hadith about pointing the indexfinger in salah when reading the At Tahhiyaat in his Muwatta just before the chapter on Tashahhud

Maalik has informed that Muslim ibn Abi Maryam informed from Ali ibn Abdur Rahmaan al-Muawiy that he said, ‘Abdullah ibn Umar [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] saw me whilst I was playing with pebbles in Salaat. When I turned (after completing my Salaat), he prevented me saying ‘do as Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] did.’ I asked, ‘what was Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] ‘s practice?’ he said, ‘When Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] sat in Salaat, he placed his right hand on his right thigh and he clasped all his fingers and pointed with the finger next to the thumb, i.e. index finger and he placed his left hand on his left thigh.

Imaam Muhammad [ra] said, ‘We adopt the practice of Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] and this is the view of Imaam Abu Hanifa [ra]’

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai