addition is Sh?ththah [odd one]. Moreover, and most important of all, Im?m Muslim narrated the same Had?th traced back to Ibn ‘Ajl?n too without this addition. (1)

Im?m Ibn Al-Qayyim affirmed the same and said: ‘As for the had?th narrated by Ab? D?w?d traced back to “‘Abdull?h Ibn Az-Zubair to have said: ‘The prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used to point with his [right] index calling unto All?h ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) with out moving it’; this last phrase is not convincingly affirmed for Im?m Muslim narrated the full had?th in his “Sah?h” without mentioning it.

He [Im?m Muslim] related that: ‘The prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used to sit in his Sal?t [for Tashahhud] putting his left foot between his thigh and leg, spreading his right foot, and used to put his left palm on his left knee, and his right palm on his right thigh pointing with his finger’.

Besides, Ab? D?w?d’s narration does not explicitly state that the prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used to do so in his Sal?t. (2) Even if it were so, Ab? D?w?d’s narration bears a negative meaning while Ibn Hjur’s one bears an affirmed, authentic positive one and the later has precedence over the former’. (3)

Were this narration authentic, it could be easily combined with the other one narrated by W?’il; one could move his index and point with it alternately -as Al-Qurtubi said: ‘The ‘Ulamah differed regarding moving the index finger [in Tashahhud]; some held that one should move it, others held the opposite opinion. Both groups based their rulings on evidences form the authentic Sunnah, so both acts could be performed [alternately]. Al-Hamdulill?h’. (4)

Al-‘Am?r As-San’?n? in his “Subul As-Sal?m” (vol. 1/ pp. 187 - 8) shared Al-Qurtubi his opinion and so did Ar-R?fi’? as reported by Al-Mub?rakf?r? who supported both Ar-R?fi’? and As-San’?n?. (5)

Moving the [right] index is the soundest of opinions for according to the Fiqh principle” the narration with positive meaning has precedence over the one with a negative meaning. It is so strange that some of those who explained An-Nawaw?’s “Al-Minh?j” after narrating W?’il’s had?th and having known the preponderance of other ‘Ulamah- reject it and say: ‘The narration that bears the negative has precedence over the one with positive meaning believing this to be the truth and the prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) may have ordered them [i.e. his Sah?bah] not to move it in the Sal?t’. (6)

Other later Fuqah?’ even stated that: ‘One must not move it for the act of moving was not affirmed in Sunnah!! It is even Har?m and renders one’s Sal?t invalid!! As reported by An-Nawaw? in his “Sharh Al-Muhaththab”’. (7)

Such opinions are indeed born out from Mathhab fanaticism for it is of human nature that one sticks to what he knows and is familiar with, adhering to it with great satisfaction and submission to an extent that if an opposite opinion is to appear he would gather all his power and do whatever is in his capacity to refute it and defend his won opinion closing his eyes from the Haq [Truth].

An-Nawaw? stated three views in his “Sharh Al-Muhaththab”: ‘The first states the impermissibility of moving the index, the second: the prohibition of moving it and “doing so renders one’s Sal?t invalid”. The had?th concerning this view was narrated by Ab? ‘Al? Ibn Ab? Hurairah which is a weak, odd one’.

Then he continued: ‘Moving it is a recommended act as Shaikh Ab? H?mid, Al-Bandan?j?, Al-Q?d?, Ab? At-Tayyib and others