This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book The Shariah Status of Blessings.
Kissing someone's feet with the intention of respect is impermissible and unlawful. Some narrations mention that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to kiss the feet of the Prophet ﷺ, but these narrations are not authentic. There is no evidence of this practice even in the three best eras of the Companions, the great Followers, and the Followers of the Followers.
Narration Number ①
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Safwan bin Assal Muradi, may Allah be pleased with him, that two Jews asked the Prophet ﷺ about nine clear verses, and the Prophet ﷺ answered them, then:
[فقبلا يديه ورجليه]
They kissed the hands and feet of the Prophet ﷺ.
Reference: Musnad Imam Ahmad:18092, Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 2733, Al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Nasa'i: 3527, Sunan Ibn Majah: 3705, briefly
The hadith is weak.
◈ Abdullah bin Salamah's memory deteriorated in his old age. His student Amr bin Murrah, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[كان عبد الله بن سلمة قد كبر، وكان يحدثنا، فنعرف وننكر]
Abdullah bin Salamah had become old. When he narrated hadith to us, we received from him some authentic and some weak hadiths.
Reference: Musnad Ali bin Al-Ja'd: 66, Al-‘Ilal by Imam Ahmad narrated by Abdullah: 1824, Al-Jami' li Akhlaq al-Rawi wa Adab al-Sami' by Al-Khatib: 1920, and the wording is his
◈ Imam Abu Hatim Al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[تعرف وتنكر] He narrated both authentic and weak reports.
Reference: Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 74/5
◈ Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[لا يتابع في حديثه] (From the trustworthy narrators) his narrations were not followed.
Reference: Al-Tarikh al-Kabir: 99/5
◈ Imam Nasai, may Allah have mercy on him, called this hadith "weak."
Reference: Al-Sunan al-Kubra: 3527
◈ Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
There is a problem with this hadith. Abdullah bin Salamah had some memory impairment, and the muhaddithin have criticized him. It is possible that he confused the nine verses and ten words, because the ten words are in the form of a covenant in the Torah, and they have no relation to being an argument against Pharaoh.
Reference: Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 124/5
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[صدوق، تغير حفظه] He was truthful, but his memory had deteriorated.
Reference: Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 3364
◈ Imam Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
I heard Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ya'qub Al-Hafiz, when Muhammad bin Ubaidullah was asking him why Imam Bukhari and Muslim, may Allah have mercy on them, completely abandoned the hadith narrated by Sayyiduna Safwan bin Assal, may Allah be pleased with him? He replied: Because its chain was weak.
Reference: (Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn: 15/1)
Imam Hakim's explanation about this is not correct.
It is understood that the hadith of Abdullah bin Salamah which the muhaddithin consider weak will be weak, and the rest will be good.
Narration Number ②
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zari' bin Aamir رضي الله عنه, who was part of the delegation of Abd Qais:
[لما قدمنا المدينة، فجعلنا نتبادر من رواحلنا، فنقبل يد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ورجله]
When we reached Madinah Munawwarah, we quickly dismounted from our camels and began kissing the hands and feet of the Noble Prophet ﷺ.
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawood: 5225, Al-Qibla wal-Mu'anaqa wal-Musafaha by Ibn al-A'rabi: 41, Al-Adab al-Mufrad by Bukhari: 975
The chain of narration is weak.
No muhaddith has authenticated Umm Aban bint Waz'i.
◈ Hafiz Dhahabi رحمه الله has classified Umm Aban among the "unknown" narrators.
Reference: Mizan al-I'tidal: 611/4
Narration Number ③
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a villager said to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: O Messenger of Allah! I am a Muslim. Show me something that will increase my faith. He asked: What do you want? He said: Call this tree, so that it comes to you. The Prophet ﷺ called the tree, it came to him and greeted him with salam. He told it to return to its place, so it went back. Then the villager said:
[ائذن لي أن أقبل رأسك ورجليك]
Allow me to kiss your head and feet. The Prophet ﷺ permitted him, so he did so.
Reference: Musnad al-Darimi: 1472, al-Qibla by Ibn al-A'rabi: 42, Taqbil al-Yad by Ibn al-Muqri: 5, al-Mustadrak by al-Hakim: 172/4, Dala'il al-Nubuwwah by Abu Nu'aym al-Asbahani: 291
The chain of narration is weak.
Saleh bin Hayyan Quraishi is weak.
◈ Imam Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him, called this hadith "Sahih al-Isnad," but Hafiz Zahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
[بل واه، وفي إسناده صالح بن حيان متروك]
Rather, this narration is weak; Saleh bin Hayyan is abandoned in its chain.
◈ Imam Yahya bin Ma'in, may Allah have mercy on him, said "weak."
Reference: Tarikh Ibn Ma'in bi Riwayat al-Darami, p. 134, no. 434
◈ Imam Nasai, may Allah have mercy on him, said "not trustworthy."
Reference: Al-Du'afa wal-Matrukoon: 295
◈ Imam Ibn 'Adi, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[عامة ما يرويه غير محفوظ]
Most of the narrations he reports are not reliable.
Reference: Al-Kamil fi Du'afa al-Rijal: 55/4
◈ Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, said "there is doubt in him."
Reference: Al-Tarikh al-Kabir: 275/4
◈ Imam Darqutni, may Allah have mercy on him, said "not strong."
Reference: Al-Du'afa wal-Matrukoon: 289
◈ Imam Abu Hatim, may Allah have mercy on him, also said the same.
Reference: Al-Jarh wal-Ta'dil li Ibn Abi Hatim: 398/4
◈ Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[يروي عن الثقات أشياء لا تشبه حديث الأثبات، لا يعجبني الاحتجاج به إذا انفرد]
He transmits narrations attributed to trustworthy narrators that do not conform with the hadiths of trustworthy narrators. I do not like to use this hadith for argumentation when it is unique in its wording.
Reference: Kitab al-Majruhin: 369/1
◈ Imam Harbi, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[له أحاديث منكرة] He has narrated rejected hadiths.
Reference: Tahdhib al-Tahdhib li Ibn Hajar: 387/4
◈ Imam 'Ajli, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[جائز الحديث، يكتب الحديث، وليس بالقوي، وهو في إعداد الشيوخ]
It is a permissible hadith; its narration will be recorded, but it is not strong. He is counted among the sheikhs.
Reference: (Tarikh al-'Ajli: 225)
◈ Hafiz Haithami, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
[هو ضعيف، ولم يوثقه أحد] He is weak; no one has authenticated him.
Reference: Majma' al-Zawa'id: 105/1
Narration Number ④
In the incident of Sayyiduna Amir bin Tufail رضي الله عنه accepting Islam, it is stated:
[أتى، فقبل قدميه]
He came and kissed both feet of the Prophet ﷺ.
Reference: Ar-Rukhsa fi Taqbeel al-Yad by Ibn al-Muqri: 14, Al-Mu'jam by Abu Ya'la: 89
The chain is very weak.
① The biography of Umm Haitham bint Abdur Rahman bin Fudala Sa'diyyah could not be found.
②,③ Authentication of Abu Abdur Rahman bin Fudala and Abu Fudala bin Abdullah, etc., is required.
Narration Number ⑤
It is narrated from Abu Burha Yasar Mawla Abdullah bin Saib Makhzumi:
[دخلت مع مولاي عبد الله بن السائب علىٰ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقمت إلىٰ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقبلت رأسه ويده ورجله]
I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with my master Abdullah bin Saib. I went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and kissed his head, hands, and feet.
Reference: Al-Rukhsa fi Taqbil al-Yad by Ibn al-Muqri: 24
The chain is very weak.
① Abu al-Hasan Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Asim is weak.
◈ Imam Abu Hatim, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[ضعيف الحديث، ولست أحدث عنه]
His hadith is weak. I do not take narration from him.
Reference: Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 71/2
◈ Imam Aqili, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[منكر الحديث، يوصل الأحاديث]
He is a denier of hadith. He used to connect disconnected hadiths.
Reference: Al-Du'afa al-Kabir: 71/2
◈ Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote about one of his hadiths:
[ما هٰذا الحديث ببعيد من الوضع]
It is not unlikely that this hadith is fabricated.
Reference: Tarikh al-Islam: 1096/5
① The status of Ahmad’s father Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Qasim is not found.
② The authentication of Ahmad’s grandfather Abdullah bin Qasim is not found.
Narration Number ⑥
The commentator Imam Ismail bin Abdul Rahman bin Abi Kareema Suddi, may Allah have mercy on him (127 AH), narrates in the exegesis of Surah Al-Ma'idah
Reference: (111)
:A person asked the Prophet ﷺ: Who is my father? He replied: So-and-so. Upon this, Umar bin Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, approached the Prophet ﷺ and kissed his feet.
Reference: Tafsir al-Tabari: 17/9
Suddi, may Allah have mercy on him, is a Tabi'i and is narrating directly from the Noble Prophet ﷺ, therefore this narration is Mursal, which is a type of weak hadith.
Narration Number ⑦
It is narrated from Suhaib, the freed slave of Abbas:
[رأيت عليا يقبل يد العباس ورجليه، ويقول: يا عم! ارض عني]
I saw Sayyidina Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, kissing the hands and feet of Sayyidina Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, saying: Uncle! Be pleased with me.
Reference: Al-Adab al-Mufrad by Bukhari: 976, Al-Rukhsa fi Taqbil al-Yad by Ibn al-Muqri: 15, Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir: 372/26
The chain of narration is weak.
Suhaib is mentioned only by Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, in
Reference: "Al-Thiqat: 4/381"
, therefore he is "Majhul al-Haal" (unknown status).Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
[صهيب لا أعرفه] I do not know Suhaib.
Reference: Siyar A'lam al-Nubala: 94/2
Narration Number ⑧
It is about Imam Muslim bin Hajjaj, may Allah have mercy on him:
[جاء إلىٰ محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، فقبل بين عينيه، وقال: دعني حتىٰ أقبل رجليك يا أستاذ الأستاذين، وسيد المحدثين، وطبيب الحديث في علله]
He, may Allah have mercy on him, came to Imam Muhammad bin Ismail Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, kissed his forehead and said: Allow me to kiss your feet, O teacher of teachers, O leader of the muhaddithin, and O expert in the defects of hadith!
Reference: Ma'rifat 'Uloom al-Hadith by Al-Hakim: p. 113, Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 121/15, Tarikh Ibn Asakir: 52/68, Al-Taqyeed li Ma'rifat Ruwat al-Sunan wal Masanid by Ibn Nuqta: 331, and its chain is Hasan
Imam Muslim, may Allah have mercy on him, said this merely out of extreme emotion, and nowhere does it say that Imam Muslim, may Allah have mercy on him, kissed Imam Bukhari’s feet; rather, he kissed his forehead.
Kissing the feet out of respect is an unproven act; this practice is not found among the Companions, the Tabi‘in, or the best generations of Muslims.
After examining the narrations related to kissing the feet according to the principles of the muhaddithin, it was found that nothing is proven from the Prophet ﷺ or the Companions. No authentic evidence with a sound chain was found from the Salaf either. Therefore, kissing the feet of saints and pious people is not permissible.
Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi Barelvi Sahib (1971) writes:
It is recommended to kiss the hands and feet of the Awliya Allah and to kiss their relics such as hair and clothing after them, and to show them respect. This is established from the Ahadith and the practice of the Companions, but some people deny this.
Reference: Jaa al-Haqq: 368/1
Kissing the hands of the Awliya Allah is permissible, but it should not be made an act of worship. As for kissing the feet, it is not proven, let alone recommended! Regarding relics, they are specific to the Holy Prophet ﷺ. After you ﷺ, none of the Companions or the Tabi‘in made the belongings left by the Rightly Guided Caliphs or the senior Companions رضي الله عنهم a means of seeking blessings.
Mufti Naeemi Barelvi Sahib further writes:
From the statements of these hadiths, muhaddithin, and scholars, it is established that kissing the hands and feet of the elders, their clothes, sandals, hair—in short, all the blessed items—as well as the Kaaba al-Muazzama, the Holy Quran, and the pages of the books of hadith is permissible and a cause of blessing. Rather, showing respect to the hair, clothes, and all blessed items of the elders of the religion is recommended.
Reference: Jaa al-Haqq: 399/1
If it is not permissible to seek blessings from the relics of any wali or pious person other than the blessed relics of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, then how is kissing them permissible? There is no Shariah evidence for kissing the Kaaba al-Muazzama, the Holy Quran, or the pages of the books of hadith; this is an illegitimate act. If it were a good deed, then how could the companions and the followers, the predecessors of the Ummah, have remained unaware of it?
When Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه kissed the Black Stone, he said:
[لولا أني رأيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يقبلك، ما قبلتك]
If I had not seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ kissing you, I would never have kissed you.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1597, Sahih Muslim: 1270)
It is understood that kissing something which is not established by Shariah is impermissible and illegitimate.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله (852 AH) says:
[قال شيخنا في شرح الترمذي: فيه كراهية تقبيل ما لم يره الشرع بتقبيله]
Our Sheikh (Hafiz Iraqi, may Allah have mercy on him) states in the commentary of Jami' Tirmidhi: From this hadith, it is established that kissing something which the Shariah has not prescribed to be kissed is disliked.
Reference: (Fath al-Bari: 463/3)
Kissing of blessings (tabarrukat) is permissible. The Holy Quran says: [وَّادۡخُلُوا الۡبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَّ قُوۡلُوۡا حِطَّۃٌ] meaning O Children of Israel! Enter the sacred gate prostrating and say: Our sins are forgiven. From this verse, it is understood that Al-Quds (Jerusalem), which is the resting place of the noble Prophets, is honored in such a way that the Children of Israel were commanded to enter it while prostrating. It is also known that repentance is quickly accepted at blessed places.
Reference: Ja'a al-Haqq by Naeemi: 368/1
The assumption that the place where prostration was commanded is the graves of the Prophets is completely baseless. Allah's command was that you enter this city prostrating. No Muslim exegete has mentioned the matter of the graves of the saints. The exegetes have classified this prostration as a prostration of gratitude.
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him (774 AH), states:
[أي شكرا لله تعالى على ما أنعم به عليهم من الفتح والنصر، ورد بلدهم إليهم، وإنقاذهم من التيه والضلال]
Prostration was commanded to express gratitude to Allah Almighty because He granted them victory and help, returned their land to them, and saved them from humiliation and misguidance.
Reference: (Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 247/1, Al-Mahdi Edition)
Scholars have considered kissing and touching the Prophet’s ﷺ grave as disliked and an innovation.
Kissing the ground in front of scholars and great personalities is forbidden and a major sin.
It is written in the authentic books of the Hanafi school:
[كذا ما يفعلونه من تقبيل الأرض بين يدي العلماء والعظماء فحرام، والفاعل والراضي به آثمان، لأنه يشبه عبادة الوثن، وهل يكفران؟ على وجه العبادة والتعظيم كفر، وإن على وجه التحية لا، وصار آثما مرتكبا للكبيرة]
Similarly, performing the act of kissing the ground in front of scholars and great personalities is also forbidden. Both the one who does it and the one who consents to it are sinners; this resembles idolatry. Will the one who does this be called a disbeliever? [There is detail on this]. If he does it out of worship and reverence, then this act is disbelief, and if it is done as a gift, then it is not forbidden, but the one who does it will be sinful, indeed committing a major sin.
Reference: Radd al-Muhtar by Ibn Abidin: 383/6, Tabyin al-Haqa’iq by al-Zaili: 25/6, Majma’ al-Anhar by Shaykh Zadah: 542/2, al-Binaya by al-Ayni: 198/12
It is written in a book:
[تقبيل الأرض بين يدي العلماء والزهاد فعل الجهال، والفاعل والراضي آثمان]
Kissing the ground before scholars and ascetics is an act of the ignorant, and both the one who does it and the one who consents to it are sinful.
Reference: (Fatawa Alamgiri: 369/5)
Allama Aini Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him (855 AH), says:
[لأنه يشبه عبادة الوثن]
Because it resembles the worship of idols.
Reference: (Al-Binaya fi Sharh al-Hidaya: 198/12)
There is no authentic narration about kissing the feet of the Holy Prophet ﷺ. During the time of the Companions, the great Followers (Tabi‘in), and the Followers of the Followers (Taba‘ al-Tabi‘in), the practice of kissing feet did not exist. Thus, kissing the feet and kissing the ground are impermissible acts and deeds.
