✍ Excerpt from: Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbānī – "Aḥkām wa Masā’il Kitāb wa Sunnat kī Roshnī Main"
In school morning assemblies, students are required to stand still and silent during the national anthem — without any movement, speech, or gestures — as a sign of respect.
Similarly, students are also instructed to stand in respect when a teacher, professor, or lecturer enters the classroom.
What is the Sharʿī ruling regarding these acts?
Ṣalāh (prayer) and standing (qiyām) in prayer are acts of worship legislated in Islām, and they are exclusively for Allah alone. It is not permissible to stand up in honor or reverence of any human being — man or woman — nor for any national anthem or flag in the manner described.
﴿حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىٰ وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ﴾
"Guard strictly the prayers, especially the middle prayer, and stand before Allah with devotion."
[al-Baqarah: 238]
This shows that standing in prayer must be exclusively for Allah. Standing for anyone or anything besides Allah is impermissible.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever loves that people should stand for him like idols, let him take his seat in the Fire."
[Sunan Abū Dāwūd: 5229, Musnad Aḥmad: 4/91, Ḥadīth 19400 – Chapter: Standing for someone out of veneration]
Abū Majliz رحمه الله narrates:
When Amīr Muʿāwiyah رضي الله عنه entered a house where Ibn ʿĀmir and Ibn al-Zubayr were present, Ibn ʿĀmir stood up while Ibn al-Zubayr remained seated. Muʿāwiyah رضي الله عنه said:
“Sit down! For I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
‘Whoever is pleased that people should stand for him, let him take his place in the Hellfire.’”
[Musnad Aḥmad: 5/393 – Ḥadīths 17042 & 1697, Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 12/295]
Imām al-Baghawī رحمه الله graded its chain as ḥasan.
In another narration:
"Whoever likes that the children of Ādam should stand in his honor, the Fire becomes obligatory upon him."
[Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā: 19/362, Mushkil al-Āthār of al-Ṭaḥāwī: 2/138]
Despite their intense love for the Prophet ﷺ, the Sahābah never stood up for him out of respect, because they knew he disliked it.
Anas رضي الله عنه said:
“There was no one more beloved to them than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, yet when they saw him, they would not stand for him because they knew he disliked it.”
[Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 2763, Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 12/294]
This ḥadīth has been authenticated by Imām al-Tirmidhī and Imām al-Baghawī.
If standing for the Prophet ﷺ was not permitted — despite his exalted status — then how can it be justified for any other individual?
It is therefore not permissible to stand for:
Such standing, when done as a gesture of reverence, is prohibited in Islām.
Some people misuse the ḥadīth where the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Qūmū ilā Sayyidikum" – "Stand towards your leader."
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4121 – Bāb: Return from the Battle of the Confederates]
They argue that this legitimizes honorific standing, but this is a misinterpretation. Here's why:
① The Prophet ﷺ said “ilā Sayyidikum” (to your leader), not “liSayyidikum” (for your leader).
These two phrases are significantly different in Arabic meaning.
② The context of this ḥadīth is clarified in authentic sources:
“Go to your chief and help him dismount.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4121, Musnad Aḥmad: 6/142 – Ḥadīth 25610]
This was not standing in reverence, but to assist him, as he was wounded and riding a donkey.
[Fath al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar: 7/412]
Imām Ibn Ḥajar’s silence on its authenticity indicates acceptance, as does the opinion of Mawlānā Ẓafar Aḥmad Thānawī Deobandi in Qawāʿid ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth.
❖ Qiyām (standing) is an act of worship reserved for Allah.
❖ It is not permissible to stand in reverence for any human being, song, or symbol.
❖ Imitating such rituals, often rooted in nationalism or man-made customs, contradicts the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ.
❖ The Prophet ﷺ never allowed honorific standing — even for himself — so how can anyone else deserve it?
May Allah guide us to the Sunnah and protect us from imitating non-Islamic customs.
وَمَا عَلَيْنَا إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ
❖ Question:
In school morning assemblies, students are required to stand still and silent during the national anthem — without any movement, speech, or gestures — as a sign of respect.
Similarly, students are also instructed to stand in respect when a teacher, professor, or lecturer enters the classroom.
What is the Sharʿī ruling regarding these acts?
✔ Answer:
Ṣalāh (prayer) and standing (qiyām) in prayer are acts of worship legislated in Islām, and they are exclusively for Allah alone. It is not permissible to stand up in honor or reverence of any human being — man or woman — nor for any national anthem or flag in the manner described.
Qur’ānic Evidence:
﴿حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىٰ وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ﴾
"Guard strictly the prayers, especially the middle prayer, and stand before Allah with devotion."
[al-Baqarah: 238]This shows that standing in prayer must be exclusively for Allah. Standing for anyone or anything besides Allah is impermissible.
Severe Warning for Those Who Love Being Honored by Others Standing for Them
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever loves that people should stand for him like idols, let him take his seat in the Fire."
[Sunan Abū Dāwūd: 5229, Musnad Aḥmad: 4/91, Ḥadīth 19400 – Chapter: Standing for someone out of veneration]
Practice of the Companions:
Abū Majliz رحمه الله narrates:
When Amīr Muʿāwiyah رضي الله عنه entered a house where Ibn ʿĀmir and Ibn al-Zubayr were present, Ibn ʿĀmir stood up while Ibn al-Zubayr remained seated. Muʿāwiyah رضي الله عنه said:
“Sit down! For I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
‘Whoever is pleased that people should stand for him, let him take his place in the Hellfire.’”
[Musnad Aḥmad: 5/393 – Ḥadīths 17042 & 1697, Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 12/295]Imām al-Baghawī رحمه الله graded its chain as ḥasan.
In another narration:
"Whoever likes that the children of Ādam should stand in his honor, the Fire becomes obligatory upon him."
[Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā: 19/362, Mushkil al-Āthār of al-Ṭaḥāwī: 2/138]
Even the Companions Did Not Stand for the Prophet ﷺ
Despite their intense love for the Prophet ﷺ, the Sahābah never stood up for him out of respect, because they knew he disliked it.
Anas رضي الله عنه said:
“There was no one more beloved to them than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, yet when they saw him, they would not stand for him because they knew he disliked it.”
[Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 2763, Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 12/294]This ḥadīth has been authenticated by Imām al-Tirmidhī and Imām al-Baghawī.
If standing for the Prophet ﷺ was not permitted — despite his exalted status — then how can it be justified for any other individual?
Standing for Teachers, Officials, or National Anthems
It is therefore not permissible to stand for:
- School teachers or professors
- Judges or lawyers
- Military personnel: generals, colonels, brigadiers
- Political leaders or celebrities
- National anthems or songs
Such standing, when done as a gesture of reverence, is prohibited in Islām.
Misuse of the Ḥadīth: “Stand for Your Leader”
Some people misuse the ḥadīth where the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Qūmū ilā Sayyidikum" – "Stand towards your leader."
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4121 – Bāb: Return from the Battle of the Confederates]They argue that this legitimizes honorific standing, but this is a misinterpretation. Here's why:
① The Prophet ﷺ said “ilā Sayyidikum” (to your leader), not “liSayyidikum” (for your leader).
These two phrases are significantly different in Arabic meaning.
② The context of this ḥadīth is clarified in authentic sources:
- Saʿd bin Muʿādh رضي الله عنه had been severely wounded in the Battle of the Trench.
- The Prophet ﷺ had him placed in a tent inside the mosque to tend to his injuries.
- When Banu Qurayẓah agreed to accept Saʿd’s verdict, the Prophet ﷺ said to the Anṣār:
“Go to your chief and help him dismount.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4121, Musnad Aḥmad: 6/142 – Ḥadīth 25610]This was not standing in reverence, but to assist him, as he was wounded and riding a donkey.
[Fath al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar: 7/412]Imām Ibn Ḥajar’s silence on its authenticity indicates acceptance, as does the opinion of Mawlānā Ẓafar Aḥmad Thānawī Deobandi in Qawāʿid ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth.
Conclusion
❖ Qiyām (standing) is an act of worship reserved for Allah.
❖ It is not permissible to stand in reverence for any human being, song, or symbol.
❖ Imitating such rituals, often rooted in nationalism or man-made customs, contradicts the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ.
❖ The Prophet ﷺ never allowed honorific standing — even for himself — so how can anyone else deserve it?
May Allah guide us to the Sunnah and protect us from imitating non-Islamic customs.
وَمَا عَلَيْنَا إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ
