index pointing up
U+261D U+FE0F
− Avoid when: don't treat it as menacing or extremist in ordinary religious use — it is mainstream devotion
Definitions (4)
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Wait / one moment. Raising a single index finger to signal "hold on," "just a second," or to request attention before speaking. A near-universal turn-taking cue.
Number one / "we're number one" — index thrust upward to claim first place or top rank, the hand-only version of the foam "#1" finger.
Tawhid — affirming the oneness of God. A sincere Islamic gesture (al-sabbaba) in which the raised index affirms the indivisible oneness of God, used during prayer, sermons and the shahada, and by extension as a devout sign among Muslims worldwide.
Avoid when
- −don't treat it as menacing or extremist in ordinary religious use — it is mainstream devotion
Insult or threat — in a few cultures the raised index reads as rude or menacing rather than "one" or "wait."
Avoid when
- −raising it at strangers in Greece, Russia, or the Middle East