249 – Ibn ʿUmar (d. AH) reports: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat for the tashahhud, he placed his left hand on his left knee and his right hand on his right, formed ‘three and fifty,’ and pointed with his index finger.” Muslim transmitted it.

In another wording recorded by him: “He clenched all his fingers and pointed with the one next to the thumb.” ⦗1⦘

Lexical notes
• for the tashahhud: i.e., at the time of that sitting. The formula is called tashahhud because it contains the two statements of testimony. It also includes supplication, for the phrases “peace be upon you” and “peace be upon us” are invocations expressed in the declarative form for added emphasis.
• formed ‘three and fifty’: a reference to an arithmetical hand-signal once familiar to the Arabs. Its shape is: the “three” is shown by making a ring between the thumb and middle finger, while the “fifty” is shown by folding the little and ring fingers. One then points with the index finger when mentioning Allah.
• index finger (as-sabābbah): grammatically feminine. The verb sabba means “to revile,” and the finger next to the thumb was named sabābbah because it is used while gesturing in cursing.
• clenched: from the root qabḍa – yaqbḍu, to draw the fingers together; the opposite of spreading the hand.

Points derived from the ḥadith
1 – Legitimacy of sitting for the tashahhud in a two-unit prayer that contains only one tashahhud, whereas a three-unit or four-unit prayer contains two.
2 – Recommendation to place both hands on the thighs during the tashahhud.
3 – As for the configuration of the hands during the tashahhud: the left hand is to be laid flat on the left thigh, while the right hand