The Ruling on Prostrating and Kissing One’s Father’s Knee
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Question:
Our brother Muhammad Mahmoud al-Nahari from al-Haydah, Yemen, also asks about an issue. He says: In Yemen, and specifically in Raymah, when a son’s father is absent, even if only for an hour, when he arrives home, the son prostrates to him, or what they call a kiss—apparently—he prostrates on his father’s knee. If he does not do this or greet his father, they call him a disobedient son. Is this permissible or not? And is this the practice of any of the Companions? Please issue a ruling, may Allah reward you.
Answer:
Prostration is one thing, and a kiss is another. As for kissing his hand or his knee, this is not called prostration. The best is to shake hands. If he kisses his head or his hand sometimes upon meeting, there is no harm in this as a way of honoring the father. The father has a special status in having his hand kissed or the space between his eyes kissed upon meeting. All of this is without blame. If it is done sometimes and not always, that is better than making it a habit.
As for prostration, it is not permissible for anyone to prostrate on the ground, or to place his forehead on his hand or on his knee in prostration. This is reprehensible and not permissible, not for a father or anyone else. Foreheads are not placed down except for Allah alone . So one does not place his forehead on the ground, nor on his father's hand or his father's knee, nor on anyone else's hand or knee. Rather, all of this is reprehensible and not permissible, because it is a type of prostration, even if it is on the hand or on the knee. Placing the forehead is prostration.
But if he kisses the back of his hand or his knee with his lips, this is not called prostration. This is a way of respecting his father, and there is no harm in that. However, it should not be constant, but done sometimes and not always, so that it does not become a burden and so that it does not become a habit for him or for others, but rather sometimes and not always.
We do not recall this from any of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with his father as a permanent practice; we do not know of this. However, it occurring occasionally has happened. It is established that al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and may Allah be pleased with him, when he entered upon his daughter A'ishah while she was ill, kissed her on her cheek. So if the father kisses his daughter, the son is even more entitled to kiss his father's hand, or his father's head, or his father's knee when there is a need, especially when seeking his father's favor, or when there is some disobedience from him to his father and he seeks to appease him with it, or when he does it sometimes upon returning from a journey or the like. All of this has no harm in it, if Allah wills. And I do not know of any detailed ruling from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and may Allah be pleased with them, but this is the implication of the scriptural evidence that there is no harm in it.
It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he kissed the hands of some of the Companions, and it is established from some of the Companions that they also kissed his foot, peace and blessings be upon him, on some occasions. But the constant Sunnah is shaking hands. This is the well-known constant Sunnah. The Companions, when they met, would shake hands, and when they met their Prophet, they would shake his hand, peace and blessings be upon him. This is what is known and this is the most common. And Fatimah, when she entered upon him, he would stand up to her, take her hand, and kiss it. And when he entered upon her, she would stand up to him, take his hand, and kiss it, peace and blessings be upon him. All of this indicates the permissibility of such things in such matters that Fatimah did with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and that he did with her, and that the righteous of this Ummah did, but on the way of honoring and loving one’s father and respecting him.
As for prostration, no, prostration is never permissible. It is placing the forehead on his hand or knee or on the ground. This is not permissible. And if it is on the ground, it becomes greater; it becomes worship of him other than Allah, we seek refuge in Allah. It is greater and more heinous, and it would be major shirk, we seek refuge in Allah. But prostration on the hand or on the knee is a type of prostration, but it is a minor prostration, not like prostration on the ground. So it is obligatory to prevent that and to be cautious of it. We ask Allah for safety and well-being.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.
Our brother Muhammad Mahmoud al-Nahari from al-Haydah, Yemen, also asks about an issue. He says: In Yemen, and specifically in Raymah, when a son’s father is absent, even if only for an hour, when he arrives home, the son prostrates to him, or what they call a kiss—apparently—he prostrates on his father’s knee. If he does not do this or greet his father, they call him a disobedient son. Is this permissible or not? And is this the practice of any of the Companions? Please issue a ruling, may Allah reward you.
Answer:
Prostration is one thing, and a kiss is another. As for kissing his hand or his knee, this is not called prostration. The best is to shake hands. If he kisses his head or his hand sometimes upon meeting, there is no harm in this as a way of honoring the father. The father has a special status in having his hand kissed or the space between his eyes kissed upon meeting. All of this is without blame. If it is done sometimes and not always, that is better than making it a habit.
As for prostration, it is not permissible for anyone to prostrate on the ground, or to place his forehead on his hand or on his knee in prostration. This is reprehensible and not permissible, not for a father or anyone else. Foreheads are not placed down except for Allah alone . So one does not place his forehead on the ground, nor on his father's hand or his father's knee, nor on anyone else's hand or knee. Rather, all of this is reprehensible and not permissible, because it is a type of prostration, even if it is on the hand or on the knee. Placing the forehead is prostration.
But if he kisses the back of his hand or his knee with his lips, this is not called prostration. This is a way of respecting his father, and there is no harm in that. However, it should not be constant, but done sometimes and not always, so that it does not become a burden and so that it does not become a habit for him or for others, but rather sometimes and not always.
We do not recall this from any of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with his father as a permanent practice; we do not know of this. However, it occurring occasionally has happened. It is established that al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and may Allah be pleased with him, when he entered upon his daughter A'ishah while she was ill, kissed her on her cheek. So if the father kisses his daughter, the son is even more entitled to kiss his father's hand, or his father's head, or his father's knee when there is a need, especially when seeking his father's favor, or when there is some disobedience from him to his father and he seeks to appease him with it, or when he does it sometimes upon returning from a journey or the like. All of this has no harm in it, if Allah wills. And I do not know of any detailed ruling from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and may Allah be pleased with them, but this is the implication of the scriptural evidence that there is no harm in it.
It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he kissed the hands of some of the Companions, and it is established from some of the Companions that they also kissed his foot, peace and blessings be upon him, on some occasions. But the constant Sunnah is shaking hands. This is the well-known constant Sunnah. The Companions, when they met, would shake hands, and when they met their Prophet, they would shake his hand, peace and blessings be upon him. This is what is known and this is the most common. And Fatimah, when she entered upon him, he would stand up to her, take her hand, and kiss it. And when he entered upon her, she would stand up to him, take his hand, and kiss it, peace and blessings be upon him. All of this indicates the permissibility of such things in such matters that Fatimah did with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and that he did with her, and that the righteous of this Ummah did, but on the way of honoring and loving one’s father and respecting him.
As for prostration, no, prostration is never permissible. It is placing the forehead on his hand or knee or on the ground. This is not permissible. And if it is on the ground, it becomes greater; it becomes worship of him other than Allah, we seek refuge in Allah. It is greater and more heinous, and it would be major shirk, we seek refuge in Allah. But prostration on the hand or on the knee is a type of prostration, but it is a minor prostration, not like prostration on the ground. So it is obligatory to prevent that and to be cautious of it. We ask Allah for safety and well-being.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.