Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The attribute of fingers is authentically established for Allah Almighty in the sound Sunnah, in a manner befitting His Majesty, without likening them to the fingers of created beings or attempting to describe how they are. As for specifying their number as five, scholars have differed on this issue. Some refrained from specifying a number because the texts do not explicitly state it, while others held that the apparent meaning of the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) indicates five fingers. This is the view preferred by the fatwa.
Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Jewish scholar came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“We find that Allah will place the heavens on one finger, the earths on one finger, the trees on one finger, the water and the soil on one finger, and the rest of creation on one finger, then He will say: ‘I am the King.’”
The Prophet ﷺ laughed until his molar teeth became visible, then recited:
“They did not recognize the true worth of Allah. The whole earth will be in His Grip on the Day of Judgment, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified and Exalted is He above what they associate with Him.”
[Az-Zumar: 67]
Ahl al-Sunnah have cited this hadith as evidence for affirming the attribute of fingers for Allah Almighty, while emphasizing that His attributes do not resemble the attributes of created beings.
It is also authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, all the hearts of the children of Adam are between two fingers of the fingers of the Most Merciful, like one heart, which He turns wherever He wills.”
Narrated by Muslim.
It is reported in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will take His heavens and His earths in His two hands.”
The narrator then demonstrated the closing and opening of the fingers.
For this reason, a number of Sunni scholars have stated that the fingers are among the attributes of Allah’s hands, while refraining from imagining their nature or likening them to human hands.
There is a difference of opinion among scholars on this matter.
The first view: The fingers are affirmed without specifying their number, because the texts affirm fingers but do not explicitly state: “Allah has five fingers on each hand.”
This was the view chosen by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him). He stated that a Muslim should affirm whatever number is indicated by the text and refrain from asserting anything for which there is no explicit evidence.
The second view: The apparent meaning of the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud indicates five fingers, because the hadith mentions the heavens on one finger, the earths on one finger, the trees on one finger, the water and soil on one finger, and the rest of creation on one finger, making a total of five.
A number of scholars explicitly adopted this understanding, including Imam al-Darimi. He also transmitted reports indicating this from Imam Ahmad, and among contemporary scholars, Shaykh Ibn Baz and others affirmed this understanding.
The original fatwa prefers this view and holds that the apparent meaning of the Sunnah indicates the affirmation of five fingers.
No. This is not permissible, because affirming an attribute does not mean likening the Creator to His creation.
Allah Almighty says:
“There is nothing like Him, for He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”
[Ash-Shura: 11]
Therefore, we affirm for Allah what has been established in the revealed texts, while believing that His attributes befit His Majesty. We do not know their exact nature, nor do we liken them to human attributes.
The attribute of fingers is established for Allah Almighty through authentic hadiths.
As for specifying their number, some scholars refrain from doing so and restrict themselves to what is explicitly mentioned in the texts, while others hold that the apparent meaning of the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud indicates five fingers. This is the view preferred by the fatwa.
In all cases, it is not permissible to imagine these fingers or liken them to the fingers of created beings. Rather, the same principle applies to them as to all of Allah’s attributes: we affirm what has been established through revelation in a manner befitting Allah Almighty, without resemblance or attempting to describe how.
And Allah knows best.