[5] The two Imaams Abu Haneefah and ash-Shaafiee (ra) stated that. See Rasm ul-Muftee from the collected Rasaa'il of ibn 'Abideen (1/4) and Eeqaz ul-Hamam of al-Fulaanee (p.62 and 107).Imaam ash-Shafiee (ra)-said to Imaam Ahmad (ra) "You know better about hadeeth than us, so if an authentic hadeeth comes to you,then inform me of it,that I may according to it,whether its source is the Hijaaz or Koofa or Egypt" (See al-Intiqaa of Ibn Abdul-Barr,p.75).

[6] This is a saying of ash-Shafiee(ra). See al-Majmoo of an-Nawawee(1/63) and Alaam ul-Muwaqqieen of Ibn ul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (2/361)

[7] You should know,O brother in Islaam,may Allaah grant you success by His obedience and guide you to the truth by his permission,that the truth about the matters which the author mentioned from the later Hanafees is as follows:

(i) As regards the pointing with the forefinger in Tashahhud:

The author mentioned that the later hanafees reject pointing with the forefinger in more than one place in his treatise and that they go against the 'verfiers' within their own madhab. (Amongst them) Imaam at-Tahawee said in his book Sharh Maaniyy ul-Aathaar" In it is a proof that it was at the end of prayer" and ash-Shaykh Abul Hasan as-Sindee says in his footnotes to the Sunan of an-Nasaee(2/236), "The hadeeth about pointing has preceded and the majority of our scholars and others have accepted that,as for rejection of that by some of our scholars,than that deserves no attention".The sunnah with regards to pointing ,is to move the forefinger throughout the tashahhud,in accordance with the hadeeth of Wail ibn Hujr(ra) -which is reported by Ahmad(4/138), Abu Daawood(no.727), an-Nasaaee(2/236), ad-Daarimee (1/314-315),I bn ul-Jaarood(no.208) and Ibn Khuzaimah (no.714) with Saheeh isnaad and there occurs in it,

"...then he closed his fingers and made a ring,then he raised his finger and I saw him moving it and making duaa with it, then I came in a time and when it was cold and so I saw the people with cloaks upon them moving their hands beneath their clothes due to the cold".

As for the hadeeth of Abdullah ibn az-Zubair (ra)- where in is mentioned that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) used to point with his finger when he made duaa and not move it.It is reported by Abu Dawood(no.989), its isnaad is not authentic since it contains Muhammad ibn 'Ajalah,about whom adh-Dhabee says, "of average memory," The ahadeeth of the like of him are not acceptable if they contradict anyone who is more reliable than him and his narration becomes shaadh and therefore Muslim does not report from him except to endorse something. Even if this hadeeth were established,then it is a denial and the hadeeth of Waail ibn Hujr is affirming. That which affirms is taken over that which denies, since the one who affirms something has an increase in knowledge and what he knows is a proof against he who does not. This sunnah is also from the sayings of Imaam Maalik (ra)-as occurs in the book ar-Risaalah of Abdullah ibn Abee Zaid al-Qairwanee al-Maalikee (p.27) and the book al-Fiqh alal madhaahib il-Arbaah (no.98).Imaam Ahmad was asked,Should a man point his finger in the Prayer? So he said,"Yes strongly." See Masaail ul-Imaam Ahmad,the narration of Ibn Haani (1/80).

ii) Denying thgat Allaah is above the heavens:

Perhaps the clearest proof that destroys the faslehood of those blind followers is that which occurs in al-Fiqh ul-Akbar (p.19 of the Egyptian printing) which is famous amongst the Hanafees and attributed to Abu haneefah: That Abu haneefah was asked about someone who says, 'I do not know if my lord is in the heavens or the earth?' So he said, 'He has disbelieved since Allaah ,the Most High says:

The Most Merciful ascended above the throne(Arsh) (Soorah Taaha) (20):5)

And His Arsh is above the heavens."So I said,if he says,'I say he is above the Arsh ,but I do not know if the Arsh is in the heavens or the earth? he said,"If he denies that He is above the sky,then he has disbelieved"

Imaam at-Tahawee al-Hanafee,says in his Aqeedah,"That Allaah the Most High is above the Arsh and whatever is below it, encompassing everything and above it".