■ Kissing the Thumbs:
1. Sayyiduna Abū Bakr al-Siddīq once said, ‘When I heard the caller say ‘ash-hadu anna Muhammad Rasūlullāh’, I said the same, kissed the inner-side of my index fingers and place them on my eyes. When the Prophet ﷺ noticed this he said, “My intercession becomes obligatory upon he who does the same as my beloved.”
(al-Sakhāwi in al-Maqāsid al-Hasanah)
2. It is written in the books of Qisas al-Ambiyā (Chronicles of the Prophets) that when Prophet Ādam (upon him be peace) yearned to meet the Beloved Prophet ﷺ, Allāh revealed to him that the Prophet ﷺ will appear in the later generations. Thus, when Prophet Ādam expressed his desire to meet him, Allāh shone the light of the Prophet ﷺ on his right index finger. This light began to glorify Allāh (It is for this reason that the index finger is called musabbahah as mentioned in al-Rawd al-Fā’iq). In another narration, Allah shone the light of Prophet ﷺ on the two index fingers, shining like mirrors. Prophet Ādam kissed his thumbs and wiped them over his eyes. This act was practiced throughout his generation. Then when Sayyidunā Jibrīl informed the Prophet ﷺ about this, the Prophet ﷺ said that, “Whosoever, after hearing my name in the adhān, kisses his thumbs and wipes them over his eyes will never become blind.”
(Tafsīr Rūh al-Bayān)
3. The Prophet ﷺ came into the Masjid on the 10th of Muharram to lead the Friday prayer and sat near a pillar. After hearing the name of the Prophet ﷺ, Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Şiddīq wiped his thumbs over his eyes and said, “Qurratu ‘Aynī bika Yā RasūlAllāh”. After the completion of the adhān the Prophet ﷺ said, “O Abū Bakr! Whoever wipes his thumbs over his eyes after hearing my name, Allāh Almighty will forgive his past and present sins; those apparent and those hidden.” (Tafsīr Rūh al-Bayān)
● Proofs from the works of Classical Scholars:
1. Imām Isma’il al-Haqqi (Rahimahullah) writes: “Those narrations that report the kissing the nails of the thumbs and the index finger when saying (or hearing) ‘Muhammad Rasūlullāh’ have been graded as weak. However, the scholars have unanimously agreed that to use a weak hadīth to incite people towards GOOD DEEDS and instil fear is PERMITTED.”
(Tafsīr Rūh al-Bayān)
2. The great Hanafi scholar, Imām Ibn ‘Abideen al-Shāmi (Rahimahullah) writes: “On hearing the first testimony (of Prophethood) in adhān, it is mustahabb to say ‘SalAllāhu ‘alayka Yā RasūlAllāh’ and ‘Qurratu ‘Aynī bika Yā RasūlAllāh’ on the second. Then, place the thumbnails on your eyes and say, ‘Allāhumma matti’nī bi al-sam’i wa al-basar’. The Prophet ﷺ will lead the person who does this into Paradise. The complete discussion on this has been given in the marginal notes on al-Bahr al-Rā’iq of Shaykh Ramli Rahimahullah.”
(Radd al-Mukhtār)
3. Imām al-Sakhāwi (Rahimahullah) narrates from Imām Muhammad Ibn Sa’īd Khawlānī (Rahimahullah) who relates from Abul Hasan Alī Ibn Muhammad al-Husayni (Rahimahullah) who narrates from al-Faqīh al-Bilāli (Rahimahullah), who narrates that Sayyiduna al-Hasan (May Allah be pleased with him) has said: “Whosoever, on hearing the caller recite ‘ash-hadu anna Muhammadar Rasulullāh’, says ‘Marhaban bi Habībī wa Qurratu ‘Aynī Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdillāh ﷺ’, kisses both the thumbs and then wipes them over his eyes, will never become blind nor will his eyes ever hurt.”
(al-Maqāsid al-Hasanah)
4. Imām al-Sakhāwi quotes from the Tārīkh of Imām Shams al-Dīn Muhammad Ibn Sālih al-Madanī (Rahimahullah): “Whosoever hears the blessed name of the Prophet ﷺ in the adhān and joining the index fingers with the thumbs, kisses them and wipes them over his eyes, his eyes will never hurt.”
(al-Maqāsid al-Hasanah)
5. The same scholar writes: “It has been reported from many great scholars that when a person wipes his thumbs over his eyes after kissing them should recite the following: ‘SalAllāhu ‘Alayka Yā Sayyidī Yā RasūlAllāh Yā Habība Qalbī Yā Nūra Basarī wa Yā Qurrata ‘Aynī’; Allah willing, his eyes will never incur pain and this is a proven fact.”
Then after this he further writes, “When I heard this I started acting upon it and up to this day, I have never complained about my eyes and will In shā Allāh never experience any pain in them in the future.”
(al-Maqāsid al-Hasanah)
6. It is in Sharh al-Nuqāya: “It should be known that to recite ‘Sall Allāhu ‘alayka Yā RasūlAllāh’ (May Allah send prayers upon you, O Messenger of Allah) after the first shahāda of his Prophethood (during adhān) and to recite ‘Qurratu ‘Aynī bika Yā RasūlAllāh’ (The coolness of my eyes is by you, O Messenger of Allahﷺ) after the second is undoubtedly mustahabb (a desirable act). One should wipe his thumbs on the eyes and recite ‘Allāhumma matti’nī bi al-Sam’i wal Basar’ (O Allah, grant me beneficial hearing and seeing). The Prophet ﷺ will take him to Paradise.”
▪Note: This act is not Fard or Wājib but it is Mustahabb (desirable). Those who do not do it are not incurring any sin at all. Those who do it then the evidence of it and its benefits are above.
