Question
Is there a specific way of counting the remembrance of Allah on the fingers, or may a person count on his fingers however he wishes, as is convenient for him?
Answer
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
Counting remembrance and tasbih on the fingers is not only permissible, but is also proven from the Sunnah.
However, among the Arabs there were also specific methods of counting, which are mentioned in the hadiths and athar.
❶ Counting remembrance with the right hand is Sunnah
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to count the tasbihat with his right hand.
❷ Encouragement for women to count on their fingers too
Yusayra, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Be mindful of takbir, taqdis and tahlil, and count them on the fingers, for the fingers will be questioned and they will speak.”
Chain: it is hasan
❸ Meaning of “wa’qudna bil-anamil” and the method of counting
Mubarakpuri
writes:
“Wa’qudna” means counting the tasbihat by closing them on the fingers.
“Aqd al-shay’ bil-anamil” means counting something by means of the fingers.
The specific counting method of the Arabs:
The method of counting known among the Arabs consisted of units, tens, hundreds and thousands. Counting was understood through movements of the hand, such as:
Counting the units (1–9):
➊ One (1): folding the little finger towards the palm
➋ Two (2): the little finger plus the adjacent finger closed
➌ Three (3): the little finger plus two fingers closed
➍ Four (4): opening the little finger
➎ Five (5): opening the little finger plus the adjacent finger
➏ Six (6): the adjacent finger closed, the rest open
➐ Seven (7): spreading the little finger into the palm up to the root of the thumb
➑ Eight (8): placing the next finger in the same manner
➒ Nine (9): placing the middle finger in the same manner
Counting the tens (10–90):
10: joining the tip of the thumb to the side of the index finger
20: placing the thumb between the index and middle fingers
30: joining the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb
40: placing the thumb on the middle joint of the index finger
50: folding the thumb towards the root of the index finger
60: placing the index finger on the back of the thumb
70: placing the tip of the thumb on the middle joint of the index finger
80: spreading the index finger towards the thumb
90: folding the index finger towards the root of the thumb
Counting hundreds and thousands:
◈ Hundreds (100–900): on the left hand, in the same way as the units.
◈ Thousands: on the left hand, like the tens.
Clarification from Maraqi al-Falah, Mirqat, and Sharh Muslim
Mirqat (5/118–119):
“Wa’qudna bil-anamil” means: count the tasbih using the fingers and their tips.
This shows that the Companions knew such a specific aqd (method of counting).
Resolving the contradiction with the hadith “We are an unlettered people”
There is a hadith of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him:
“We are an unlettered people; we neither write nor calculate.”
This hadith will be understood either as referring to the majority, or as referring to calculation that is blameworthy, such as astrology etc.
The wisdom in using counting gestures
“Wuhayb made the aqd of ninety”
“Sufyan made the aqd of ninety or one hundred”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar
:
“Aqd al-hisab” was a specific symbolic language of the Arabs, which they devised to avoid pronunciation, especially in transactions.
The meaning of the count was conveyed silently, so that the secret would not be revealed to others present.
Poetic reference: the beauty of counting gestures
A literary figure’s couplet is:
رب برعوت بست منه
وفؤادی فی قبضۃ التسعین
أسرفہ ید الثلاثین
حتی ذاق طعم الحمام فی السبعین
Explanation:
Many days and nights passed; my heart was in the grip of ninety, the hand of thirty imprisoned it, and seventy made it taste the flavour of death.
◈ Thirty (30): joining the thumb with the index finger
◈ Seventy (70): placing the thumb between the two joints of the index finger
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawi’s risala “Aqd Anamil”
Maulana Thanawi said:
“Making remembrance by this counting is the Sunnah of the Prophet.”
– He clarified it with pictures in Urdu
– He said: counting with the proper manner is fulfilling the Sunnah
– The method mentioned is more virtuous, as it was the method of the hadiths and the righteous.
Research source:
Summary:
◈ Counting remembrance on the fingers is Sunnah
◈ The right hand should be used
◈ A specific method of counting was known among the Arabs
◈ The Companions and Tabi’in were acquainted with this method
◈ Using counting gestures was also used on some occasions for secrecy and ease of understanding
◈ Adopting the method mentioned is more virtuous, but if someone counts simply on the fingers, the Sunnah is still fulfilled.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
