Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
What is the method of khilal of the fingers? I always knew it as placing the one hand over the other interlacing the fingers with the palms of both hands facing down. I have also seen reference to this in Radd al-Muhtar quoted from Al-Rahmati. However some students are telling me that both palms should face each other as this is the meaning of tashbik.
[Answered by one of the subscriber]
The definition of Tashbik is: Putting the fingers of one hand into the fingers of the other hand.
Once when describing the punishment in the grave, my beloved Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam put the fingers of one hand into the other, demonstrating how the grave will crush the punished. (Both palms must have been facing each other.)
In another Hadith, we have been prohibited from doing Tashbik in the Masjid.
In the matter of wudhu, the word used in the Hadith is “Khilal”, and that could be achieved through both ways: Palms facing each other or one palm above the
other.
Mulla Ali Qari writes that Khilal should not be done by interlocking the fingers of both the hands whilst the palms are facing each other because we have been told not to put our fingers like that. He states that the palm of one hand should be on top of the palm of the other hand. (Mirqat Hadith #405)
The following books state that the palms should face each other: Fatawa Hindiyyah, Al-Bahr-ur-Rahiq, Maraquil Falah and Ruddul Mukhtar.
The following books state that one should be above the other: Al-Bahrur Rahiq, Durrul Mukhtar, Ruddul Mukhtar, and other books.
Khilal could be achieved through both ways. 🙂
There is no need for Khilal of the fingers or the hands if one submerges ones hands into water. If the water is not running, then one should at least move / shake his hands/feet in the water.
Most of the info on Khilal of the hands/feet/beard was taken from the book titled “Umdatul Fiqh” in Urdu by Moulana Sayyed Ziwar Husain. It is a very good book. It is not available in normal bookstores.
Allahu A’alam