Short answer
Yes. In the Hanafi school it is sunnah to raise the right index finger when you say "la ilaha" in the shahadah of the tashahhud and lower it at "illallah", without moving it about. The Shafi'i school raises it at "illallah" and keeps it up, the Maliki school moves it throughout, and the Hanbali school points it when Allah's name is mentioned.
Pointing with the right index finger at the shahadah is sunnah according to the relied-upon view, which Ibn Abidin defended against those who disliked it. The common Hanafi way is to form a ring with the thumb and middle finger, fold the ring and little fingers, raise the index finger at "la ilaha" and lower it at "illallah".
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Raise the index finger at "illallah" and keep it raised, without moving it, until the end of the tashahhud.
- Maliki
- Move the index finger from side to side throughout the tashahhud.
- Hanbali
- Point with the index finger each time the name of Allah is mentioned, without moving it.
Explanation
Ibn Umar reported that when the Prophet ﷺ sat in the prayer he placed his hands on his knees and raised his right index finger, the one next to the thumb, supplicating with it, with his left hand flat on his left knee. Pointing with one finger at the testimony of faith expresses tawhid, the oneness of Allah, with the body as well as the tongue.
The Hanafi method:
- Sit with both hands resting on your thighs, fingers towards the knees.
- When you reach "ashhadu an la ilaha", curl the little and ring fingers of the right hand, make a ring with the thumb and middle finger, and raise the index finger.
- Lower it at "illallah".
- Many Hanafi teachers say to keep the fingers in that shape until the end of the sitting; others open the hand again. Both are practised.
Why the schools differ: the hadith describe the finger raised, pointed and supplicating, and one report in Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i mentions moving it. Each school combined the reports differently. Some earlier Hanafi texts even disliked pointing, but the later Hanafi authorities, including Ibn Abidin, confirmed that it is sunnah because it is established from the Prophet ﷺ and from Imam Abu Hanifa's own students.
Do not let this become a source of argument in the masjid; all these forms are within the Sunnah. For the words, see Attahiyat (tashahhud), and for the rest of the sitting, Durood Ibrahim and the du'a after tashahhud.
The evidence
Sahih Muslim 580
Sahih... ورفع إصبعه اليمنى التي تلي الإبهام فدعا بها ...
"He raised his right finger, the one next to the thumb, supplicating with it."
Pointing with the index finger in the tashahhud is sunnah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the description of the prayer. Pointing is sunnah: raise at the negation and lower at the affirmation; the view disliking it is rejected.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the tashahhud. The Shafi'i method of raising at illallah without moving.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.