It is not permissible to bow as a greeting to a Muslim or to a disbeliever
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The third question of Fatwa No. ( 5313 ):
Q3: We joined one of the karate clubs in America , and the trainer said: It is obligatory that you bow when he bows to you. We refused and explained to him that this is not in our religion, so he agreed, but he said: On the condition that we only bow the head; because he initiates the bow, so you must return his greeting. What is your opinion, O your Excellencies, in that?
A3: It is not permissible to bow as a greeting to a Muslim or to a disbeliever, neither with the upper part of the body nor with the head; because bowing as a greeting is an act of worship, and worship
is not to be directed to anyone but Allah alone. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q3: We joined one of the karate clubs in America , and the trainer said: It is obligatory that you bow when he bows to you. We refused and explained to him that this is not in our religion, so he agreed, but he said: On the condition that we only bow the head; because he initiates the bow, so you must return his greeting. What is your opinion, O your Excellencies, in that?
A3: It is not permissible to bow as a greeting to a Muslim or to a disbeliever, neither with the upper part of the body nor with the head; because bowing as a greeting is an act of worship, and worship
is not to be directed to anyone but Allah alone. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.