What is the ruling on embracing a traveler returning from his journey?

The questioner : It is mentioned in the book *Al-Shama'il al-Muhammadiyyah* that embracing and holding on to a traveler out of love is permissible.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : And now we heard in the hadith just before that holding on and kissing are not permissible.

The Shaykh : Let me listen to the tape to see.
The student : ... .

The Shaykh : No, let me listen. He is mistaken; he confused holding on with kissing. I do not like this confusion.

The questioner: Okay, hehehe.

The Shaykh : My brother, first of all, I am adding to what you said: what came in *Al-Shama'il* is not about travel, but about being in one's home.

The questioner : And in one's home, yes.

The Shaykh : Okay, tell me, may Allah reward you with good.

The questioner : Yes, Allah, in one's home. I remember now. May Allah reward you with good, may Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : And you as well. So the research now, your question is about holding on.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Not about kissing.

The questioner : Yes, about holding on and kissing.

The Shaykh : No, may Allah guide you, my brother. We told you that we do not like confusion, especially when the confusion comes from our brothers who do not like confusion.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : Ah, you linked the issue to what came in *Al-Shama'il*.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : What came in *Al-Shama'il* is holding on, not kissing. Okay, good.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And I clarified that this holding on—and I said this in some books or some commentaries—that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) approved it. The story is related to Abu al-Tayhan when he was surprised by the arrival of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) at his house and his garden, so he held on to him, meaning the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) approved him for that. So we said that this holding on is permissible. But now I say that this holding on is permissible without a clear holding on, meaning in Syrian expression, this holding on is permissible by way of expressing affection, meaning one who is longing for his friend or his beloved, etc., holds on to him, whether he is a traveler or not. But he does not make this a habit or a routine, etc. Then kissing has a second ruling, because in the hadith: "Do we kiss each other?" He said: . Ah, but someone might say here that kissing some people, for example, some of the Companions kissing the hand of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), came, and also some reports came about some of the Companions kissing other Companions. From this, we have excluded from the kissing that is prohibited a type of kissing that is not general, which is kissing the hand of the noble, righteous scholar, following the example of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and some of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did that with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). But the truth, from the precise jurisprudence that many of the specialists, let alone the general public, do not pay attention to, is that as they say, "they build a dome from a grain," that so-and-so kissed the hand of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). My brother, this indicates permissibility, but such permissibility, the jurists say, is a weaker position, meaning it is not excellent, it is permissible—also—by way of expressing affection. But do you think, if the secret of the heart of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) were revealed to us, would he like his Companions to kiss his hand? The answer is no. Where do we take this answer from? We have a hadith that speaks in clear Arabic: the answer is no. But this, in my opinion, is as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, supplicating for his cousin Abdullah ibn al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): , and he said for the general people: . So jurisprudence in religion and deriving rulings from general, absolute texts are matters of extreme precision, including what we are discussing now. If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had settled in his heart that he recommended that his Companions honor him, revere him, and respect him by kissing his hand, you would have found the people closest to him and the people who knew his status (peace and blessings be upon him) with Allah did that. Did you hear anything of that?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : The answer: No. So this is a permissible matter but abandoned... meaning it is better for you not to do it with one who deserves it to be done to him; it is better for you. From here came the advice of some scholars, like Abu 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-Barr, the hadith scholar and preserver of Andalusia, who is rare to find an equal to in the land of Andalusia. He said: "Kissing the hand is the small prostration." And we truly see this, and yesterday we set out to visit one of our brothers in Jarash after 'Asr, at a time like this. We were on the way, so we visited a brother of ours in Allah, whom we consider righteous, and we do not praise anyone above Allah. I was surprised by his sons, who appear to be, if Allah wills, among the righteous. And one of them, when he met me, bowed in ruku' to kiss what? My hand. And it was not one person; they came in turns, not together. This means that I understood that this kind, righteous father raised his children. And if we want to be precise and not held accountable by the Lord of the Worlds, we do not say he raised them, but rather we say he approved them; he approved them in their honoring of those they think have knowledge with this kissing that involves bowing. So, my brothers, I did this for them. And if the time had been tight... and I mentioned the last word now that I mentioned about Ibn 'Abd al-Barr: kissing the hand draws attention to the image. If the kissing is for a permissible matter, its best state is that it is permissible, but it leads to this bending. The prohibition in the previous hadith: "Does one of us bend when he meets his brother?" Does he bend to him? He said: . So leave it, leave it, and you are not held accountable for it. For you, first, the Companions of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are a good example. If you want to be like that Bedouin, like that desert dweller who heard of the greatness of the Messenger but did not know the humility of the Messenger, then do the same with your scholars. But if you want to be like the elite of the Companions of the Messenger, like the four Caliphs and the rest of the ten, then at that time, do not kiss the hand of a scholar. And I extend this, a fortiori, to not kissing the forehead of a scholar. Do not do it, because kissing the hand is mentioned in the authentic Sunnah and in the practice of the Companions, but kissing the forehead or the head or the shoulder—well, in some countries, and I am speaking, they say they kiss, perhaps the woman on her cheeks. Have you heard of this? And in Jordan as well. Allah is Great!
The student : In Saudi Arabia...

The Shaykh : Also, close this door. May Allah bless you.