“We certainly brought you the truth, but most of you, to the truth, were averse.” (Qur’an 43:78)
“And of the people is he who disputes concerning Allah without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening Book, twisting his neck to mislead from the way of Allah. For him in this world is disgrace, and We will make him taste on the Day of Resurrection the punishment of the Burning Fire.” (Qur’an 22:8-9)
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In this article we explore who has the correct aqidah? Which of the Salafi (Athari) are among the Mu’attilah and which are not?
Who is correct in regarding a theological matter of great importance: HOW MANY FINGERS DOES ALLAH HAVE?
A matter in which Muslims can be removed from Islam and a matter in which the blood of a believer may be considered permissible.
First let it be said as regard the video we disavow the meme and the laughing emojis. We can make our points without appealing to such.
Shaykh Uthman al-Khamis:
فهل نثبت لله خمسه اصابع؟ نثبت لله الاصابع والحديث ما في خمسه اصابع. الحديث ما في خمسه اصابع وانما قال ان الله يحمل السماوات على اصبع والاراضين على اصبع والجبال على اصبع والشجر على اصبع ما في تحديد خمس اصابع فلا نحدد نقول لله اصابع تليق به ونسكت
English Translation:
“So do we affirm five fingers for Allah? We affirm fingers for Allah, but the Hadith does not mention five fingers. The Hadith does not mention five fingers; rather, it states that Allah places the heavens on a finger, the earths on a finger, the mountains on a finger, and the trees on a finger. There is no specification of five fingers, so we do not specify. We say that Allah has fingers that befit Him, and we remain silent. -Shaykh Uthman al-Khamis.
Source: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrV_6yvSFws)
Shaykh Abdul-Aziz Bin Baz (the respondent)
احسن الله اليكم سائل يقول هل الاعتقاد الصحيح هو ان لله خمس اصابع فقط
English Translation:
“May Allah be good to you, a questioner asks: Is the correct belief that Allah has only five fingers?”
Shaykh Abdul-Aziz Bin Baz:
يعني كل يد لها خمس اصابع ان الله جل وعلا له يدان ولكل يد دن اصابع وهذا من الكمال
English Translation:
“Meaning, each hand has five fingers. Indeed, Allah, Majestic and Exalted, has two hands, and each hand has fingers, and this is a matter of perfection.” -Shaykh Abdul-Aziz Bin Baz
Source: (https://shamela.ws/book/14566/32)
Shaykh Muhammed Nasir al-Din al-Albani says the hadith does not prove Allah (swt) has five fingers.
Al-Albani was asked directly: “The hadith counts five. Does this mean Allah has five fingers?” He replied: “No! We do not add to the hadith nor subtract from it.” When pressed that the five is a mafhūm (implied meaning), he said: “There is no harm in taking the mafhūm as long as it does not contradict an explicit text.”
Source: (https://tinyurl.com/fpzxprnw)
So here we have Shaykh Muhammed Nasir al-Din al-Albani saying that implication has a basis in theology!
Shaykh Al Uthaymin says Allah has an undetermined number of fingers.
Uthaymin was even more explicit in warning against the question itself. In his lecture on al-ʿAqīdah al-Saffārīniyyah, he said:
“A questioner asked me: ‘What do you say about Allah’s fingers. How many?’ I said: ‘Do you have to know this? Affirm that Allah has fingers as the Prophet ﷺ said. As for how many? We cannot speak about this.’ By Allah, you are not more eager for knowledge of Allah than the Companions! When the Prophet ﷺ said ‘Allah places the heavens on a finger,’ did they say: ‘O Messenger of Allah, does Allah have more than three fingers?’ They did not. Because they were more complete in manners and more reverent toward Allah than those who came after them.”
Source: (https://tinyurl.com/3p73je6e)
Shaykh Abdul-Aziz al-Rajihi believes that Allah (swt) has five fingers.
في هذه الأحاديث إثبات الأصابع للرب عز وجل، وأن لله خمسة أصابع وهي صفات ذاتية تليق بالله، وأن الله تعالى يضع السموات على أصبع والأرضين على أصبع والشجر والثرى على أصبع وسائر خلقه على أصبع. في الحديث الأول: «يُمْسِكُ السَّمَوَاتِ عَلَى إِصْبَعٍ، وَالأَْرَضِينَ عَلَى إِصْبَعٍ، وَالْجِبَالَ عَلَى إِصْبَعٍ، وَالشَّجَرَ عَلَى إِصْبَعٍ» فهذه خمسة أصابع.
English translation:
“In these hadiths there is affirmation of fingers for the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and that Allah has five fingers, which are attributes of His essence befitting Allah, and that Allah, the Most High, places the heavens upon a finger, the earths upon a finger, the trees and the soil upon a finger, and the rest of His creation upon a finger. In the first hadith: ‘He holds the heavens upon a finger, the earths upon a finger, the mountains upon a finger, and the trees upon a finger’ So these are five fingers.”- Shaykh Abdul-Aziz al-Rajihi
Source: (https://tinyurl.com/hhrjvdxz)
Shaykh Saleh al-Fawzan’ mentions that Allah has five fingers and he affirms this as the belief of Muhammed ibn Abd al-Wahhab in his ‘Book of Tawhid’.
“نعم، شوف في آخر كتاب التوحيد أن الله -جَلَّ وَعَلا- يطوي السماوات السبع، والأراضين السبع بيديه، أو يجعل البحار على أصبع، أو يجعل الجبال على أصبع، راجع آخر كتاب التوحيد في هذا… إلى أن ذكر خمسة أصابع… نعم، نثبت الأصابع لله عز وجل.”
English translation:
“Yes, look at the end of Kitab al-Tawhid. That Allah, Mighty and Majestic, rolls up the seven heavens and the seven earths with His two Hands, or places the seas upon a finger, or places the mountains upon a finger. Refer to the end of Kitab al-Tawhid on this… until he mentioned five fingers… Yes, we affirm the fingers for Allah, Mighty and Majestic.” -Shaykh Al-Fawzan’
Source: (https://tinyurl.com/ybvckvn9)
Source: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwtRFDTHT2Q)
What are the Salafi (Athari) basing their theology on?
They are basing upon the statement of a Jewish scholar (al-ḥabr), where the Blessed Prophet (saw) laughed at what he said and then quoted a verse from the Qur’an in rebuke. However, due to their bizarre theology that relies heavily upon statements from Jews they have taken it as an evidence in regard to a grave matter!
“And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except assumption (probablistic), and indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all.” (Qur’an 53:28)
“O humanity! Eat from what is lawful and good on the earth and do not follow Satan’s footsteps. He is truly your sworn enemy. He only incites you to commit evil and indecency, and to claim against Allah what you do not know.” (Qur’an 2:168-169)
What is the source of this discord among the various shayks of this Salafi sect?
Dear readers this is crucial. Pay close attention to the following information. We want you to note the details.
Narrated `Abdullah:
A (Jewish) Rabbi came to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and he said, “O Muhammed! We learn that Allah will put all the heavens on one finger, and the earths on one finger, and the trees on one finger, and the water and the dust on one finger, and all the other created beings on one finger. Then He will say, ‘I am the King.’ Thereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) smiled so that his pre-molar teeth became visible, and that was the confirmation of the Rabbi. Then Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) recited: ‘They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified is He, and High is He above all that they associate as partners with Him.’ (39.67)
Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4811)
Narrated `Abdullah:
A man from the People of the Book came to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and said: O Abu al-Qasim, God holds the heavens on one finger, the earths on one finger, the trees and the soil on one finger, and the creatures on one finger, then He says: I am the King, I am the King. I saw the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, laugh until his molars were visible, then he recited: {They have not appraised God with true appraisal} [Al-An’am: 91]
Source: (https://dorar.net/hadith/sharh/1623)
The [الأنعام: 91] reference in the Qur’an in the above quoted text is an editorial insertion by dorar.net—not part of the hadith wording itself. It is the website’s own cross-reference, added to tell the reader where they think the verse comes from.
The discrepencies between the two reports.
The Questioner: Who came to the Blessed Prophet (saw)?
“A (Jewish) Rabbi” — حَبْرٌ مِنَ الأَحْبَارِ or “A man from the People of the Book” — رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ
How does the questioner address the Blessed Prophet (saw)?
“O Muhammed!” — يَا مُحَمَّدُ or “O Abu al-Qasim!” — يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ
This is also reflected here:
“Muhammed, or Abu al-Qasim.” Showing the uncertainty of the transmitter as well as the fluidity of the text.
Source: (https://sunnah.com/muslim:2786a)
The description of Allah (swt) putting/holding the creation.
- 4811: Lists heavens → earths → trees → water and dust(combined) → all other created beings. Five categories.
- 7415: Lists heavens → earths → trees AND soil (combined) → creatures. Four categories.
- 2786a: Lists heavens → earths → mountains and trees (combined)→ water and moist soil (combined) → rest of creation. Five categories.
Minor difference in wording: “put” (4811) vs. “holds” (7415)
What does Allah (swt) actually say?
| Then He will say, ‘I am the King.’” (once) | “Then He says: ‘I am the King, I am the King.’” (twice — repeated) |
How Much of the Qur’anic verse was recited?
| Full verse: “They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified is He, and High is He above all that they associate as partners with Him.” | Partial verse: “They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal” — {وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ} |
| Qur’an 39:67 (full verse) | Qur’an 6:91 (partial quote) ? |
Both verses contain the phrase “وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ” — but they are in different surahs and have different full contexts. This could be a way that the narrators shortened the hadith.
The narrator’s framing.
| “Thereupon the Prophet smiled… and that was the confirmation of the Rabbi. Then Allah’s Messenger recited…” | “I saw the Prophet laugh… then he recited…” |
Analysis.
- 4811: The narrator inserts an interpretive comment (“that was the confirmation of the Rabbi”) before mentioning the recitation.
- 7415: The narrator simply reports what he saw and heard: the Prophet laughed, then recited. No interpretation.
The critical phrase: “In confirmation of the Rabbi.”
| “and that was the confirmation of the Rabbi” — تَصْدِيقًا لِقَوْلِ الْحَبْرِ | NOT PRESENT — no equivalent phrase |
Prima Qur’an comments:
This is a very crucial and important point.
Both websites are quoting from two different hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari. However sunnah.com also has the exact same transmission and wording as that found as the hadith used at dorar.net.
Narrated `Abdullah:
A man from the people of the scripture came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, “O Abal-Qasim! Allah will hold the Heavens upon a Finger, and the Earth on a Finger and the land on a Finger, and all the creation on a Finger, and will say, ‘I am the King! I am the King!’ ” I saw the Prophet (after hearing that), smiling till his premolar teeth became visible, and he then recited: — ‘No just estimate have they made of Allah such as due to him… (39.67)
Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7415)
Now look at this!
Narrated `Abdullah:
A Jew came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, “O Muhammad! Allah will hold the heavens on a Finger, and the mountains on a Finger, and the trees on a Finger, and all the creation on a Finger, and then He will say, ‘I am the King.’ ” On that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) smiled till his premolar teeth became visible, and then recited:– ‘No just estimate have they made of Allah such as due to him….(39.67) `Abdullah added: Allah’s Apostle smiled (at the Jew’s statement) expressing his wonder and belief in what was said.
Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7414)
The crucial part of the Arabic text which is not translated into English:
قَالَ يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ وَزَادَ فِيهِ فُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَبِيدَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَضَحِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَعَجُّبًا وَتَصْدِيقًا لَهُ
English translation:
Yahya ibn Sa’id said: Fudail ibn ‘Iyad added to it, from Mansur, from Ibrahim, from ‘Abidah, from ‘Abdullah: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) smiled out of amazement and in confirmation of him.”
The Blessed Prophet (saw) rejects the stament of the Jewish Man (Rabbi or not)
What is the evidence?
Now, without getting into the chains of transmission let us just take this phrase: “and that was the confirmation of the Rabbi“ as established.
What does this mean? That is not the statement of the Blessed Prophet (saw). That is the statement of a narrator or sub narrator.
The phrase “in confirmation of” claims to know why the Blessed Prophet (saw) laughed. It asserts that his inner intention was to confirm the rabbi’s statement.
This is a claim about the unseen (ghayb). No Companion, no narrator, and certainly no later transmitter has access to the Prophet’s (saw) internal thought process unless the Prophet (saw) himself stated it. The Prophet (saw) did not say “I am laughing to confirm what you said.” He simply laughed and then recited the verse.
The second evidence.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The people of the Book used to read the Torah in Hebrew and then explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said (to the Muslims). “Do not believe the people of the Book, nor disbelieve them, but say, ‘We believe in Allah and whatever is revealed to us, and whatever is revealed to you.’ “
Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7362)
This is a clear prohibition. The Prophet (saw) instructed his followers not to confirm what the People of the Book said. If the Prophet himself had then “confirmed” the rabbi’s statement, he would be doing the exact opposite of what he commanded his community to do. This is a logical contradiction that cannot stand.
The third evidence.
The verse itself says:
وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ-“And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal”
“They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be [within] His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand. Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him” (Qur’an 39:67) –Sahih International (Athari’s fav translation after Muhammed Muhsin Khan & Muhammed Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali)
This verse:
- Rebukes those who fail to appraise Allah properly.
- Replaces the rabbi’s finger-by-finger image with a total, simultaneous grasp.
- Declares Allah exalted above what they associate with Him — which includes the anthropomorphic image the rabbi just presented.
So the Prophet’s recitation was a corrective, not a confirmation. The phrase taṣdīqan lahu (“in confirmation of him”) is a narrator’s insertion. One that those who fell victim to anthropomorphism sized upon.
They turned a rebuke into an endorsement!
The broader usage of the word “hand” in the Qur’an reinforces this:
“Be patient over what they say, and remember Our servant, David, the possessor of many hands; he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Us].” (Qur’an 38:17)
Plural in Arabic begins with three and not two! So, at the very least David had three hands. However, notice something from the following site:
https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/38/17
It is unanimous that they all translate ‘many hands’ as strength! Even the Salafi/Athari/Saudi translations do! Even the translation that gives us the most literal word for word meaning possible was too shy to translate David as having many hands.
“Be patient over what they say and remember Our servant, David, the possessor of strength; indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Allah ].” (Qur’an 38:17 Sahih International)
“Be patient (O Muhammed SAW) of what they say, and remember Our slave Dawood (David), endued with power. Verily, he was ever oft-returning in all matters and in repentance (toward Allah).” (Qur’an 38:17 Muhsin Khan & Muhammed Al Hilal)
If you would like to explore more on issues in regard to aqidah(creed) and theology you may be interested in the following:
May Allah Guide the Ummah.
May Allah Forgive the Ummah.
