What is the ruling on standing up for a guest, a teacher, or a mother and father?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Six: Standing up for a guest, for a teacher, for a mother, for a father?
In connection with this question, we must note that there is a distinction between standing up *for* someone and standing up *to* someone, and the two are often confused. We must not let matters be confused for us; they must be clear and distinct. Standing up *to* someone is permissible, whereas standing up *for* someone is not permissible. Standing up *to* someone means standing up and going to them. Standing up *for* someone means standing up while remaining in your place, rising and sitting down; this is done for them, meaning to honor and magnify them. This has no basis in the Shari'ah. Rather, it is one of the customs of the non-Arabs (Ajam) that Muslims were influenced by for a long time. They continued with it until today, and as time passed, this custom became even more entrenched, even among some scholars. To the point that if some of the followers, companions, or Muslims are lax in observing it with their shaykhs, they are looked upon with disapproval, as if they have left something that Allah or His Messenger commanded. This standing up *for* others has absolutely no basis in the Shari'ah. As for standing up *to* this other person, that is, of course, permissible, and indeed recommended. The ruling varies depending on the person. Perhaps a person is sitting in your shop, and someone stands in front of the shop, and you notice that he seems to want to buy something, so you stand up *to* him and say, "Please, welcome," and so on. This is standing up *to* him, which does not fall under the category of recommendation, but rather under the category of permissibility. Perhaps another person is near your place or far away, and you know him, knowing his virtue and nobility, and so on, so you stand up *to* him, welcome him, bring him in, and seat him in the best place. This is a prescribed and recommended standing up *to* him, and so forth.
So here, the question of standing up for the teacher: this is a foreign custom, first of all, an old Persian one, then a Western European one, and unfortunately, it has also become an Eastern one, not an Islamic one. Standing up for the teacher, and even some Muslim Egyptian poets adopted this custom, saying:
"Stand up for the teacher and what? Give him reverence *** The teacher is almost like a messenger"
This is a poet who does not know the legal rulings. He sees the scholars, perhaps he studied some knowledge and jurisprudence in the beginning of his pursuit of knowledge, and he saw some of them standing up for one another, and the students standing up for the shaykhs. So he was influenced by this life he lived, and he assumed that this standing up was a prescribed matter, so he said:
"Stand up for the teacher and give him reverence"
This is contrary to what came from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in general and specific texts. The general texts are the prohibition of imitating the disbelievers. The specific texts are the prohibition by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) of loving that people stand up for him, that people stand up for him. He said (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 5229Sahih (Al-Albani). This standing up for the teacher is like standing up for the shaykh; all of this is not prescribed. As for standing up for the mother and father, this can fall under the category of standing up *to* them. And there is a correct and explicit hadith regarding this, from the hadith of the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). She said: "I did not see anyone whose conduct and guidance was more like that of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) than his daughter Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her). For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he came to her, she would stand up *to* him. She stood up *to* him, pay attention; Aisha did not say she stood up *for* him. She said: 'When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) came to his daughter Fatimah, she would stand up *to* him, kiss him, and seat him in her place.'"
Another questioner : And she seated him.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Did she seat him or did she not seat him?
The Shaykh : When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Fatimah, she would stand up *to* him and seat him in her place, and vice versa; when she came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), to her father, he would stand up *to* her, kiss her, and seat her in his place. This standing up *to* the father and standing up *to* the daughter, this is a Sunnah.
The questioner : The kissing, where, my teacher, does he kiss her?
The Shaykh : I do not know from where; if the father used to kiss his son, it is a kiss, and he does not kiss his foot or his hand, he goes and kisses his cheek or his forehead or something like that. And the hadith did not specify the place of the kiss. These are ordinary matters, and the Shari'ah does not address specifying them or detailing the speech about them.
In summary: this standing up for the mother or father is standing up *to* them; if it is so, it is a desirable and prescribed matter. As for this mechanical standing up, there is no difference in its lack of prescription, whether for the shaykh, the teacher, or for the mother, or for the father, or for any other person whose status is known to you.
In connection with this question, we must note that there is a distinction between standing up *for* someone and standing up *to* someone, and the two are often confused. We must not let matters be confused for us; they must be clear and distinct. Standing up *to* someone is permissible, whereas standing up *for* someone is not permissible. Standing up *to* someone means standing up and going to them. Standing up *for* someone means standing up while remaining in your place, rising and sitting down; this is done for them, meaning to honor and magnify them. This has no basis in the Shari'ah. Rather, it is one of the customs of the non-Arabs (Ajam) that Muslims were influenced by for a long time. They continued with it until today, and as time passed, this custom became even more entrenched, even among some scholars. To the point that if some of the followers, companions, or Muslims are lax in observing it with their shaykhs, they are looked upon with disapproval, as if they have left something that Allah or His Messenger commanded. This standing up *for* others has absolutely no basis in the Shari'ah. As for standing up *to* this other person, that is, of course, permissible, and indeed recommended. The ruling varies depending on the person. Perhaps a person is sitting in your shop, and someone stands in front of the shop, and you notice that he seems to want to buy something, so you stand up *to* him and say, "Please, welcome," and so on. This is standing up *to* him, which does not fall under the category of recommendation, but rather under the category of permissibility. Perhaps another person is near your place or far away, and you know him, knowing his virtue and nobility, and so on, so you stand up *to* him, welcome him, bring him in, and seat him in the best place. This is a prescribed and recommended standing up *to* him, and so forth.
So here, the question of standing up for the teacher: this is a foreign custom, first of all, an old Persian one, then a Western European one, and unfortunately, it has also become an Eastern one, not an Islamic one. Standing up for the teacher, and even some Muslim Egyptian poets adopted this custom, saying:
"Stand up for the teacher and what? Give him reverence *** The teacher is almost like a messenger"
This is a poet who does not know the legal rulings. He sees the scholars, perhaps he studied some knowledge and jurisprudence in the beginning of his pursuit of knowledge, and he saw some of them standing up for one another, and the students standing up for the shaykhs. So he was influenced by this life he lived, and he assumed that this standing up was a prescribed matter, so he said:
"Stand up for the teacher and give him reverence"
This is contrary to what came from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in general and specific texts. The general texts are the prohibition of imitating the disbelievers. The specific texts are the prohibition by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) of loving that people stand up for him, that people stand up for him. He said (peace and blessings be upon him):
Let him who likes people to stand up before him prepare his place in Hell.
من أحبَّ أن يتمثَّل له الناس قيامًا فليتبوَّأ مقعده من النارAnother questioner : And she seated him.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Did she seat him or did she not seat him?
The Shaykh : When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Fatimah, she would stand up *to* him and seat him in her place, and vice versa; when she came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), to her father, he would stand up *to* her, kiss her, and seat her in his place. This standing up *to* the father and standing up *to* the daughter, this is a Sunnah.
The questioner : The kissing, where, my teacher, does he kiss her?
The Shaykh : I do not know from where; if the father used to kiss his son, it is a kiss, and he does not kiss his foot or his hand, he goes and kisses his cheek or his forehead or something like that. And the hadith did not specify the place of the kiss. These are ordinary matters, and the Shari'ah does not address specifying them or detailing the speech about them.
In summary: this standing up for the mother or father is standing up *to* them; if it is so, it is a desirable and prescribed matter. As for this mechanical standing up, there is no difference in its lack of prescription, whether for the shaykh, the teacher, or for the mother, or for the father, or for any other person whose status is known to you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.