In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

KISSING THE HANDS AND FEET OF THE PIOUS

INTRODUCTION

In Jawahir al fiqh, Hadhrat Mufti Shafi Saheb (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) has
summarized and translated into Urdu a treatise of Allamah Abid Sindhi (May Allah
Ta'ala be pleased with him) entitled „Risalah fi ithbaat al-karamaat wa taqbeel yadi ahl
ash-sharf‟. This treatise contains narrations which prove that the Sahabah t used to kiss
the hands and feet of their elders. Thereafter, Hadhrat Mufti Shafi Saheb (May Allah
Ta'ala have mercy on him) included a section wherein he quotes the verdicts of senior
Ulama from all four madhabs on this subject.

Hereunder, we present a condensed version of the above-mentioned treatise. We have

also added some passages from the book of Shaykh Abdullah al-Ghumari, „I‟laam an-
nabeel bi jawaz at-taqbeel‟.

A SUMMARY OF THE TREATISE OF ALLAMAH MUHAMMAD

ABID SINDI

Kissing takes place for various reasons. Amongst others are the following:

1) Lust and passion. There is consensus amongst all Scholars that this type of kissing is
permissible only for one‟s spouse. It is not permissible to kiss any other person for this
reason. This is irrespective whether a person kisses on the head, face or hands.

2) Compassion. An example of this is the kissing of the mother to her child on the face or
head.

3) Honour and respect. This is where a person kisses the hands of a scholar, elder or just
ruler.

Kissing for compassion and honour is both permissible and established from Ahadith.

KISSING A PERSON OUT OF COMPASSION The proof of kissing for compassion

is the narration where Nabi kissed his grandchild, Hadhrat Hasan (May
Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him). Likewise, Abu Bakr (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased
 with him) kissed his daughter, Ayesha (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with her) on her face
when she was ill (Abu Dawood). Similarly, Nabi kissed Jafar bin Abi
Talib (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) on his forehead (Ibid). These narrations
attest to the permissibility of kissing a person out of compassion. There is no difference
amongst the Fuqaha on this issue.

KISSING A PERSON OUT OF HONOUR AND RESPECT It is permissible to kiss

the hands and feet of only a pious scholar, a just ruler or a person who has some religious
reputation. To kiss anyone else with this intention would not be permissible. The reason
for this is that the Ahadith only discusses the kissing of the hands and feet of noble
people.

Below are a few narrations which prove the permissibility of kissing the hands and feet of
those who have scholarly and religious stature.

1) Al Hafidh Abu Bakr bin al-Muqri narrates in his „Juz taqbeel al yad‟ that Jabir (May
Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) said, “Umar (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him)
kissed the hands of the Prophet .”

2) Dhaabih (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) came to Nabi with one
delegation. He mentions, “When we arrived in Madinah, we hurriedly dismounted our
conveyances and kissed the blessed hands of Nabi .

3) Abdullah bin Umar (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) narrates this incident with
the wording:

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4) Likewise, in Sunan Abi Dawood there is a narration from Ayesha (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with him) that when Nabi entered her home, she stood up to
welcome him and kissed his blessed hand.

5) Ibn al Muqri narrates that Usamah bin Shareek (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him)
said, “We stood up for Nabi and kissed his hand.”

6) Tabrani narrates from Kab bin Malik (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) that when
Nabi came to him, he held of the hand of Nabi and kissed it.

7) Imam Ahmad, Imam Bukhari, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Ibn Maja, Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn
al A‟raabi all narrate that Ibn Umar (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) said, I was
on an expedition. Some people began to flee and I was amongst them. We said, “What
will we do now, we fled the battlefield and earned the anger of Allah Ta‟ala. Then we
thought of returning to Madinah and presenting ourselves to Nabi thinking
 to ourselves that if our repentance is accepted, then well and good, otherwise we will
return. We came to him before the morning prayers. When he came out, he enquired as to
who we were. We replied that we are the ones who fled the battlefield. He replied, “Nay,
you are the ones who have returned from the battlefield. I am your „fiah‟ (supporting
group) and a „fiah‟ to all Muslims.” We came to him and kissed his hand.

8) In Mujam al-awsat, Imam Tabrani (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) narrates with a
good chain that Salamah bin Akwa (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) said, “I
pledged allegiance at the hands of Nabi and also kissed his hands. Nabi
did not prohibit me.”

9) Hakim narrated and authenticated in Al Mustadrak a narration on the authority of

Buraidah (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) that a person came to Nabi
and kissed his blessed hands and feet.

10) In Tirmidhi, Nasai and Ibn Majah it is narrated from Safwan (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with him) that a group of Jews kissed both the blessed hands and feet of Nabi
. Imam Tirmidhi (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) has classified this
narration as good.

11) Ibn al-Muqri and Al-Bayhaqi narrated that Abu Lubabah (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased
with him) kissed Nabi when his repentance was revealed.

12) Abu ash-Shaykh and Ibn Mardooyah narrated that Kab bin Malik has said, “When my
repentance was revealed, I came to Nabi and kissed his hands.”

13) Ibn al-A‟raabi narrates that Zaahir al-Ashja‟iee was a Bedouin. Whenever he came to
Nabi , he always brought a gift. Nabi once saw him in a
market selling his merchandise whereas he had not as yet come to Nabi .
Nabi came from behind and placed his hands around him. Zaahir turned
around and when he perceived that it was Nabi , he began to kiss his palms.

There are numerous other narrations which show that the Sahabah t kissed Nabi
. Shaykh Abdullah al-Ghumari (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) has quoted
many of these narrations in his book „I‟laam an Nabeel‟.

It is established from these narrations that a person can kiss the hands and in fact even the
feet of a scholar, just ruler or person holding some religious accolades.

In contrast to this is the (following) narration of Anas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with
him) from where it appears that there is a prohibition for kissing. This would refer to
 kissing such people who are not scholars, just rulers or do not possess any religious
virtue.

“Imam Tirmidhi narrates with a good chain from Anas bin Malik (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with him) that a person enquired from Nabi , “If anyone of us
meets a brother or friend, should he bow before him?” Nabi replied in the
negative. He further asked, “Should he embrace him and kiss him?” Nabi
replied in the negative. The person then asked, “Should he shake his hands?” Nabi
replied in the affirmative.”

This narration refers to those people who are not Ulama, just rulers or people of religious
stature. Such a person should not be embraced or kissed. It will be sufficient to merely
shake his hands. This could be ascertained by the very nature of the question. The
questioner did not enquire about meeting scholars or pious people; he asked about
meeting his brothers and friends. In response to this, Nabi prohibited him.

Furthermore, even though Imam Tirmidhi authenticated this narration, other luminaries
such as Imam Ahmad and Imam Bayhaqi have deemed this narration to be weak as
narrated by Allamah Iraqi. The reason for this is that in the chain of transmition there is a
narrator named Handhala. Imam Ahmad, Ibn Ma‟een and Imam Nasai (May Allah Ta'ala
be pleased with them all) have said that he is weak in hadith. Imam Ahmad has
specifically criticized his narrations from Anas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him).

Till here such narrations have been cited where the Sahabah t kissed the blessed hands of
Nabi . Hereunder are narrations where Nabi himself kissed
some of his companions,

1) It is narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim that Nabi kissed

Hasan bin Ali (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with both of them) in the company of Aqra‟
bin Habis. Aqra‟ bin Habis said, “Verily I have ten children, and I never kissed any of
them.” Nabi looked at him and said, “He who does not show mercy will
not be shown mercy.”

2) Imam Tirmidhi narrates that Ayesha (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with her) said, Zaid
bin Haaritha came to Madinah while Nabi was at my place. He came and
knocked at the door. Nabi hastened towards him, hugged him and kissed
him.”

3) In Sunan Abi Dawood, Tirmidhi, Nasai and Mustadrak Hakim it is narrated that Ayesha
(May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with her) said, “I have not seen any person who resembled
the Prophet more in his speech than Fatimah (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased
with her). Whenever she would come in the presence of Nabi , he would
 stand up, welcome her, kiss her hands and seat her in the same place where he was
sitting. And when Nabi would go to her, she would also stand up and kiss
his hand.”

4) Ibn al-A‟raabi (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) narrates from Ikrimah (May Allah
Ta'ala have mercy on him) that when Nabi would return from an
expedition, he would kiss Fatimah (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on her).

5) It has been established in one narration that when Abu Bakr (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with him) came, Nabi embraced him and kissed him on his face.
When Ali (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) said this, he emulated Nabi
and also kissed Abu Bakr (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him). On this, Nabi
said to Ali, “O Abul Hasan, Abu Bakr‟s status to me is like my status in front
of my mother.”

6) Abu Ya‟la narrates that Ayesha (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with her) said, “I saw Nabi
hugging Ali and kissing him.”

7) In Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah and Sunan Abi Dawood it is narrated that Nabi
met Jafar bin Abi Talib t and kissed him between his eyes.

8) Imam Hakim and Imam Tabrani narrated that when Jafar bin Abi Talib t returned from
Abyssinia, Nabi kissed him between his eyes and said, “I don‟t know if I
am more happy with the return of Jafar or with the conquest of Khaybar.”

9) Imam Ahmad narrates from Abdullah bin al-Harith that he said, “Nabi
described Abdullah bin Abbaas and his two brothers, Ubaidullah and Katheer and he
said, “Whoever races to me, he‟ll get such a prize.” They all raced to him and jumped on
his back and chest. He hugged them and kissed them.

10) ImamAhmad,Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Ibn al-Araabi narrate from Ayesha
(May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with her) that she said, “I saw Nabi kiss
Uthmaan bin Madhoon while tears were rolling down his cheeks.”

It is clear from these narrations that kissing is not a specialty (khaasiyyah) of Nabi
. This is corroborated by the following narrations which show that the
companions of the Prophet kissed one another and no one objected.

1) In Tabrani it is narrated from Yahya bin Harith Adh Dhimari that he said, “I met
Wathilah bin Asqa‟ and asked, “You pledge allegiance on the hands of Nabi
 with this hand?” He replied in the affirmative. I submitted, “Please stretch out your
hand so that I can kiss it.” He fulfilled my request and I kissed his hand.”

Allamah Haythami (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) narrates the above narration
and comments, “All the narrators are strong.”

2) Allamah Muhib At Tabari (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) narrates in his kitab
„Ar Riyadh an nadhra‟ under the chapter of the virtues of Abu Bakr (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with him) on the authority of Abu Raja Attaridi that he says, “I entered Madinah
Munawwarah and saw that all the people had gathered. I also saw one person kissing the
head of another person and saying to him, “May I be sacrificed for you; had it not been
for you, I would have been destroyed.” I made enquiries with regards to these people; the
one kissing and the one being kissed. The people replied that the one kissing was Umar
(May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) and the one being kissed was Abu Bakr (May
Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him). This incident took place at the time when Abu Bakr
(May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) was insisting and firm on fighting those who
refused to pay zakaat. Umar (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) and other
companions held a contrary view. However, jihad took place in conformity with the
decision of Abu Bakr (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him). This incident took place
when Umar (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) saw the fruits and wisdom of the
decision of Abu Bakr (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him).

3) In his book „Al Isaabah‟, Hafidh Ibn Hajar Asqalani (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on
him) narrates under the section of the biography of Abdullah bin Abbaas (May Allah
Ta'ala be pleased with him) on the authority of Sha‟bi (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on
him) that once Zaid bin Thaabit was riding his horse. As an act of honour Ibn Abbaas
(May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) came in front and took the reins of the horse.
Zaid (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) prohibited him from doing so saying that
you are the cousin of Nabi , how can I let you do such an act. However, Ibn
Abbaas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) replied, “This is how we have been
commanded to revere and honour our scholars.” Zaid bin Thaabit (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with him) kissed the hands of Ibn Abbaas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with
him) and said, “This is how we have been commanded to respect the noble household of
the Prophet .”

This incident is narrated by Hakim in his Mustadrak who has authenticated this narration
by saying that it fulfills the conditions of Imam Muslim. Allamah Dhahabi (May Allah
Ta'ala be pleased with him) has not objected to this verdict of Imam Hakim. Shams al-
A‟immah Sarakhsi (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) has also narrated this incident
in „Mabsoot‟ (73/16)

4) In Bayhaqi it is narrated from Dhiraar bin Umar who narrates from Abu Rafi that Umar
(May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) dispatched an army to Rome in which the Sahabi
Abdullah bin Hudhafa t was also sent. The Roman army enjoyed great strength and
power. They imprisoned the Muslims. The king of Rome told Abdullah bin Hudhafa
 (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) that if he converts to Christianity, the king will
make him a partner of his kingdom. Abdullah bin Hudhafa (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased
with him) blatantly refused. On this the king ordered that Abdullah bin Hudhafa (May
Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) be hung on a cross and shot with arrows from every
side. This order was executed; however, even on the cross, Hadhrat Abdullah (May Allah
Ta'ala be pleased with him) appeared to be totally content without any sign of fear.
Seeing this, the king ordered that he be taken off the cross and ordered that water be
heated in a cauldron. Thereafter, he commanded that one prisoner should be burnt. The
flesh of the prisoner began to melt away from his body and his bones became visible.
After showing Hadhrat Abdullah (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) this scene, the
king ordered that he be thrown into this boiling water. When Hadhrat Abdullah was
brought to the cauldron, he began to sob bitterly. The king ordered that he be brought
back and asked him the reason for crying. He replied, “I am sad and I regret that I only
have one life. When I am thrown in this water, my life will be over. If only I had a
hundred lives and I could use every life to burn in this boiling water.” The king was
awestruck and taken aback by Hadhrat Abdullah‟s steadfastness. The king said, “If you
do one thing, I will free you; just kiss my head.” Hadhrat Abdulah replied, “I will do so
only if you free all the Muslim prisoners.” The king accepted this and Hadhrat Abdullah
kissed his head. (He did this because it did not entail kufr or shirk and neither was there
any sin, and this would lead to the Muslim prisoners being freed). On this the king
ordered that he and all the Muslim prisoners be freed.

When all these Muslims returned to Umar (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him), he
stood up and kissed them on their foreheads.

5) In Tabaqaat Ibn Sad (6/224) it is mentioned under the biography of Asim bin Abi Najood
(May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) about Abu Waail (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy
on him) that sometimes he used to come to the village and at times he would be away.
When he used to return and meet Hadhrat Asim (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him),
he used to kiss his hands.

6) In Mustadrak Hakim it is narrated under the chapter of the virtues of Abu Sufyaan (May
Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) that in the battle of Hunain, Abu Sufyaan was with
Nabi . Hadhrat Abbaas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) submitted,
“O Prophet of Allah, this is your cousin Abu Sufyaan, please be happy with him.” (The
reason for this is that prior to the conquest of Makkah, Hadhrat Abu Sufyaan fought
every battle against Nabi , hence Abbaas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with
him) thought that Nabi might still be angry with him). Nabi
accepted the intercession of Abbaas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) and said, “I
am pleased with him. May Allah forgive all the enmity he showed against us.”
Thereafter, Nabi turned to Abbaas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him)
and said, “Verily he is our brother.” Abbaas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) says,
“I kissed his blessed foot while he was seated on his camel.”
7) Ibn al A‟raabi narrates that Jabir (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) said, “When
my father was killed on the day of Uhud, I came to him and found him covered. I began
to uncover his face and kiss him. Nabi saw me and did not prohibit me.”

8) Sufyaan (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) narrates in his Jami that Tamim bin
Salamah said, “When Umar (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) came to Syria, Abu
Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) came to welcome him. He
shook and kissed the hands of Umar (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him).” Based on
this, Tamim was of the opinion that kissing the hands is Sunnah.

9) Imam Bukhari (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) narrates in Al-Adab al-mufrad that
Suhaib (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) has said, I saw Ali (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with him) kiss the hands and feet of Abbaas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with
him).”

10) Likewise, Imam Ahmad and Imam Bukhari (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him)
narrates that Thaabit said to Anas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him), “Have you
touched Nabi with your hands.” Anas (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with
him) replied in the affirmative. On this, Thaabit kissed his hands.

11) Abu Dawood (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) narrates that Ayaas bin
Dughful said, “I saw Abu Nadhirah (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) kiss
the cheeks of Hasan bin Ali (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him).”

12) In his book, „Amal al yaum wal laylah‟, Ibn us-Sunni narrates from Abu Bakr
binMuhammad bin Umar (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) that he said, “One day I
came to the company of Abu Bakr bin Mujahid. Hadhrat Shibli (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with him) came to this gathering. Abu Bakr immediately stood up, embraced
Hadrat Shibli and kissed him on his forehead. I said, “O my leader, you are acting like
this to Shibli?” Abu Bakr replied, “I did the same as I saw Nabi doing the
same to him in one dream: that he went to a gathering of Nabi and Nabi
kissed him on his forehead. I asked Nabi why he was
treating Shibli like this? Nabi said, “The reason for this is that after Salaah,
he recites the verse,

After this he sends salutations on me. (Due to this I have kissed him).”

13) Hafidh Abu Musa Madini (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) narrates from Hadrat
Sufyaan (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) that he mentioned in one gathering that it
is Sunnah to kiss the hands of a scholar and a just leader. Abdullah bin Mubarak was
present in that gathering. He immediately stood up and kissed Sufyaan (May Allah Ta'ala
 have mercy on him) on his head and said, “Where will I get such a beautiful opportunity
to practice on this Sunnah again.”

14) Imam Muslim kissed the forehead of Imam Bukhari and intended to also kiss his feet.
This incident is famous in the books of Hadith and narrators.

15) Imam Nawawi narrates in Al-Adhkaar that Sahl bin Abdullah At-Tustari (May Allah
Ta'ala have mercy on him) used to come to Imam Abu Dawood any say, “Take out your
tongue with which you narrate from Nabi so that I can kiss it.” He then
used to kiss it.

The above is further strengthened by the incident that took place at the demise of Nabi
. When Abu Bakr (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) reached the
Janazah of Nabi , he kissed Nabi on his forehead. In the
same way, Nabi kissed Uthmaan bin Madhoon (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with him) after his demise.

VERDICTS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS JURISTS

1) In Mabsoot of Shams al A‟immah As Sarakhsi under the chapter of „Istihsaan‟ (10/149)

it is mentioned,

“It is narrated that Nabi used to kiss Fatimah (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with her) and say, “I can smell from her the fragrance of Jannah. In fact when he
used to return from a journey, he used to first go to Fatimah (May Allah Ta'ala be
pleased with her) and embrace her. Abu Bakr (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him)
kissed the head of Ayesha (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with her) and said, “Whoever
kisses the head of his mother, it is as if he is kissing the threshold of Jannah. Muhammad
bin al-Munkadir (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) mentions, “I spent a night
massaging my mother‟s feet and my brother Abu Bakr spent the night in worship. In no
way will I be happy to swap my night with that of my brother.”

(It should be noted that it will only be permissible to kiss any woman from one‟s
maharim (those women who are impermissible to marry) if one feels secure from lust. To
 kiss any woman with lust is prohibited and it has even greater repercussions if done to
one‟s maharim). (Ibid)

2) It is mentioned in Badaa‟i as sanaa‟i,

“Scholars differ on the ruling of embracing; Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Muhammad
(May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on them) say that it is makrooh (reprehensible) for a male
to kiss the lips, hands or any portion of another male and likewise it is reprehensible to
embrace. It is narrated from Imam Abu Yusuf (May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) that
there is no problem in doing this. His proof is that when Jafar bin Abi Talib (May Allah
Ta'ala be pleased with him) came from Abyssinia, Nabi embraced him
and kissed him between his eyes. The least status we can attach to the action of Nabi
is that of permissibility. Similarly, it is mentioned that the companions of
Nabi used to kiss and embrace one another upon return from a journey.
Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Muhammad use as proof the fact that when Nabi
was asked, “Should we kiss one another?” Nabi replied in the
negative. When asked if we should embrace one another, Nabi gave the
same response. Thereafter, Nabi was asked if we should shake hands
with one another to which he replied in the affirmative. Abu Mansoor (May Allah Ta'ala
have mercy on him) has mentioned that embracing one another is abominable if it is done
at times when it resembles lust, as when one is naked. If a person merely intends showing
courtesy or honour to another person, it will not be makrooh. Likewise, it will only be
impermissible to kiss if a person if he is doing it out of lust and passion; if these qualities
are not found, it will be permissible. The Hadith which Imam Abu Yusuf has used as
proof will be based on what the Shaykh has mentioned.”
3) In Fatawa Qadhi Khan it is mentioned,

“It is detestable for one male to kiss the lips of another male, or even his hand or any
portion of him according to Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Muhammad (May Allah Ta'ala
have mercy on them). And there is no problem in shaking hands. Imam Abu Yusuf (May
Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) mentions that there is no problem in kissing or
embracing in one piece of cloth. If two males embrace while they have on a shirt or
cloak, or a person kisses out of happiness and has no lust, it will be permissible
according to all.”

(Mufti Shafi Saheb mentions): From this last statement of Allamah Qadhi Khan (May
Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him), it becomes clear that the prohibition of kissing and
embracing which is narrated from Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Muhammad (May Allah
Ta'ala have mercy on them) is confined to that case where a person has lust or it
resembles a person who has lust. Otherwise, it will be permissible to embrace and kiss
according to all three Scholars. The statement of Abu Mansoor (May Allah Ta'ala have
mercy on him) which is in Badaa‟i (the translation has passed above) also corroborates
this.

4) It is mentioned in Durr al Mukhtaar and its marginal notes, Radd al Muhtaar,

-
 -

“There is no harm in kissing a scholar or a religious person for blessings. The author
quotes from Al Jami that there is no problem in also kissing the hands of a just ruler. It is
said that this is Sunnah. To kiss the head of a scholar is better as mentioned in al-
Bazaaziyyah. There is no lee-way for kissing the hands of anyone else besides them i.e.
besides the hands of a scholar and just ruler, this is the preferred view. In al-Muheet al
Burhani it is mentioned that if a male kisses another male out of respect for his Islaam
and to honour him, it will be permissible.

A person asks a scholar or an ascetic person to spread out his feet so that he can kiss
them, they should comply. According to one view it is mentioned that they should not
fulfill their request.”

In Radd al Muhtaar it is mentioned,

“(They should comply) because of what is narrated by Imam Hakim that a person came
to Nabi and said, “O Prophet of Allah, show me a sign so that I can
increase my conviction.” Nabi (pointed towards a tree) and said, “Go call
that tree for me.” The person went to the tree and said, “Nabi is calling
you.” The tree came and saluted Nabi . Nabi ordered it to
return to its former place and it returned. Thereafter, Nabi gave this
Sahabi permission and he kissed the blessed head and feet of Nabi . Nabi
said, “If I had to command any person to prostrate for another person, I
would have commanded a woman to prostrate for her husband. Imam Hakim said that
the chain of this narration is authentic”

5) It is mentioned in Fatawa al-Hindiyyah,

“If a person requests a scholar or an ascetic person to spread out his leg to kiss it, it will
not be permissible for him to stretch it out and therefore he should not respond according
to some scholars. Some scholars however claim that he should respond to this request.
The same will be if he requests to kiss the scholar‟s or ascetic person‟s head and hands.”

In Madhaahir al haq under the commentary of the hadith of „wafd Abdul Qais‟ it is
mentioned,

“It is apparent that it is learnt from this narration that it is permissible to kiss the feet
even though (some) jurists prohibit it.”

Another issue mentioned with the above masala (of kissing the hands and feet) is the
issue of embracing one another. The summary of this issue, as mentioned in the books
Badaa‟i as sanaa‟i and Fatawa Qadhi Khan, is that if it is done in a way that a person has
lust, or even if there is mere doubt, then according to Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam
Muhammad, it will be makrooh. If this is not the case, then there is consensus that it will
be permissible.

As for the manner in which it is mentioned in Durr al mukhtaar, Radd al muhtaar,

Alamgiri etc (as mentioned above), this is a difference of the latter day jurists. In the
actual issue of kissing and embracing, there is no difference at all. The basis of this
difference is that the person who people wish to kiss his hands and feet, will it be
permissible for him to spread out his feet in order to give people this chance or not?

The apparent reason for this difference is that if, in reality, a person does not have pride
and arrogance then still, this apparently looks like an act of arrogance which has the great
possibility of creating pride in a person‟s heart. Because of this, some jurists claimed that
it is detestable. Others however, looked at the actual action itself and issued the verdict
of permissibility.

Some people posed this question to Hadhrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (May Allah
Ta'ala have mercy on him) and he responded as follows,

“To interpret something without a proof is not logical. It is also apparent that without the
presence of a proof which averts something from its apparent meaning, we cannot take
another meaning. Hence, in itself it is permissible to kiss the feet of (a pious) person. The
Fuqahah have ruled that it is reprehensible based on an external factor.” (Imdad al
fatawa 5/345)

From the aforementioned, there are other questions which emerge. It will be appropriate
to mentioned something with regards to those questions.

Question 1

If it is permissible to kiss a person‟s feet, will it be permissible to lower your head, bow
or prostrate to him? Scholars in our country differ on this issue; some say that although
while kissing the feet, it apparently seems as if a person is bowing and prostrating, then
too it will be permissible. However, there are numerous scholars who say that kissing the
feet will only be permissible if a person does not lower his head, bow or prostrate. These
scholars cite as proof the following narration which is narrated in Mishkaat under the
chapter of „Al Musafaha wal mu‟anaqah:

Anas bin Malik (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) says that a person asked, “O
Prophet of Allah, when any of us meets his brother or friend, should he bow (inhinaa) to
him?” Nabi replied, “No!”

In the commentary of Mishkaat, Mirqaat it is mentioned,

“The meaning of „inhinaa‟ is to bend the head and back out of humility and service. Nabi
replied in the negative because this is in the category of ruku and it is like
prostrating when worshiping Allah.”

There are numerous other texts which clearly show that bowing for another person is
reprehensible (all these are cited in the original Urdu work).

Furthermore, the following text of Fatawa al-Hindiyyah clearly shows that it is not
necessary to bow when kissing someone‟s feet:

“If a person requests a scholar or an ascetic person to spread out his leg to kiss it…”

From the aforementioned, which opinion is correct and better to follow?

Answer

It will be reprehensible if a person purposefully intends bowing. If a person bows by the

way in order to kiss the feet of another person, it will be in the same ruling of kissing his
feet (i.e. it will be permissible).
Question 2

What is the meaning of kissing a person‟s feet, does it mean that you actually kiss a
person‟s feet or should it be done like when kissing hajr aswad that you place your hands
on a person‟s feet and kiss your hands?

Answer

The first meaning is what is intended and the second has no basis.

SUMMARY

The following rulings are derived from the Ahadith, sayings and actions of the Sahabah t
, the Tabi‟een and the statements of leading scholars which have been presented above:

1. There is consensus that it is not permissible to kiss or embrace any person

with lust besides one‟s wife and slave-girl. Even if there is a mere fear or
doubt of lust, then too, it will not be permissible.
2. There is also consensus that it is permissible to kiss and embrace small
children out of compassion and to kiss pious people out of honour on
condition that that there is no action associated with it which is in contrast
to the Shariah.
3. If there is any prohibited act associated with the kissing, embracing and
even in the mere shaking of hands, there is consensus that it will all be
reprehensible.

ACTIONS DONE IN CONTRAST TO SHARIAH AT THE TIME OF

EMBRACING AND KISSING

It is essential to know which things are done contrary to the Shariah at the time of kissing
and embracing so that a person can ensure that he stays away from these actions.
Hereunder we have presented a list of such actions:

1. The person who apprehends that he will become arrogant and proud should not
allow others to kiss his hands and feet.
 2. In those scenarios where these actions will cause harm and inconvenience to
others, then leave alone kissing and embracing, it will not even be permissible to
shake hands with another person. An example of this is if you meet a person who
is busy or engaged in some essential work; by trying to kiss, embrace or even
shake the hands of such a person, it will be a means of causing him
inconvenience. Hence, a person should try to abstain from such actions in these
conditions.
3. If a person feels that by kissing a certain person, then this will inevitably create
pride in his heart, then he should abstain from this practice. Especially, if the
kissing of the hands and feet is done by many people in a gathering; then one
harm is that this takes up a lot of time. Another harm which is even greater is that
in that vicinity where this practice becomes common, an outsider might think this
to be a general consent. Therefore, a person should abstain in such circumstances.
4. It is necessary that one keeps himself to the level of how Nabi ‫و هيلع هللا ىلص‬
aT dna habahaS eht ,‫ س لم‬bi‟een kissed one another. In all the above mentioned
incidents we find that although the Sahabah and our pious predecessors kissed one
another, they did not make it a habit, nor did they do it in every gathering, nor did
anyone ask others to kiss him. Thus, wherever this is practiced with the
abovementioned simplicity, then it will be permissible and in fact preferable to
kiss the hands and feet of pious people. And in those cases where there is no
simplicity, or it becomes a habit then it will not be free from some harms. It is a
famously known by the jurists that if a preferable action contains some aspects
which are contrary to Shariah, then it will be compulsory to leave out that action.
An example of this is the shaking of hands after compulsory prayers; some
Fuqaha mention that it is makrooh because people might assume it to be a portion
of the prayer.

And Allah knows best

Wassalam u Alaikum

Ml. Ismail Moosa,

Student Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved by:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah