I am aware that one must look at the moving forefinger during Tashahhud. Do we have to start looking at it from the words, "At-tahiyyatu till the salaam continuously," or from the words, "At-tayhiyatu lillahi..." to the words "wa Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasullulah," and then look back at the place of prostration? Another related question is: Is the Tashahhud the name of the position, of what is recited in the seating position, or of both? In other words, is the Tashahhud the name of this only excluding durood: "atahiyatu lillahi ... wa ash-hadu ana muhammadan rasullulah"?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Imaams Ahmad, Abu Daawood and An-Nasaa’i reported from ‘Abdullaah ibn Az-Zubayr that he said, “When the Prophet would sit in the Tashahhud, he would point with his index finger and his sight would not go beyond it.”

This hadeeth proves that it is recommended for a praying person to look at his index finger in the Tashahhud. From the statements of the scholars, it appears that the praying person looks at his index finger from the beginning of the Tashahhud until the end of the Ibraaheemic salutations (durood). Ibn Baaz said, “He looks at his index finger while sitting…”

However, we have not come across any interpreters of the hadeeth or jurists who said that one looks at his index finger in Tashahhud but not during the Ibraaheemic salutations.

Seeking details in such matters is overburdening oneself and investigating sub-Fiqh issues dividing them into unnecessary branches, and this is dispraised, and it also constitutes asking unnecessary questions.

Dividing issues into many branches is something that is dispraised Islamically, and it is a waste of time for both the questioner and the one who is asked the questions.

Ibn Al-Qayyim while describing the case of the Companions with the Prophet said:

“They used to ask him about what would benefit them, and not about matters that did not take place and problematic issues or complicated questions, and they were not used to engage in classifying issues and investigating sub-issues or making assumptions; rather, their concern was limited to implement what the Prophet commanded them to do, and if any incident happened to them, then they would ask him about it and he would answer them.” 

According to the jurists, the Tashahhud means saying the Tahiyyaat (At-tahiyyaatu Lillaahi…) until the statement (wa Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullaah), and it does not mean the sitting position. It is for this reason that the jurists, when mentioning the pillars of the prayer, say: among its pillars are: the last Tashahhud and sitting down for it, and saying the salutations on the Prophet Muhammad during it (durood); as was stated by the author of Zaad Al-Ma’aad; so they make a difference between these three matters.

Allaah knows best.