This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Aamad Mustafa ﷺ.
Difference Between the Standing of Respect and the Standing of Reception
◈ Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه narrates:
اشتكى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فصلينا ورائه وهو قاعد، وأبو بكر يسمع الناس تكبيره، فالتفت إلينا فرآنا قياما، فأشار إلينا، فقعدنا، فصلينا بصلاته قعودا، فلما سلم، قال: إن كدتم آنفا لتفعلون فعل فارس والروم، يقومون على ملوكهم، وهم قعود، فلا تفعلوا، انتموا بأئمتكم إن صلى قائما فصلوا قياما، وإن صلى قاعدا؛ فصلوا قعودا .
"The Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم fell ill. We prayed behind him in such a way that he was sitting while leading the prayer, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was raising the takbir so that the people could hear it. The Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم looked towards us and made us feel as if we should stand, then by a gesture he ordered us to sit. We sat down and prayed behind him while sitting. After concluding the prayer with salam, he said: You have just acted like the Iranians and Romans, who stand before their kings while the kings remain seated. Do not treat your Imam in such a manner. If he prays standing, you should also pray standing, and if he prays sitting, you should also pray sitting."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim: 413)
Hafiz Nawawi رحمه الله (d. 676 AH) says:
فيه النهي عن قيام الغلمان والتباع على رأس متبوعهم الجالس لغير حاجة، وأما القيام للداخل إذا كان من أهل الفضل والخير؛ فليس من هذا ، بل هو جائز، قد جاء ت به أحاديث، وأطبق عليه السلف والخلف .
"The prohibition mentioned in the hadith concerns standing in the presence of one’s master without necessity, such as small children or servants standing near their masters’ heads while the kings or others remain seated. The other kind of standing, which is done out of respect and honor for the arrival of people of virtue, is not included in this prohibition and is permissible. There are hadiths about this, and the Salaf and Khalaf agree on its permissibility."
Reference: (Sharh Sahih Muslim: 135/4)
◈ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله (d. 728 AH) states:
في هذا الحديث أنه أمرهم بترك القيام الذى هو فرض فى الصلاة، وعلل ذلك بأن قيام المأمومين مع قعود الإمام يشبه فعل فارس والروم بعظمائهم ، فى قيامهم وهم قعود، ومعلوم أن المأموم إنما نوى أن يقوم لله لا لإمامه، وهذا تشديد عظيم فى النهي عن القيام للرجل القاعد، ونهي أيضا عما يشبه ذلك، وإن لم يقصد به ذلك، ولهذا نهي عن السجود لله بين يدي الرجل، وعن الصلاة إلى ما قد عبد من دون الله، كالنار ونحوها، وفي هذا الحديث أيضا نهي عما يشبه فعل فارس والروم، وإن كانت نيتنا غير نيتهم لقوله : فلا تفعلوا .
"This hadith mentions that if the Imam is sitting, it is obligatory for the followers to also sit, because standing while the Imam is sitting resembles the behavior of the Persians and Romans, who stand in honor of their dignitaries while their kings remain seated. This resemblance is the reason it is impermissible, because the follower stands only for Allah, and his standing is for the Imam. This prohibition is an exaggeration; if standing out of respect is forbidden due to resemblance, then how much more forbidden would be the act of standing out of respect itself? For example, prostrating to Allah is obligatory, but it is forbidden to do it in a manner that might be mistaken for prostrating to a servant. Similarly, facing false deities during prayer is prohibited, such as fire and other things. Therefore, the prohibition in this hadith is about standing that resembles the Persians and Romans."
Reference: (Iqtidā’ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm li-Mukhālafat Aṣḥāb al-Jaḥīm: 226/1-227)
◈ Allama Ibn Qayyim رحمه الله (d. 751 AH) writes:
حمل أحاديث النهي عن القيام على مثل هذه الصورة ممتنع ، فإن سياقها يدل على خلافه، وأنه صلى الله عليه وسلم كان ينهى عن القيام له إذا خرج عليهم، ولأن العرب لم يكونوا يعرفون هذا، وإنما هو من فعل فارس والروم، ولأن هذا لا يقال له قيام للرجل ، إنما هو قيام عليهم ففرق بين القيام للشخص المنهي عنه، والقيام عليه المشبه لفعل فارس والروم، والقيام إليه عند قدومه الذى هو سنة العرب، وأحاديث الجواز تدل عليه فقط .
"It is not possible to apply the prohibitive hadiths to such a case, because the context of this hadith is against that, and the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم forbade it when he came out, and this method was not known among the Arabs. It was only the custom of the Persians and Romans. It cannot be called standing for a person, rather it is standing before a person. Therefore, standing for a person, which is prohibited, and standing that resembles the action of the Persians and Romans, are two different things, while standing upon the arrival of a person is the custom of the Arabs, and the hadiths that prove the permissibility of standing refer only to this second kind of standing."
Reference: (Tahdhib al-Sunan: 93/8)
The Mursal Narration of Amr ibn Sa’ib
Amr ibn al-Sa’ib narrates that he heard this hadith that one day the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was sitting when his foster father came. The Prophet, peace be upon him, spread a part of his cloak for him. He sat on it. Then the Prophet’s foster mother came, so the Prophet, peace be upon him, spread the other side of the cloak for her. She sat on it. Then the Prophet’s foster brother came. The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, stood up and seated him in front of himself.
Reference: (Sunan Abi Dawood: 5145)
Due to being a mursal chain, it is considered "weak."
Falsehood Attributed to Sayyida Umm Fadl, may Allah be pleased with her
◈ It is narrated from Syeda Um Fazl رضي الله عنها:
أتى النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، فلما رآه النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قام إليه فقبل ما بين عينيه، ثم أقعده عن يمينه .
"Sayyiduna Abbas رضي الله عنه came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم saw him coming, he stood up to receive him, kissed his forehead, and seated him on his right side."
Reference: (Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabir by Al-Tabarani: 235/10, Tarikh Baghdad: 63/1)
The narration is false. Hafiz Dhahabi رحمه الله has declared it fabricated.
Reference: (Mizan al-I'tidal: 97/1)
◈ Hafiz Dhahabi رحمه الله writes about Ahmad bin Rushdain:
هو الذى اختلقه بجهل .
"He fabricated it out of his ignorance."
Reference: (Mizan al-I'tidal: 97/1)
Only Ibn Hibban رحمه الله mentioned him in Al-Thiqat
Reference: (40/8)
. This is his leniency.Doubts and Their Refutation
Some people say that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to stand up out of respect for the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. In response, they have presented the mentioned evidences; observe the technical status of these evidences:
◈ Sayyiduna Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يجلس معنا فى مسجد ويحدثنا، فإذا قام، قمنا قياما حتى نراه قد دخل بعض بيوت أزواجه .
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to sit with us in the mosque and talk. When he would stand up, we would also stand and remain standing until we saw him enter the house of one of his pure wives."
Reference: (Sunan Abi Dawood: 4775, Al-Sunan al-Kubra by Al-Nasa’i: 4780, Sunan Ibn Majah (abridged): 2093, Shu’ab al-Iman by Al-Bayhaqi: 8930)
This hadith cannot be used as evidence for standing out of respect for several reasons:
The chain of narration is "weak."
◈ About Hilal ibn Abu Hilal al-Madani, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
لا أعرفه .
"I do not recognize him."
Reference: (Al-‘Ilal: 1476)
◈ Imam Ibn Shaheen, may Allah have mercy on him, also said:
لا أعرفه .
"I do not know him."
Reference: (Al-Thiqat: 1245)
◈ Hafiz Al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
لا يعرف .
"He is unknown."
Reference: (Mizan al-I’tidal: 317/4)
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, called him "maqbool" (hidden status).
Reference: (Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb: 7351)
Only Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned him in Al-Thiqat
Reference: (503/5)
, therefore he is a "majhool al-haal" narrator.◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 852 AH), said:
الذي يظهر لي فى الجواب أن يقال: لعل سبب تأخيرهم حتى يدخل لما يحتمل عندهم من أمر يحدث له حتى لا يحتاج إذا تفرقوا أن يتكلف استدعانهم، ثم راجعت سنن أبى داود، فوجدت فى آخر الحديث ما يؤيد ما قلته، وهو قصة الأعرابي الذى جبذ ردانه صلى الله عليه وسلم، فدعا رجلا فأمره أن يحمل له على بعيره تمرا وشعيرا، وفي آخره، ثم التفت إلينا، فقال: انصرفوا رحمكم الله تعالى .
"In my opinion, the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, might have remained standing until the Prophet, peace be upon him, entered his house so that perhaps the Prophet would need something from them and they would not have to trouble him by calling him again. Then I referred to Sunan Abi Dawood, and at the end of this hadith, I found words that support my statement. It is an incident involving a Bedouin who pulled the blessed cloak of the Prophet, peace be upon him. The Prophet called a man and ordered him to load dates and barley on the Bedouin’s camel. At the end of this hadith, it is mentioned that the Prophet turned towards us and said: 'May Allah have mercy on you, now you may go.'"
Reference: (Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari: 52/11-53)
◈ Mulla Ali Qari Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 1014 AH), wrote:
لعلهم كانوا ينتظرون رجاء أن يظهر له حاجة إلى أحد منهم، أو يعرض له رجوع إلى الجلوس معهم، فإذا أيسوا؛ تفرقوا، ولم يقعدوا لعدم حلاوة الجلوس بعده عليه السلام .
"Perhaps they waited in the hope that the Prophet, peace be upon him, might need something from one of them or intend to come to them again. When they realized that the Prophet would neither come nor call again, they would leave. After him, the pleasure of the gathering would no longer remain."
Reference: (Mirqat al-Mafatih: 488/13)
Therefore, the argument that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, stood out of respect for the Prophet, peace be upon him, is not correct. Moreover, it is doubly wrong to base standing up while reciting salutations (Salawat) on this.
◈ Sayyiduna Abu Juhaifah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
لما قدم جعفر من هجرة الحبشة، تلقاه النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فعانقه، وقبل ما بين عينيه، وقال: ما أدري بأيهما أنا أسر؛ بفتح خيبر أو بقدوم جعفر؟
"Sayyiduna Ja’far, may Allah be pleased with him, returned from the migration to Abyssinia, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, welcomed him, kissed him between his eyes, and said: I do not know which of two things brings me more joy, the conquest of Khaybar or the arrival of Ja’far?"
Reference: (Al-Mu’jam al-Kabir: 108/2, Al-Mu’jam al-Awsat: 2003, Al-Mu’jam al-Saghir by Al-Tabarani: 30)
The chain of narration is "weak."
◈ Imam Darqutni, may Allah have mercy on him, said about Ahmad ibn Khalid Harani:
ضعيف، ليس بشيء، ما رأيت أحدا أثنى عليه .
"He is weak, of no use; I have not seen anyone praise him."
Reference: (Su’alat Hamza al-Sahmi by Darqutni, p. 148)
◈ Hafiz Al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote:
واه .
"He is a weak narrator."
Reference: (Al-Mughni: 65/1)
◈ About his follower, Anas ibn Sulaym, Hafiz Haithami, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote:
لم أعرفه .
"I could not recognize him."
Reference: (Majma’ al-Zawa’id: 277/9)
His following was also done by Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman.
Reference: (Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 292/11)
No statement of correction or authentication is established for him either. Therefore, this narration is also "weak."
◈ About Ukramah ibn Abi Jahl, may Allah be pleased with him:
لما بلغ باب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم استبشر، ووثب له رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قائما على رجليه، فرحا بقدومه .
"When he reached the door of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, the Prophet was very happy and quickly stood up on his feet out of joy for his arrival."
Reference: (Al-Maghazi by Al-Waqidi: 850/2 - 853, Al-Mustadrak by Al-Hakim: 269/3)
It is a fabrication. Muhammad ibn Umar Al-Waqidi is considered "weak" and abandoned by the majority of hadith scholars. Moreover, his teacher Abu Bakr ibn Abdullah ibn Abu Subrah was a "fabricator" (one who concocts false hadiths) and a liar.
◈ Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
يضع الحديث .
"He used to fabricate hadiths."
Reference: (Al-Jarh wa al-Ta’dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 306/7)
Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that when Sayyiduna Zaid ibn Harithah, may Allah be pleased with him, came to Medina, the Prophet, peace be upon him, was in my chamber. He knocked on the door:
فقام إليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عريانا يجر ثوبه، والله، ما رأيته عريانا قبله ولا بعده، فاعتنقه وقبله .
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stood up holding his clothes without being fully dressed. By Allah! I have never seen him meet anyone before or after without being fully dressed. He embraced him and kissed him."
Reference: (Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 2732, and he said: Hasan, Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar by Al-Tahawi: 92/4)
It is extremely "weak."
◈ Ibrahim ibn Yahya ibn Muhammad Shajari is "lien al-hadith" (a fabricator).
Reference: (Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb by Ibn Hajar: 268)
◈ Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ibad al-Madani Shajari is also "weak."
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote:
كان ضريرا يتلقن .
"He was blind and accepted prompting."
Reference: (Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb: 7637)
◈ Muhammad ibn Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on him, al-Madani, is "mudallis" (one who conceals the chain).
◈ Imam Zahri, may Allah have mercy on him, is also "mudallis."
Both did not specify the hearing, so the narration is "weak."
In the chain of Tarikh Ibn Asakir
Reference: (360/19)
, Muhammad ibn Umar Al-Waqidi is "abandoned."◈ Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, told me a matter:
قمت إليه، فقلت له: بأبي أنت وأمي، أنت أحق بها .
"I stood up for you, may Allah be pleased with you, and said: May my parents be sacrificed for you! You have more right to it."
Reference: (Musnad Imam Ahmad: 6/1, Musnad al-Bazzar: 4, Musnad Abi Ya’la: 24)
The chain is "weak" due to an ambiguous narrator.
◈ When Sayyiduna Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, may Allah be pleased with him, was summoned by the Prophet, peace be upon him, he came riding a donkey. When he reached near the mosque, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to the Ansar:
قوموا إلى سيدكم .
"Stand up for your leader!"
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 926/2, Hadith: 6262, Sahih Muslim: 95/2, Hadith: 1768)
This does not mean to stand up out of respect for the leader, but rather to stand up and help him dismount because he was injured at that time. This is supported by the narration where the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
قوموا إلى سيدكم فأنزلوه، فقال عمر: سيدنا الله عز وجل، قال: أنزلوه، فأنزلوه .
"Run to your leader and help him down from the mount." Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Our leader is Allah." The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Help Sa’d down." So the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, helped him down."
Reference: (Musnad Imam Ahmad: 141/6-142 and its chain is Hasan)
Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, declared this hadith authentic
Reference: (7028)
.◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, declared its chain Hasan and wrote:
هذه الريادة تخدش فى الاستدلال بقصة سعد على مشروعية القيام المتنازع فيه .
"These additional words invalidate the argument for standing out of respect in the incident of Sayyiduna Sa’d, may Allah be pleased with him."
Reference: (Fath al-Bari: 51/11)
◈ Imam Muslim, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 261 AH), said:
لا أعلم فى قيام الرجل للرجل حديثا أصح من هذا، وهذا القيام على وجه البر لا على وجه التعظيم، أمر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الأنصار أن يقوموا إلى سيدهم .
"In my opinion, this hadith is the most authentic regarding standing out of respect. However, this standing means standing as a good manner, not as respect. The Prophet, peace be upon him, ordered the Ansar to run to their leader."
Reference: (Al-Madkhal ila al-Sunan by Al-Bayhaqi: 708 and its chain is Sahih)
◈ Imam Al-Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 458 AH), said:
هذا القيام يكون على وجه البر والإكرام، كما كان قيام الأنصار لسعد، وقيام طلحة لكعب بن مالك، ولا ينبغي للذي يقام له أن يريد ذلك من صاحبه ، حتى إن لم يفعل حنق عليه، أو شكاه، أو عاتبه .
"This standing means good conduct and standing as a form of honor, as is proven by the Ansar standing for Sayyiduna Sa’d, may Allah be pleased with him, and Sayyiduna Talhah, may Allah be pleased with him, standing for Sayyiduna Ka’b ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him. However, if a person likes others to stand for him and becomes angry, complains, and shows annoyance if they do not, then standing for him is not correct."
Reference: (Shu’ab al-Iman: 277/11)
◈ Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 1176 AH), wrote:
عندي أنه لا اختلاف فيها فى الحقيقة، فإن المعاني التى يدور عليها الأمر والنهي مختلفة، فإن العجم كان من أمرهم أن تقوم الخدم بين أيدي سادتهم، والرعية بين أيدي ملوكهم، وهو من إفراطهم فى التعظيم، حتى كاد يتأخم الشرك، فنهوا عنه، وإلى هذا وقعت الإشارة فى قوله عليه السلام: كما يقوم الأعاجم .
"I believe there is no real disagreement in these hadiths and narrations because the meanings and purposes on which commands and prohibitions depend are different. The custom of non-Arabs was that servants did not sit before their masters, and subjects did not sit before the king; rather, they stood with folded hands. Doing so was an excess in respect and was connected with shirk. Therefore, the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were prevented from such standing. This is also indicated in the Prophet’s statement not to stand like the non-Arabs."
Reference: (Hujjatullah al-Balighah: 306/2)
◈ Allama Shams al-Haq Azimabadi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 1329 AH), wrote:
قد أورد المؤلف فى هذا الباب حديثين دالين على جواز القيام، ثم ترجم بعد عدة أبواب بلفظ: باب الرجل يقوم للرجل يعظمه بذلك، وأورد فيه حديثين يدلان على النهي عن القيام، فكأنه أراد بصنيعه هذا الجمع بين الأحاديث المختلفة فى جواز القيام وعدمه، بأن القيام إذا كان للتعظيم مثل صنيع الأعاجم؛ فهو منهي عنه، وإذا كان لأجل العلم، والفضل، والصلاح، والشرف، والود، والمحبة، فهو جائز .
"The author Imam Abu Dawood, may Allah have mercy on him, brought two hadiths under this chapter that indicate the permissibility of standing, then after several chapters, he established a chapter titled 'The Statement on Standing for the Respect of a Person' and narrated two hadiths proving the prohibition of such standing. It seems that the Imam wanted to reconcile the different hadiths regarding the permissibility and impermissibility of standing by stating that standing out of respect, as done by non-Arabs, is prohibited, but standing due to knowledge, virtue, goodness, nobility, affection, and love is permissible."
Reference: (‘Un al-Ma’bud: 84/14)
◈ Allama Ghazali, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 505 AH), said:
القيام مكروه على سبيل الإعظام، لا على سبيل الإكرام .
"Standing with the intention of respect is disliked, not standing as a form of honor and esteem."
Reference: (Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din: 205/2)
◈ Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 676 AH), said:
أما إكرام الداخل بالقيام، فالذي نختاره أنه مستحب لمن كان فيه فضيلة ظاهرة من علم أو صلاح أو شرف أو ولاية مصحوبة بصيانة، أوله ولادة أو رحم مع سن ونحو ذلك، ويكون هذا القيام للبر والإكرام والاحترام، لا للرياء والإعظام، وعلى هذا الذى اخترناه استمر عمل السلف والخلف .
"Our chosen path regarding standing out of respect is that it should apparently be due to virtue and excellence, such as knowledge and understanding, righteousness and piety, honor and nobility, abstinence and sanctity, age and seniority, kinship and relationship, etc. It is recommended to stand for such reasons, provided that the standing is due to connection and respect, not for show or as a form of respect. According to this chosen path, the actions of the predecessors and successors have been."
Reference: (Al-Adhkar, p. 268)
◈ Allama Ibn al-Hajj, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 737 AH), said under this hadith:
لو كان القيام المأمور به لسعد هو المتنازع فيه، لما خص به الأنصار، فإن الأصل فى أفعال القرب التعميم، ولو كان القيام لسعد على سبيل البر والإكرام، لكان هو صلى الله عليه وسلم أول من فعله، وأمر به من حضر من أكابر الصحابة، فلما لم يأمر به، ولا فعله، ولا فعلوه؛ دل ذلك على أن الأمر بالقيام لغير ما وقع فيه النزاع، وإنما هو لينزلوه عن دابته لما كان فيه من المرض، كما جاء فى بعض الروايات، ولأن عادة العرب أن القبيلة تخدم كبيرها ، فلذلك خص الأنصار بذلك دون المهاجرين أن المراد بعض الأنصار لا كلهم، وهم الأوس منهم، لأن سعد بن معاذ كان سيدهم دون الخزرج، وعلى تقدير تسليم أن القيام المأمور به حينئذ لم يكن للإعانة؛ فليس هو المتنازع فيه، بل لأنه غائب قدم، والقيام للغائب إذا قدم؛ مشروع .
"If the command to stand for Sayyiduna Sa’d, may Allah be pleased with him, was for the disputed (respectful) standing, then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not have specifically ordered the Ansar because in good deeds, generality is the principle (i.e., they are common to all). If standing for Sayyiduna Sa’d was for honor and goodness, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would have done it himself first and ordered the senior Companions present to do so. Since he did not order the senior Companions nor did he do it himself, nor did the Companions stand, it is clear that this command was not for the disputed purpose (not respectful). This command was only to help Sayyiduna Sa’d dismount because he was ill at that time, as mentioned in some narrations. Also, it was the custom of the Arabs that the entire tribe served their elder. This is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave this command only to the Ansar, not the Muhajirin. Moreover, it was not all the Ansar but some of them, i.e., the tribe of Aws, because Sayyiduna Sa’d was their leader, not of Khazraj. Even if it is accepted that the command to stand was not to help Sayyiduna Sa’d dismount, it still cannot be the disputed (respectful) standing because it was due to the arrival of an absent person, and standing for an arriving person is permissible in Shariah."
Reference: (Fath al-Bari: 51/11)
If someone interprets this standing as out of honor, it is also legitimate in our view.
◈ Imam Hammad ibn Zayd, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 179 AH), said:
كنا عند أيوب، فجاء يونس، فقال حماد : قوموا لسيدكم، أو قال : لسيدنا .
"We were with Ayub al-Sakhtiyani, may Allah have mercy on him. Imam Yunus, may Allah have mercy on him, came, and Hammad said: Stand up for your or our leader."
Reference: (Al-Jami’ li Akhlaq al-Rawi by Al-Khatib: 302 and its chain is Hasan)
◈ Sayyiduna Ka’b ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
قام إلى طلحة بن عبيد الله يهرول حتى صافحني وهنأني، والله، ما قام إلى رجل من المهاجرين غيره .
"Sayyiduna Talhah ibn Ubaydullah, may Allah be pleased with him, ran towards me standing, shook hands with me, and congratulated me. By Allah! No one else among the Muhajirin stood for me."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 636/2, Hadith: 4418, Sahih Muslim: 362/2, Hadith: 2769)
This standing was for the purpose of reception, which is permissible and allowed.
