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Fatwa CenterUsing the thumb to point at something
Question
Assalamualaikum wbt. I would like to ask a question about sunnah. There are an article spreading in my country in facebook. the tittle is the forgettable sunnah. it says that sunnah teach us to point at something using forefinger (first finger next to the thumb). if we use thumb finger to point at something. it will be same as Yahudi. Normally malays will use thumb finger to point at something since its look more gentle, since there are an article about that spreading around. It is true we cannot point at something using thumb finger? are there any hadeeth to refer this action. Jazakallahukhoiro.
Answer
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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
We have not come across any Hadeeth which prevents pointing at something with the forefinger or any other finger. The one who said that it is the way of Jews, may have misunderstood what was reported by Abu Ya‘ala and At-Tabaraani from Jaabir 
that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "A man's greeting with one finger pointing out with it, is the way of the Jews." [Al-Albaani graded it Hasan (good) in Saheeh Al-Jaami’]
It is clear that it is regarding greeting and thus it is not right to generalize it without evidence. Moreover, some scholars mentioned that what is meant by the prohibition stated in such Ahaadeeth is that it is disliked to offer greeting by making a gesture with the hand only without uttering the words of Salaam (Islamic greeting) if there is nothing that prevents one from uttering them.
Also, there is nothing wrong with making a gesture with the hand or else along with uttering the words of Salaam for it was reported that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, passed by the mosque one day when a group of women were sitting there and he greeted them by gesturing with his hand. [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi]
Allaah Knows best.
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