase “أشار بأصبعه“ clearly proves pointing with the index finger.
② Ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh bin Zubayr رضي الله عنه (Another Chain) – [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 579]
Arabic Text:
«كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِذَا قَعَدَ يَدْعُو، وَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى، وَيَدَهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُسْرَى، وَأَشَارَ بِإِصْبَعِهِ السَّبَّابَةِ، وَوَضَعَ إِبْهَامَهُ عَلَى إِصْبَعِهِ الْوُسْطَى، وَيُلْقِمُ كَفَّهُ الْيُسْرَى رُكْبَتَهُ»
Translation:
When the Prophet ﷺ sat for supplication, he would place his right hand on his right thigh, his left hand on his left thigh, point with the index finger, place his thumb on the middle finger, and rest his left palm on his knee.
📌 The wording “أشار بإصبعه السبابة“ confirms usage of the index finger.
📍 Both these narrations are present in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and are narrated from ʿAbdullāh bin Zubayr رضي الله عنه, who was himself a Companion and close to the Prophet ﷺ.
③ Ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh bin ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما – [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 580]
Arabic Text:
«كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا جَلَسَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ، وَرَفَعَ إِصْبَعَهُ الْيُمْنَى الَّتِي تَلِي الْإِبْهَامَ، فَدَعَا بِهَا وَيَدَهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى رُكْبَتِهِ الْيُسْرَى بَاسِطَهَا عَلَيْهَا»
Translation:
When the Prophet ﷺ sat in Salah, he placed both hands on his knees, raised the right finger next to the thumb (i.e. the index finger) and supplicated with it, while his left hand was spread out on his left knee.
📌 This narration is explicit evidence of the supplicatory gesture, in which raising the index finger is clearly mentioned.
④ Ḥadīth of Wāʾil bin Ḥujr رضي الله عنه – [Sunan al-Nasā’ī, 889]
Arabic Text:
«ثُمَّ قَبَضَ اثْنَتَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِهِ، وَحَلَّقَ حَلْقَةً، ثُمَّ رَفَعَ إِصْبَعَهُ، فَرَأَيْتُهُ يُحَرِّكُهَا يَدْعُو بِهَا»
Translation:
The Prophet ﷺ closed two fingers, made a circle (with another), raised his finger, and I saw him moving it while making duʿā’.
📌 Not just raising, but moving the finger is mentioned—a strong confirmation of Sunnah.
✅ Chain Authenticity: All narrators are trustworthy:
‘Abdullāh bin Mubārak → Zā’idah → ʿĀṣim bin Kulayb → Kulayb bin Shihāb → Wāʾil bin Ḥujr (Companion)
⑤ Ḥadīth of Abū Ḥumayd al-Sāʿidī رضي الله عنه – [Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, 293]
Arabic Text:
«وَوَضَعَ كَفَّهُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى رُكْبَتِهِ الْيُمْنَى، وَكَفَّهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى رُكْبَتِهِ الْيُسْرَى، وَأَشَارَ بِأُصْبُعِهِ – يَعْنِي السَّبَّابَةَ –»
📘 [Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, 293; he said: this ḥadīth is ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ]
Translation:
The Prophet ﷺ placed his right hand on his right knee, left on the left, and pointed with the index finger.
📍 It is clear that this Sunnah is established not by one Companion but by the joint testimony of a group of Companions, since Abū Ḥumayd, Abū Usayd, Sahl bin Saʿd and Muḥammad bin Maslamah were all present in this narration.
Position of the Four Imams: Imām Mālik, Imām Aḥmad, Imām Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr
1. Imām Mālik رحمه الله
Narrated by Ibn al-Qāsim:
قال ابن القاسم: رأيت مالكًا يحرك السبابة في التشهد مُلِحًّا
📘 [Al-Tabṣirah by al-Lakhmī, Abū al-Ḥasan al-Lakhmī al-Mālikī, d. 478 AH]
“I saw Mālik moving his index finger repeatedly in Tashahhud.”
📌 Another report: Ibn al-Qāsim said: “I saw Mālik, when he prayed Fajr, supplicating and moving the finger next to the thumb.”
قال ابن القاسم: رأيت مالكًا إذا صلى الصبح يدعو ويحرك أصبعه التي تلي الإبهام
📘 [Al-Bayān wa al-Taḥṣīl, Ibn Rushd al-Qurṭubī, d. 520 AH]
📍 Both these reports establish the practical Sunnah of Imām Mālik.
2. Imām Aḥmad رحمه الله
سُئِلَ: هل يشير الرجل بإصبعه في الصلاة؟
قال: نعم، شديدًا.
📘 [Masāʾil al-Imām Aḥmad, narration of Ibn Hānī, d. 275 AH]
“Should a person point with his finger in Salah?” He replied: “Yes—strongly!”
📍 This clear fatwā of Imām Aḥmad is in favour of raising the index finger.
3. Imām Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله
“Both actions (pointing and not pointing) are authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ. Both are permissible, and all praise is for Allah.”
وَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ مَرْوِيٌّ فِي الْآثَارِ الصِّحَاحِ الْمُسْنَدَةِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، وَجَمِيعُهُ مُبَاحٌ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
📘 [Al-Istidhkār, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, d. 463 AH]
📌 With scholarly integrity, Imām Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr gathered all the narrations and made it clear that raising the index finger is a Sunnah and a permissible practice.
Hanafi Fiqh and the Juristic History of Raising the Index Finger
1. Imām Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī
A direct student of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah. He supported the permissibility of raising the finger.
🔍 However, early Hanafis later rejected his stance, opting for abandonment.
📌 Research note: Imām Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī was certainly a student of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, but he did not agree with him in all branches and principles. His disagreement with his teacher on several fundamental issues is well known.
📎 Evidence: According to the statements of Ibn ʿAdī, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr and other Imams, the school of Imām Muḥammad holds an independent position of ijtihād; he also benefited directly from Imām Mālik and Imām Shāfiʿī.
2. Al-Zaylaʿī (d. 743 AH)
He took a revolutionary step by issuing a fatwā in favor of raising the finger, based on authentic ḥadīths—contrary to earlier Hanafis.
📌 Later Hanafis followed him.
📌 This change is proof of ijtihād within Hanafi fiqh, but it also makes clear that the rejection of this Sunnah continued within Hanafi fiqh for several centuries.
3. Ibn ʿĀbidīn al-Shāmī (d. 1252 AH)
(وَلَا يُشِيرُ بِسَبَّابَتِهِ) وَعَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى… لَكِنَّ الْمُعْتَمَدَ مَا صَحَّحَهُ الشُّرَّاحُ وَلَا سِيَّمَا الْمُتَأَخِّرُونَ… أَنَّهُ يُشِيرُ لِفِعْلِهِ ﷺ، وَنَسَبُوهُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ وَالْإِمَامِ.
“The fatwā is not to point with the finger… but the accepted view of the later scholars is to point, since the Prophet ﷺ did so, and it is also attributed to Imām Muḥammad and Imām Abū Ḥanīfah.”
📘 [Radd al-Muḥtār ʿala al-Durr al-Mukhtār]
📍 Al-Shāmī mentioned both views, but gave preference to pointing.
Fatāwā ʿĀlamgīriyyah, the Hanafi Qāḍīs and the Rejection of Raising the Index Finger
1. Fatāwā ʿĀlamgīriyyah (the agreed opinion of 500 scholars)
“The chosen view is that one does not point; so it is in al-Khulāṣah, and the fatwā is on this… Many of the Mashāyikh do not hold the view of pointing, and it was declared makrūh in Munyat al-Muftī.”
وَالْمُخْتَارُ أَنَّهُ لَا يُشِيرُ. كَذَا فِي الْخُلَاصَةِ وَعَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى… وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْ الْمَشَايِخِ لَا يَرَوْنَ الْإِشَارَةَ وَكَرِهَهَا فِي مُنْيَةِ الْمُفْتِي.
📘 [Al-Fatāwā al-Hindiyyah, compiled under the supervision of Niẓām al-Dīn al-Balkhī]
📌 This is a clear fatwā on not pointing and on its being makrūh.
2. Shaykh Aḥmad Sirhindī (Mujaddid Alf Thānī)
“When the prohibition of pointing with the index finger in prayer has occurred in reliable reports, and the fatwā has been given that it is makrūh, then for the Ḥanafīs to do this act despite these fatwās is ḥarām and forbidden.”
📍 This statement is based on the harshest stance, declaring raising the index finger ḥarām, although the authentic ḥadīths are against it.
📌 The basis of this attitude of the Ḥanafīs is blind taqlīd, which goes against the Sunnah.
3. Qāḍī Thanāʾullāh Pānīpatī (d. 1225 AH)
“The established view of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah is that one should not point in Tashahhud.”
📌 Qāḍī Thanāʾullāh Pānīpatī also supported this taqlīdī position, although the narrations of the majority of the ḥadīth scholars and jurists declare raising the index finger a Sunnah.
4. ʿAllāmah Ibn Shahāb al-Bazzāz al-Kurdarī (Fatāwā al-Bazzāziyyah)
ولا يشير عند قوله أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله في المختار.
📘 [Al-Fatāwā al-Bazzāziyyah, al-Bazzāz al-Kurdarī]
“He should not point when saying ‘Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa Allāh.’”
📍 This statement too is clear evidence of the denial of raising the index finger.
Analytical Summary & Defense of the Sunnah
❖ 1. Consensus of the Scholars of Ḥadīth
✔ Authentic ḥadīths in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, al-Nasā’ī, al-Tirmidhī, etc.
✔ Multiple Companions narrated this Sunnah:
- ʿAbdullāh bin Zubayr
- ʿAbdullāh bin ʿUmar
- Wāʾil bin Ḥujr
- Abū Ḥumayd al-Sāʿidī
- Others
–
❖ 2. Why Early Hanafīs Rejected It?
- The early Ḥanafīs abandoned raising the index finger and declared it makrūh or ḥarām.
- The main reason for this was blind taqlīd, and giving preference to opinion (ra’y) and analogy (qiyās) over acting upon the ḥadīth.
- This attitude is seen most in Imām Abū Yūsuf, Imām Muḥammad and the partisan theologians who came after them
❖ 3. Later Hanafīs Returned to the Sunnah
- ʿAllāmah al-Zaylaʿī (743 AH) issued a fatwā on the permissibility of raising the index finger, basing it on authentic ḥadīths.
- Ibn ʿĀbidīn Shāmī (1252 AH) gave preference to the position of the later scholars and declared raising the index finger permissible.
- The permissibility of raising the index finger is also established from Imām Muḥammad bin al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī.
❖ 4. Conclusion
🔹 Raising the index finger is an authentic Sunnah which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed in word and in deed.
🔹 This Sunnah is transmitted from multiple Companions with authentic chains.
🔹 The early attitude of Hanafi fiqh has to be described as based on blind taqlīd, whereas the later jurists returned to the ḥadīth.
❖ 5. Advice
Abandoning a practice that is authentically proven from the Prophet ﷺ and narrated by several Companions amounts to rejecting the ḥadīths.
✔ Following ḥadīth takes precedence over blind adherence to legal schools.
🟢 Final Verdict:
Raising the index finger during Tashahhud is an emphasized Sunnah, narrated by multiple Companions, and it was the constant practice of the Prophet ﷺ.
Hanafi opposition, labeling it as makrūh or ḥarām, contradicts the authentic Sunnah and deserves criticism.
Screenshots of Important References
