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 came to know from our muslim brother that taking kiss to the one who is well in islam is acceptable, and i heard that in ahadis also its written that some sahaba also kissed our prophets SHS legs, i want to know how far its true. your brother in islam

(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:

Can one kiss scholars ?

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 no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

The Quran itself is silent about the specific subject of kissing, but there are several examples in the authentic narrations in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

In light of the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), there is absolutely no harm if a parent or grandparent kiss their children and grand-children, or children kiss the hands of their parents and elders, or if elderly cousins kiss their young mehram cousins, etc., as long as the intention is to show love and respect. There are several narrations whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) kissed his beloved daughter Hadrat Fatema (r.a.), his grandchildren Hadrat Hassan (r.a.), Hadrat Hussain (r.a.), etc., and they kissed him.

But to kiss anyone or anything with the intention that the thing or person is Sacred is a sin and not permitted in Islam. For example, if someone kisses an idol, or a grave, or a photo, or a tree, or anything else thinking that it is sacred and divine, it is a sin.

The only thing that is permitted in Islam to kiss is the Black Stone in the Kaabah; and that too because it is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws). After the death of the Messenger of Allah (saws) a noble companion of the Prophet said while kissing the Black Stone: “No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah (saws) kissing you, I would not have kissed you."

We have not come across any authentic hadith which states that the noble companions of the Prophet (saws) used to kiss his feet; because if they did, they would have done it on a regular basis and it would surely have been narrated by several companions. But there is no mention in the books of authentic hadith that the noble companions would kiss the feet or legs of the Prophet (saws) everytime they were in his company.

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

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan