❀ The Sunnah Method of Counting Dhikr Using Fingers ❀
Excerpted from: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, p. 185
✿ Question
Is there a specific Sunnah method for counting dhikr (remembrance of Allah) on fingers, or may one do so in any way that suits convenience?
✿ Answer
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Counting dhikr and tasbih on the fingers is not only permissible, but also proven from the Sunnah. Moreover, among the Arabs, a traditional method of finger-counting existed, referenced in Hadiths and reports from the Companions.
❶ Using the Right Hand is Sunnah
Narrated by ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (RA):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to count tasbih on his right hand.
References:
✔ Sunan Abī Dāwūd (1/28), Ḥadīth: 1502
✔ Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī (Ḥadīths: 3652, 3733)
✔ Ibn Mājah (1/299)
✔ Musnad Aḥmad (2/204)
✔ Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ (Ḥadīth: 2406)
✔ Mustadrak al-Ḥākim (1/547)
❷ Women Encouraged to Count Using Fingers
Narrated by Yasīrah (RA):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Keep to saying Takbīr, Taqdīs, and Tahlīl, and count them on your fingers, for they will be questioned and will speak.”
References:
✔ Sunan Abī Dāwūd (1/280)
✔ Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ
✔ Tirmidhī
✔ Musnad Aḥmad (6/370)
✔ Ḥadīth Status: Ḥasan (reliable)
❸ Meaning of “Waʿqidna bil-Anāmil” and Finger-counting Method
Mubārakpūrī in Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī (4/283) explains:
“Waʿqidna” means to close the fingers one by one while counting.
“ʿAqd al-shay’ bi’l-anāmil” = to count something using the fingertips.
❖ The Traditional Arabic Finger-counting System
Arabs used a symbolic and silent hand gesture system for counting units, tens, hundreds, and thousands. It also served to maintain secrecy in financial dealings.
➤ Counting Units (1–9):
Bend the pinky toward the palm
Pinky + next finger bent
Pinky + two fingers bent
Extend pinky
Extend pinky + next finger
Close next finger, leave others open
Place pinky flat on base of thumb
Place ring finger similarly
Place middle finger in same manner➤ Counting Tens (10–90):
Touch tip of thumb to side of index finger
Place thumb between index and middle finger Touch index fingertip to thumb tip Place thumb on the middle joint of index finger Curl thumb toward base of index finger Rest index finger on back of thumb Touch thumb tip to middle joint of index finger Extend index finger toward thumb Bend index finger toward base of thumb➤ Counting Hundreds & Thousands:
◈ Hundreds (100–900): Counted on left hand as per unit method
◈ Thousands: Counted on left hand using tens method
❖ Clarifications from Classical Sources
Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ (5/118–119):
“Waʿqidna bil-anāmil” means to count tasbih using fingertips.
This indicates the Companions had knowledge of specific counting gestures.
❖ Understanding the Hadith “We Are an Unlettered Nation”
Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar (RA):
“We are an unlettered nation; we do not write or calculate.”
—This refers either to the majority or to condemned forms of calculation, such as astrology.
(See: al-Nawawī, Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1/216; Aḥmad: 2/131)
❖ Finger Counting Used for Privacy and Discretion
◈ Musnad Aḥmad (2/341): “Wahīb counted ninety using his fingers.”
◈ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (2/1046): “Sufyān counted ninety or one hundred.”
Ibn Ḥajar in Fatḥ al-Bārī (13/92):
ʿAqd al-ḥisāb was a non-verbal system used in transactions for secrecy and efficiency.
❖ Literary Reference to Finger-counting Gestures
A poet elegantly describes the gesture-language:
رب برعوت بست منه
وفؤادی فی قبضۃ التسعین
أسرفہ ید الثلاثین
حتی ذاق طعم الحمام فی السبعین
Meaning:
Countless days and nights passed; my heart was gripped by ninety, imprisoned by the hand of thirty, until seventy brought death’s taste.
—Referencing finger gestures:
◈ 30 = Thumb and index finger touch
◈ 70 = Thumb placed between joints of index finger
❖ Treatise by Mawlānā Ashraf ʿAlī Thānwī (رحمه الله): “ʿAqd al-Anāmil”
Mawlānā Thānwī stated:
“Counting dhikr using fingers in this manner is part of the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.”
—He provided visual illustrations in Urdu, and emphasized:
✔ Counting with spiritual presence enhances Sunnah observance
✔ The described method is preferred, as practiced by the righteous
❖ Research Source
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (2/389–391)
❀ Summary
✔ Counting dhikr on fingers is a Sunnah
✔ Use the right hand for counting
✔ A specific finger-counting system was known among the Arabs
✔ Companions and successors were aware of this method
✔ Gestures aided discreet communication and clarity in counting
✔ The described method is superior, but simple finger-counting also fulfills the Sunnah
﴿وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ﴾
And Allah knows best what is correct.
