The ruling on bowing to one who has status and position
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A questioner says: It is customary among us in Africa to bow to those who have status and position. Is bowing permissible? Knowing that it is by our choice and not by compulsion. Does the principle that “custom is a valid basis for judgment” apply here? And if the king of the tribe demands that you bow to him, what is the ruling?
Answer:
This is not permissible. Bowing is not permissible, because bowing is a form of prostration. Prostration is not permissible except for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). If anyone asks you to do this, do not obey him in that. Inform him and explain to him that this is not permissible in our religion, in accordance with the advice of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
A questioner says: It is customary among us in Africa to bow to those who have status and position. Is bowing permissible? Knowing that it is by our choice and not by compulsion. Does the principle that “custom is a valid basis for judgment” apply here? And if the king of the tribe demands that you bow to him, what is the ruling?
Answer:
This is not permissible. Bowing is not permissible, because bowing is a form of prostration. Prostration is not permissible except for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). If anyone asks you to do this, do not obey him in that. Inform him and explain to him that this is not permissible in our religion, in accordance with the advice of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Source
القاء مع دعاة أفريقيا-06-12-1440 — alfawzan.live (19:46)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.