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 hell. 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 hell. 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 *, 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 *tier 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