Yasir Qadhi – Regarding Standing Up Or Touching An Elder’s Feet Out of Respect – Ask Shaykh YQ #228

			Brother Sahil from Nigeria emails and mashallah, Nigeria I have so many good friends from Nigeria
Baraka Dini from me, or maybe you're watching it, I should say, in a quiet I should say maybe I
don't know what time is it over there. But brother side asks about a custom prevalent in Nigeria.
And let me add in other places besides Nigeria as well that he says that he is accustomed to
standing up every time an elder enters the room. And also, if a tribal leader comes in also to come
down and to touch the feet of the person, and he is asking that, is this something that the Shediac
allows to stand up or to bow down and touch the feet of the person? Is it allowed to do this or not?
		

			What is the ruling of this Sherry on this?
		

			107 mi COVID iica Ilari Jalan No, he lay him first earn Oh, lickety.
		

			Now, because Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah I knew so many different people watch these videos that we
actually have to take a step back sometimes and wonder or explain, I should say to our audience, why
is it that we are even asking such questions because people who are not familiar with our faith are
people who are just beginning to practice Islam? They don't quite understand the the the motivation
for such a question for many people, it seems utterly inconsequential and trivial. And the response
to this is that, well, the the notion that we're worried about here is extreme veneration, just like
anybody would understand anybody of any faith background would understand that a person who believes
		

			in one God would not want to fall into prostration in front of an idol. So they would understand
that that is a veneration that they don't want to do. So too, we have to ask ourselves, what is what
constitutes a veneration that becomes problematic, you know, and from problematic word is it become,
you know, actually into idolatry? That's, of course, a longer discussion. Of course, it will only
become idolatry or sugar or paganism if you intend to worship that entity, but there are certain
actions, even if you don't intend to worship that entity, you should not do them for that entity or
being so this is really the reason why we're discussing this is that is it permissible to show
		

			respect in this manner, of course, we show respect to our elders in a way that the Shetty allows,
with good language, with good wording with good manners, this is the ultimate respect with
controlling our tongue without uttering any negative word in front of them or insulting them, we
show respect in our treatment and accent. And yes, even in our physical demeanor, to sit with
decorum, and to sit in front of your mother or your father, with an element of respect, the way that
society allows, definitely, it is a part of our Shediac. But then the question arises, where does it
cross the line into that gray area or that danger zone or crossing into the yellow light we should
		

			say because the red light there should will not occur unless you are intending to to worship or dfi,
which of course will not happen with your elders and whatnot. But I'm saying still there is a gray
area that we would not want to do. So the question arises that are these two aspects standing up
when somebody comes and also bowing down and touching the feet? Okay, these are the two things we'll
discuss. And they are actually two separate discussion. So our brother asked them together, we're
going to have to answer part one and then part two. So the reason why this question arises of
standing up is because quite a number of scholars have discussed the hadith of our Prophet
		

			sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, which is reported in the student of a Timothy meant
		

			that whoever likes that the people should stand up to him and learn who to stand up for him. Forget
about what MacArthur who mean, and then he might as well prepare himself for the fire of *.
Whoever loves that the people stand up for him, that person, he might as well be prepared to be
punished by Allah, that is a sin or a crime. This is what the Hadith says, Now, what is the sin or
crime? Is the sooner crime standing up? Or is the center of crime having that arrogance that you
expect people to stand up? You see, that's the key point here. That what is prohibited? Is the
prohibition other people standing out of respect, or is the prohibition the person in his heart
		

			thinking I am worthy, everybody should stand up when I come into the room. This is the question
here. And the response to this, how do we know we look at other incidents in the life of the prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and we see what he himself has
		

			Did and we see what he told the companions to do. So it is quite clear from this era that our
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself stood up a number of times to greet particular people
that he that he
		

			loved immensely, especially his family members. And in fact, these narrations have been compiled by
the famous Imam and nawawi. You know all you have all heard that email in no way the one who wrote
Riyadh of Saudi Hain and the one who wrote the 40 Hadith of no way he wrote an entire treaties a
small booklet called RUSADA, to utter CCBill tme. The leader will fogli the risotto the Epistle of
the permissibility of standing up for the people of honor and respect. We already know his opinion
therefore, that if the person is honor worthy of honor your father, a share an elderly person, when
they come into the room, Mr. Manoli is saying that he entitled his treaties, the permissibility of
		

			standing up for the person of fathered the person of honor and he he mentioned in this treaties,
it's a small treaties. It's available in Arabic, not in English. He mentioned in this treaties, a
number of incidents of them, reported incident Aveda would that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam was sitting one day when his foster mother and foster father and that is Halima a Saudia and
her husband that they came to visit. And so the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam stood up to
greet stood up to greet them, and he gave his own cloak for them to sit on. Okay, so his foster
mother and his foster father, and this is of course, you know, that the incident when Amina gave the
		

			Prophets Allah send them to be reared by the Ubuntu side. And so the the, the foster mother Halima
and the foster father the processing, they raised him for a few years. And that that is when the
incident of the shock of the solder of the splitting of the heart occurred that the Prophet systems
heart was opened up and cleansed. Now, the the fact of the matter of course, is that here he stood
up to greet them, and he gave his own cloak to put us something for them to sit on as an honor to
them. And this is a great honor because they are in the end of the day, his foster mother and foster
father and of course the Shetty, you know, encourages us to show respect to our foster parents as
		

			well. Fostering of course means that the our mother Halima Fred, the breastfed the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so that foster lineage was established. We also have the destroyer
crema in Abuja, that when Eric crema fled from the conquest of Makkah, he then changed his mind. And
he returned back to Makkah, expecting Allah to forgive him and expecting the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam to forgive him. And so the Prophet system was in the Haram and when he saw it
Kadima, because, of course, it crema, you know, yes, he has a very negative past he has a long list
of what he has done, but in the end of the day, his lineage and his status is one of the highest of
		

			the courage right? So a Buddha had his his father, and you all know we are we all despise a Buddha.
But the Quraysh loved him and he was their leader. And so Reclaimer has now taken on that status. So
for a clamor to embrace Islam and for a crema to come back to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam. This is a great honor for the OMA and it will bring other hearts into Islam. So when the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saw him whatever he lay, he forehand he stood up in happiness to
greet him coming. So this is a creamer, the son of Abuja, the professor some stood up to greet him,
and also in the famous incident of the Battle of Haber. When Jaffa even Vitaly came, after the
		

			Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam was camped in high bar for an entire month almost. And he
eventually conquered the entire lands of labor that went on the day of the conquest of labor. On
that same day, Jaffa Nebuta made his way to Medina and then made his way to haber to meet the
prophets of Allah who it who was setting them. And so when the Prophet and Jaffa of course is his
cousin, and of course you know, they raised together in the same household remember the Jaffa even
abitata. And Jaffa was much closer in age to the prophets and then Ali, so it of course, was a
child, you know, compared to the process and Jafar is much closer in age and so the Profit System in
		

			him are of course, first cousins and they are raised in the same household like brothers, and of
course, our process. We love Java immensely. And he hadn't seen Jafar for seven years. He had not
seen Java for seven years since he migrated to have a senior now he's come back to Medina and then
he moves up to hybrid to meet the Prophet salallahu it he will sell them and then our Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
		

			Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam stood up to greet Jafar. And he kissed Jafar. And he said, I
don't know what is making me happier today, the conquest of high bar or the return of Jafar. I don't
know which of the two I'm happier for that have conquered hybrid today. But Jaffa has come back and
the entire lands of how you borrow and that one person Jaffer, I don't know which of the two is
making me happier. But the point is that he stood up to greet him. And we also have in the pseudonym
of Buddha would that once Zaid had been had visited the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and he
returned from a journey and of course, a demon how data is of course the quote unquote adopted son
		

			remember the story that, you know, in the days of Jamelia, Zaid was adopted and then of course,
Allah revealed that there is no adoption but the point is that the love was there like a son and
Zetas and raised in his household. So one, one after a journeys eight came back, I Szenario, that
		

			Zaid entered into my house and for comme la he fatten up who will Cabella who the processes stood up
and hugged him and kissed him stood up and hugged him and kissed him. And in the famous incentive
size even more as when the when the tacky or when the arbitration was taking place, after the Battle
of the hunt, duck, when side came on a donkey, and he was sick, and he was bleeding, and his people
were waiting there. And he's coming with difficulty and he just gets too high bar. Our profits are
not labor costs are 100 100, our profit system said to his tribe, who move LSA Ed can stand up to
greet your leader, he literally said, almost stand up to greet your leader Don't just sit there,
		

			he's come tired. He's he was literally on his deathbed. Of course, the Sahaba did not know, they
were hoping he would recover. But he was deathly sick, and he was bleeding and the wounds were
there. And he's so tired, and he's coming with great difficulty. And the people that just sitting
there, and the person said, Stand up, he's your leader, he was the leader, right of the unsought. So
the profitsystem told them to stand up. And commenting on this Hot Bobby said that this shows us
that it is not Makrooh, to stand up for a person who is a leader who is a person of respect. And so
this is the position of basically the vast majority of scholars, shareholder, some even Taymiyah, he
		

			writes that, if it is from the custom and the culture of the people, that they stand up to greet
somebody who is coming in. And if this standing were not done, the person would think that this is
an intentional insult, then in this case, it is a slur, it is the wiser and better thing to do. That
one stands up so that you know no evil or no bad idea comes into the minds of the people. So this is
basically the vast majority of scholars they say it is permissible to stand up, then how do we
understand the Hadith? Because the hadith is seems to be pretty clear that our prophecies have said,
Whoever loves that people stand up for him, let him be prepared to face a punch principle on the
		

			fire of *. How does one understand this hadith? Well, there are multiple interpretations of this
hadith of them is that what the prophet system is forbidding is the culture of the Romans and others
that when the King comes in, the others are not allowed to sit down. So this is not the action of
standing and greeting and that everybody sits down. This is the pagan custom, which was common in
Roman lands and other lands, that when the king is sitting, no one is allowed to sit in his
presence, and only he can sit. So this is one opinion. Another opinion is that the sin and the
prohibition is upon the one who feels arrogance. So he's happy that everybody standing, you know,
		

			for me, and the process of telling him know, don't feel that sense of arrogance or pride, the one he
expects the people. That's the key point here, because that hadith has meant a habit, whoever loves
that the people all stand up for him. So he's craving attention. And of course, this is an element
of narcissism. And then some of the scholars have said that this hadith is a threat to those people
who do not deserve it. So these are the evil tyrants. And this is what the prophet system is talking
about. He's not talking about the righteous people, because his own actions demonstrated that we do
stand up for righteous people. So the point is that there's plenty of evidence to suggest that to
		

			stand up when somebody comes into the room and to greet them and to kiss them, all of this is
completely permissible and there is no problem in this as long as as we said that, it is not a
notion that you stay standing and the person is sitting as a matter of, you know,
		

			the as a matter of, let's say, enforced cultural virtue, if you like that if it's something that is
enforced by social norms that with this person and this will
		

			apply to a king or a tribal leader that if that is the case, and we need to get rid of that
practice, because that is something that clearly the Shediac, you know, the proper system would sit
in the Sahaba would sit, that's not something like there's an issue there. So there is clearly
therefore, precedence in justifying and allowing one to stand up when an elder enters the room, when
a scholar enters the room, when a leader enters the room, when a parent enters the room, no problem
anybody you know who's you know, who deserves that, but our the Hadith applies either to those who
don't deserve it, or to the one who is arrogant and loves it, you know, or to the one who remains
		

			standing when the people are sorry, who remain sitting down when everybody else is standing up, and
Allah knows best. Now that's part number one. Point number two, he says that the custom of bowing
down to touching the feet now He's not asking you about such that he's not saying putting the head
on the ground, he is saying we touch the feet. And in the process, our heads come down. Now with
regards to this issue, we say that the shady has forbidden the lowering of the head, as a matter of
respect to any human being, it was allowed in the previous shady as we know from the story of Yahoo,
and use of and as we know, from the story of the angels and Adam, it is salaam that they all bow
		

			down, right. So to lower the head to another creation was something that the previous Jedi has
allowed. And lowering the head includes record and include sujood, it was allowed in the previous
generations to do that, as a matter of, you know, as a matter of showing respect to the other person
and that it remains in Western culture, you know, that you would bow down to the king or queen, or,
you know, in Western culture, you know, the man would bow down to the lady as a respect like I'm
showing you respect. So that notion remains in the western culture very slightly. It's almost gone
now.
		

			But in our religion in our Shetty, this has been abrogated, we do not lower our head intentionally.
The goal of lowering their head the NIA of lowering their head is not something allowed. And this is
something that is pretty much unanimously agreed upon in the Sharia, even Taymiyah says Mr. Muslim
moon, there is a Juma of the Muslims that to prostrate to other than Allah is haram. We do not
prostrate to other than not now obviously, if you prostrate it with the intention of worship, this
is shirk, if you prostrate I will do biller to a false god and idle and you want to please that idle
This is major shit, but if you lower your head out of respect to another human being, this is not
		

			shirk. But it is haram we do not do this. And this is something that is explicit in the in the
shadows, because there are a number of traditions in this regard. why they've been jables narration
as well, that when he came back from the Syrian lands, he fell down in such that in front of the
Prophet SAW Selim and the Prophet sallallahu sallam said do not do this. It is not allowed for a
Maha Luke to do says that to another mahalo code is not allowed for a creation to do says that to
another creation says there's only done to Allah that Allah says no Quran that has to do the Shem
see what comedy was to do the law in the hollow Kahuna do not prostrate to the sun, and do not
		

			prostrate to the moon and prostrate to Allah azza wa jal who created them now, the word SEJ
primarily implies putting the face right onto the floor. And that is the highest form of submission
that you demonstrate submission. However, technically, from a purely linguistic point, to bow the
head down is also a type of such and therefore when Allah says do not do such that to anything
except Allah subhanho wa taala. Therefore this includes any bowing down now, what if somebody says
that?
		

			How come we're allowed to stand and not do and not to, to to kiss the feet or to touch the feet, we
say, This is what the Shetty has come with. And we go to the Shediac to say, what is too extreme
veneration? And what is permissible permissible veneration. And the Shetty has allowed showing
respect and showing honor by standing up when your father comes in by standing up when a loved one
comes in? And the shehryar has not allowed us to bow our head down. Now, what if somebody were to
say that, okay, but how about if I'm, you know, my mother's coming in on the wheelchair and I want
to kiss her? Is this something that is allowed, we say here, kissing an elderly person on the
		

			forehead, let's say okay, this would be permissible be or underhand, this would be permissible
because the goal is the kissing and not the bowing of the head. Whereas when you touch somebody's
feet, there is no other purpose than to lower your head in front of the in front of the person. So
we look at the goal of this act that you know if if it's so happened that you know,
		

			your your mother was taller than us
		

			Say, your grandmother, your grandfather's coming in, you would kiss and you would stand up and kiss
his forehead, right. So the goal is not to lower your head, the goal was to kiss the forehead, in
some cultures, by the way, so again, maybe I should clarify, I have an international audience, in
many cultures of the world, in many cultures, especially Eastern cultures, kissing the forehead, of
your elderly, relatives and parents, it is of the highest signs of respect to kissing the forehead
of a chef is a sign of respect that you know, you are beloved to me, and I respect and admire you
now, kissing the forehead is permissible. And it is something that even in the, in the in the in the
		

			Sierra, we come that are in the process of, you know, kiss Jafar. So these are things that we we
come across that the Sierra allows this and it is understood. But even if you have to bow down, I'm
saying it is permissible, because when you bow down to kiss, the goal is not the short lowering of
the head, the goal is the kissing. So that which is done, you know, unintentionally, that which is
not intended directly is overlooked. You're not intending to bow their head down, you're intending
to kiss as for that which is done intentionally, that is what the shittier is based on. And
therefore, those who want to lower their their heads in front of another person. We say to them,
		

			this practice is considered to be too extreme in the Sharia. And it is going into that gray area
that the Shetty has, when I say gray area, I mean stepping stone to shoot it is not great. It is
haram. It is forbidden. So when I say gray don't think that I'm talking about ambiguous I mean here
that it is a stepping stone to shoot because what I'm saying that you are venerating too much. And
so the Sharia has put checks and balances and put barriers so that you do not go to this level. And
so to conclude to conclude this question, it is completely permissible to stand up to greet an elder
or to greet a leader or to greet somebody who's coming back from a journey anybody that you want to
		

			greet you stand up to greet them, and then you all sit down no problem. It is however not
permissible to touch the feet of the person as a token of respect, because that is a level of
integration that the Shetty has drawn the line out and ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala knows best