Does the word "above" in the description of the Prophet's (PBUH) gesture of placing his thumb on his middle finger mean that the middle finger is beneath the thumb, which would necessitate moving the gesture from right to left as the Malikis view, or is there another interpretation for this posture?

Scholars have differed on how to move, position, and contract the fingers for the index finger. Al-Tibi mentioned that jurists have several ways for contracting the fingers: one is to contract the little finger, the ring finger, and the middle finger, extend the index finger, and press the thumb against the base of the index finger. The second is to press the thumb against the contracted middle finger. The third is to contract the little finger and the ring finger, extend the index finger, and form a circle with the thumb and the middle finger, as narrated by Wa'il ibn Hujr. The hadith (definition) in Sahih (definition) Muslim clearly indicates that the thumb is placed on top of the middle finger. Whether it is placed on its base or its middle, all are permissible, except for the third method, which involves forming a circle with the middle finger and thumb while contracting the little finger and ring finger and extending the index finger.