Question:
Assalaamalikum Brother in Islam I saw a video you had posted and was wondering if you could shed light on my question below: How can a Muslim allow someone to bow to him and kiss his feet? Please provide answer with reference to Quran and Hadith. JazakAllah Khair’un
Answer:
Alaykum Salam,
Because the Prophet (saws) allowed it as mentioned in at least four hadiths: the hadith of the delegation of `Abd al-Qays kissing the feet of the Prophet (saws), the hadith of Ibn `Umar mentioning a group of people kissing the feet of the Prophet (saws), the hadith of the two Jews kissing the feet of the Prophet (saws), and the hadith of the Bedouin kissing the feet of the Prophet (saws). These are all authentic. So the Prophet (saws) allowed it on several occasions. This also took place among the Sahaba after the Prophet’s time. You may see more about these proofs here.
One is free to prohibit others from kissing his own feet if one dislikes it for himself. For example my teacher Dr. Saeed Buti hated for people to kiss even his hand, and he explained that he hated it because it boosted his ego. However, it is not permitted to declare it impermissible. No one can disallow for the Ummah something which the Prophet (saws) allowed.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
