✦ Sunnah Method of Counting Tasbīḥ: The Ruling of Using the Right Hand ✦
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil fī Ḍawʾ al-Qurʾān wa al-Ḥadīth, Volume 01, Page 493
❖ The Question
Tasbīḥ (glorifications of Allah) are usually counted on the fingers of the hand. The question arises: is there any instruction that dhikr should be counted only on the right hand and not on the left?
❖ The Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
In Sunan Abī Dāwūd, the following narration is recorded:
{حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ نَا عَبْدُ اﷲِ بْنُ دَاوٗدَ عَنْ ہَانِیْ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ حُمَیْضَۃَ بِنْتِ یَاسِرٍ عَنْ یُسَیْرَۃَ أَخْبَرَتْہَا أَنَّ النَّبِیَّ صلی الله علیہ وسلم أَمَرَہُنَّ أَنْ یُرَاعِیْنَ بِالتَّکْبِیْرِ وَالتَّقْدِیْسِ وَالتَّہْلِیْلِ وَأَنْ یَعْقِدْنَ بِالْأَنَامِلِ فَإِنَّہُنَّ مَسْئُوْلاَتٌ مُسْتَنْطَقَاتٌ}
[Ḥumayḍah bint Yāsir reported from Yusayrah رضي الله عنها that the Prophet ﷺ commanded the women to regularly recite takbīr, taqdīs, and tahlīl, and to count them on their fingers, for the fingers will be questioned and will be made to speak.]
Immediately after this, Abū Dāwūd also recorded another narration:
{حَدَّثَنَا عُبَیْدُ اﷲِ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ مَیْسَرَۃَ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ قُدَامَۃَ فِیْ اٰخَرِیْنَ قَالُوْا نَا عَثَّامٌ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ عَطَائِ بْنِ السَّائِبِ عَنْ أَبِیْہِ عَنْ عَبْدِاﷲِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ : رَأَیْتُ رَسُوْلَ اﷲِ صلی الله علیہ وسلم یَعْقِدُ التَّسْبِیْحَ قَالَ ابْنُ قُدَامَۃَ بِیَمِیْنِہِ}
[ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr رضي الله عنه said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ counting the tasbīḥ on his fingers.” Ibn Qudāmah, one of the narrators, added: “with his right hand.”]
❖ Conclusion
From the above narrations, it is clear that the Sunnah is to count dhikr on the fingers, and specifically on the right hand. The fingers themselves will testify on the Day of Judgment, hence using them is more virtuous than using beads or the left hand.
✿ ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب ✿
References:
- Maʿ al-ʿAwn, vol. 12, p. 556
- Sunan Abī Dāwūd, vol. 1, Book of Ṣalāh, Chapter: Tasbīḥ with Pebbles, p. 210
