Is it permissible to kiss a scholar's hand? And who are the scholars upon whom one relies in evaluating people?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to kiss a scholar's hand? And who are the scholars upon whom one relies in evaluating people?
The Shaykh : Kissing a scholar's hand has a basis in the Sunnah, but this basis is within the limits of what is permissible and lawful, not within the limits of a recommended Sunnah. This is especially the case when some shaykhs have come to establish the kissing of their hands in place of shaking hands with their followers. Today, in many Islamic countries, and perhaps Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has protected you from such deviation, we find some shaykhs, particularly those belonging to the Sufi orders, who do not know the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in shaking hands with his Companions, as Abu Dharr or others said: "We never met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) except that he shook hands with us." Those shaykhs know nothing but extending their hand to be kissed, whereas extending their hand to shake the hand of their follower is something you hardly hear mentioned. In my opinion, kissing such a hand does not fall under what is established in some hadiths that the hand of the Messenger (peace be upon him) was kissed by a Bedouin, for a man who does not know the guidance of the Messenger or his humility. Such kissing is not permissible to be taken as a principle and made, as we said, a substitute for what? The handshake that the Messenger (peace be upon him) himself performed with his Companions, and he also encouraged his Ummah to do so in his hadith, such as his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):. With this virtue that came regarding the handshake, and the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) consistent practice of it with his Companions, you find those shaykhs completely neglecting it, and establishing the kissing of their hands as its substitute. Here we can recall the saying of "Ibn al-Wardi":
"I do not choose to kiss a hand *** Cutting it off is more beautiful than those kisses"
Yes.
The Shaykh : Kissing a scholar's hand has a basis in the Sunnah, but this basis is within the limits of what is permissible and lawful, not within the limits of a recommended Sunnah. This is especially the case when some shaykhs have come to establish the kissing of their hands in place of shaking hands with their followers. Today, in many Islamic countries, and perhaps Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has protected you from such deviation, we find some shaykhs, particularly those belonging to the Sufi orders, who do not know the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in shaking hands with his Companions, as Abu Dharr or others said: "We never met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) except that he shook hands with us." Those shaykhs know nothing but extending their hand to be kissed, whereas extending their hand to shake the hand of their follower is something you hardly hear mentioned. In my opinion, kissing such a hand does not fall under what is established in some hadiths that the hand of the Messenger (peace be upon him) was kissed by a Bedouin, for a man who does not know the guidance of the Messenger or his humility. Such kissing is not permissible to be taken as a principle and made, as we said, a substitute for what? The handshake that the Messenger (peace be upon him) himself performed with his Companions, and he also encouraged his Ummah to do so in his hadith, such as his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
No two Muslims meet and shake hands without their sins falling off them, just as leaves fall from trees in autumn.
ما من مسلمين يلتقيان فيتصافحان إلا تحاتَّت عنهما ذنوبهما كما يتحاتُّ الورق عن الشجر في الخريف"I do not choose to kiss a hand *** Cutting it off is more beautiful than those kisses"
Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.