Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I would like to know that people touch their eyes and lips with their fingers after hearing the name of Muhammad SAW will you please clarify this 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Touch eyes lips when prophet (saws) name is mentioned

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

To the best of our knowledge, there is absolutely nothing in either the Quran or the Sunnah which guides or endorses the believers to touch their eyes or their lips when the name of Prophet Mohamed (saws) is mentioned in their midst. If one does so one would be following a ‘bida’ (innovation), which is not endorsed by the Messenger of Allah (saws).

What the believers can and must do whenever the name of Prophet Mohamed (saws) is mentioned in their midst is to recite the durood or invoke blessings upon him (saws) as Commanded by Allah Subhanah.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 56:

Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him and salute him with all respect.

Abu Hurairah reports that the Prophet (saws) said, "May the nose of the person in whose presence I am mentioned be covered with dirt if he does not invoke blessings upon me.”

Related by Tirmidhi.

Abu Dharr al-Ghaffari narrated that the Prophet (saws) said, 'The most miserly amongst people is the one who fails to invoke blessings upon me when my name is mentioned in his or her presence.’

Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-'As reported that he heard the Prophet (saws) saying, "If anyone invokes blessings upon me once, Allah will bestow blessings upon him ten times over."

Related by Muslim.

Ibn Masud reported that the Prophet (saws) said, "The people nearest to me on the Day of Judgment will be the ones most conscientious in invoking blessings upon me." Related by Tirmidhi.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan