ʿUyaynah, and others. None of all these men mentioned this addition in the hadith of Wāʾil. Indeed, some of them mentioned it before the gesture, such as Bishr, Abū ʿAwānah, and others; their wording has preceded. Others explicitly stated that the gesture was made while sitting for the tashahhud, as mentioned above.
This is correct, and it is the view adopted by the overwhelming majority of scholars, both hadith scholars and jurists. I know of no one who held that it is prescribed while sitting between the two prostrations except Ibn al-Qayyim. The apparent meaning of his words in Zād al-Maʿād accords with the hadith of ʿAbd al-Razzāq. Perhaps the university student mentioned above followed him in this matter, or followed one of the contemporary scholars who had followed him. I have explained to him and to other students who consulted me that ʿAbd al-Razzāq’s narration is anomalous and weak.
One of them informed me of a well-known scholar in one of the Arab lands who acts upon and cites this hadith of ʿAbd al-Razzāq as proof. This indicates that he has no specialization in this field. It was this that compelled me to write this hadith documentation and critical examination. If I am correct, it is from Allah; and if I err, it is from myself. I ask the Lord to take us by the hand and guide us to the truth concerning which people have differed. Indeed, He guides whom He wills to the straight path. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
2248 — “When he sat in the second or fourth [rakʿah], he would place his hands upon his knees, then point with his finger.”
Al-Nasāʾī (1/173) and al-Bayhaqī (2/132) narrated it through two routes from Ibn al-Mubārak, who said: Makhramah ibn Bukayr informed us; ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr narrated to us from his father, who said: He then mentioned it as a hadith attributed to the Prophet. I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission according to Muslim’s criteria. Muslim also transmitted it (2/90) through Ibn ʿAjlān, from ʿĀmir, with similar wording: “When he sat supplicating ...” It does not mention the second and fourth [rakʿahs], which is an important point that necessitates