Prostration of Respect is Disbelief

بســم اللــه الرحمــن الرحيــم

والصلاــة والسلاــم علــى نبيــه الكريــم

وعلــى اهــل بيتــه الطيبيــن الطاهريــن المظلوميــن

والعاقبة للمتقين

Prostration of Respect is Kufr

The Prophet (sall Allahu alayhi wasallam) said:

مَا يَنْبَغِي لأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَسْجُدَ لأَحَدٍ

“It is not appropriate for anyone to prostrate to anyone else.” (Sahih Ibn Hibban)

It is commonly held in academic circles that a prostration to other than Allah made out of respect is only haram (unlawful and sinful) but does not constitute disbelief or apostasy from Islam. However, in the Hanafi school of thought, all prostration offered to anyone besides Allah is not only strictly forbidden, it is an act of disbelief, even if the intention is not to worship. The eighth century Hanafi scholar, al-Badr al-Rashid Muhammad b. Isma’il al-Hanafi (d. 768 H) wrote:

إذا قال أهل الحرب لمسلم: اسجد للملك وإلا قتلناك فالأفضل أن لا يسجد لأن هذا كفر صورة، والأفضل أن لا يأتي بما هو كفر صورة وإن كان في حالة الإكراه، ومن سجد للسلطان بنية العبادة أو لم تحضره فقد كفر، ومن سجد لهم إن أراد به التعظيم كفر، وإن أراد التحية اختار بعض العلماء: أن لا يكفر، قال بعضهم يكفر مطلقاً

هذا إذا سجد لأهل الإكراه أي لمن يتأتى منه الإكراه و يتحقّق منه ذلك بأن أكرهه عليه مثل الملك عند أبي حنيفة رحمه اللّه،أو كل قادر على قتل الساجد عند أبي يوسف ومحمد رحمهما الله تعالى أما لو سجد لغير أهل إلاكراه على القوين يكفر عندهم بلا خلاف

“If the people of Harb (war) say to a Muslim: ‘Prostrate to the king or he will kill you’, it is better not to prostrate because that (prostration to the king) is a form of disbelief, and so it is better not to carry out a form of disbelief even in a state of duress. And whoever prostrated to the Sultan (ruler) with the intention of worship, and he wasn’t threatened, then that is disbelief. And whoever prostrated to them (meaning rulers), if he intended worship (ibaadah) and veneration (ta'dheem) he has disbelieveed, and if he intended a welcome greeting (tahiyyah) some of the scholars have chosen the view that he does not disbelieve. Yet some of them said that he disbelieves absolutely [no matter what the reason] and it is unlawful for him to make the greeting by means of a prostration, and even if he does not have the intent (of worship) at the time of prostration, he disbelieves in the view of majority of the people of knowledge, may Allaah have mercy upon them. This is - in the view of Abu Haneefah (rahimahullaah) - when he prostrates to those who make compulsion (upon others) such as the king and - in the view of Abu Yusuf and Muhammad (bin al-Hasan al-Shaybanee) (rahimahumallaah) - every person who has the power to kill the one that does not prostrate (to him). As for when he prostrates to other than the people who (impose prostration upon them) through compulsion, upon either of the two views (just mentioned) [which are held], he disbelieves in the view of them all without any difference of opinion.” (al-Jami fi Alfaz al-Kufr pp.113-114):