Kissing Hands, Feet of Pious and Standing for Respect

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام عليك يا نبي الله

Among the errors of the modernist groups including the so-called Salafis is their declaring the kissing of hands and feet of someone out of respect and love acts of innovation and, worse, idolatry. Likewise, some of the extremely ignorant among them declare it forbidden to stand out of respect for someone, such as an elder or pious person. Concerning kissing the hand of someone, they imagine it is a form of bowing, and since bowing is an act of worship which only Allah the Exalted is entitled to they say that kissing the hand of someone, which requires lowering the head to make the mouth reach the hand, they declare it an idolatrous practice. And kissing the feet is worse in their eyes, since it requires lowering the entire body close to the ground for the mouth to reach someone’s foot and kiss it. However, while the acts of kissing a hand and kissing a foot resemble the acts of bowing and prostration, they cannot be deemed either. The most holy Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) said:

إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ

“Deeds are according to intentions”

Therefore, something can only be declared an act of bowing or prostration if the one doing it intends it as bowing or prostration. When a person picks up something from the ground he or she may appear to be moving the body in a way that resembles bowing or prostration but that is obviously not considered either bowing or prostration.

Then the fact that people, including the Prophet’s (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) own Companions (radi Allahu anhum) kissed his hands and feet and he did not object to that is solid proof that these acts are permissible, or at the very least, not idolatrous or innovative. It is well known that two Jews came to the most holy Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) and:

فَقَبَّلاَ يَدَيْهِ وَرِجْلَيْهِ

“Both kissed his hand and his foot”

(Jami’ at-Tirmidhi #3144)

Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani (rahimahullah) in his Sunan entitled a chapter in the Kitab al-Adab:

قُبْلَةِ الرِّجْلِ

(Kissing the Feet)

and in it brought out a Hadith that is narrated by sayyidina Zari’ (radi Allahu anhu) who was part of the delegation of Abd al-Qays tribe, saying:

لَمَّا قَدِمْنَا الْمَدِينَةَ فَجَعَلْنَا نَتَبَادَرُ مِنْ رَوَاحِلِنَا فَنُقَبِّلُ يَدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَرِجْلَهُ

“When we arrived in al-Madinah we raced to dismount and kiss the hand of the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) and his foot”

(Sunan Abi Dawud)

Some of these modernist Salafis and others object to the practice of standing for someone out of respect. However, this practice is proven from the Sunnah of the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam).

In his Sunan, in Kitab al-Adab, Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani (rahimahullah) has entitled another chapter:

مَا جَاءَ فِي الْقِيَامِ

“What has come about Standing”

and in it brought out the Hadith concerning how the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) would venerate his beloved daughter sayyidatuna Fatimah (radi Allahu anha):

كَانَتْ إِذَا دَخَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ قَامَ إِلَيْهَا فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِهَا وَقَبَّلَهَا وَأَجْلَسَهَا فِي مَجْلِسِهِ وَكَانَ إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا قَامَتْ إِلَيْهِ فَأَخَذَتْ بِيَدِهِ فَقَبَّلَتْهُ وَأَجْلَسَتْهُ فِي مَجْلِسِهَا

When she came to visit him (the Prophet) he got up to (welcome) her, took her by the hand, kissed her and made her sit where he was sitting; and when he went to visit her, she got up to (welcome) him, took him by the hand, kissed him, and made him sit where she was sitting

(Sunan Abi Dawud)

When sayyidina Sa’d bin Mu’adh (radi Allahu anhu) entered upon the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) and his Companions (radi Allahu anhum) to deliver judgment upon the treacherous Bani Qurayzah, the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) said:

قُومُوا إِلَى خَيْرِكُمْ أَوْ سَيِّدِكُمْ

“Stand up for the best of you” or “Stand up for your master”

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

It is also narrated that the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) once stood while a funeral passed in front of him, despite it being that of a Jew, and then instructed others:

إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الْجَنَازَةَ فَقُومُوا

“When you see a funeral then stand”

(ibid)