Kissing Thumbs Mustahhab Deed for Sunni Muslims

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على اشرف الانبياء والمرسلين

وعلى آله واصحابه اجمعين

The act of kissing one’s thumbnails and placing them upon the eyes when hearing the blessed name of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is a beautiful expression of love for him. Although the Narration that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, performed this action and it was praised and approved by the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, is weak, nevertheless it is good to perform this action. From the principles of Sunni Islam is that there is no objection in acting upon weak narrations in the Fada’il. Hence, the great Hanafi jurist Allama Ibn Abidin al-Shami, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

يُسْتَحَبُّ أَنْ يُقَالَ عِنْدَ سَمَاعِ الْأُولَى مِنْ الشَّهَادَةِصَلَّى اللَّهُ ‌عَلَيْك ‌يَا ‌رَسُولَ ‌اللَّهِ وَعِنْدَ الثَّانِيَةِ مِنْهَا قَرَّتْ عَيْنِي بِك يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ مَتِّعْنِي بِالسَّمْعِ وَالْبَصَرِ بَعْدَ وَضْعِ ظُفْرَيْ الْإِبْهَامَيْنِ عَلَى الْعَيْنَيْنِ

It is mustahhab to say when hearing the first part of the Shahada ‘Sallallahu ‘alayka Ya Rasul Allah’ and when hearing the second part of it ‘Qurrat ‘ayni bika Ya Rasul Allah’ then he says ‘Allahumma, grant me the enjoyment of hearing and sight’ after placing the thumbnails upon the eyes (Radd ul-Muhtar; v.2 p.68):

And Allama Tahtawi has mentioned the same in his Hashiya of Maraqi al-Falah Sharh Nur al-Idah (p.205):

Some Muslims who follow the Ulama of Deoband object to this practice. However, their most eminent scholar in the present, Mufti Taqi Usmani, has said:

آپ نے مسجد سے اذان کی آواز سنی اور اذان کے اندر جب اشھد ان محمدا رسول اللہ سنا آپ کے دل میں حضور اقدس صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی محبت کا داعیہ پیدا ہوا اور محبت سے بے اختیار ہو کر آپ نے انگوٹھے چوم کر آنکھوں سے لگا لۓ تو بذات خود یہ عمل کوئی گناہ اور بدعت نہیں

You heard the sound of the Adhan from the Mosque, and in the Adhan when you heard ‘I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ love for the Holy Prophet, blessing of Allah and peace be upon him, arose in your heart, and out of love and uncontrollably you kissed your fingers and placed them on your eyes, then this deed of itself is neither sinful nor an innovation (Islahi Khutbat; v.1 p.231)

I encourage other Muslims to perform this action as I have experienced that it produces greater affection and reverence for the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in one’s heart, and also serves as an identifier of Sunni Muslims, and our answer to the blasphemous sign of the cross gesture associated with the Christian infidels.