BOWING, BENDING OR KNEELING TO GREET

By 

Ibn Abdillaah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori

One of my Ustadhs sent me a video of one popular "Alfa" in Ilorin who was attacking the People of Sunnah for not kneeling down to greet people. He said: if you don't greet other people by kneeling down for them, at least you should be able to kneel down for your parents. He went to the extent of making a clearly derogatory statement against the Sunnah of keeping the beards. It was one of the most disheartening videos of people of bid'ah that I have seen in recent time. We see that those who ought to be calling people to guidance are the main antagonists of the Sunnah in our society. I knew my Sheikh wanted me to write about it and this was my response to the video:

This is a clear statement of kufr. He is antagonizing the Sunnah and its people. But his case is not a surprise. He is one of the main promoters of bid'ah in our society. May Allāh save us from ignorant and arrogance upon ignorance.

Firstly, it is not permissible to bow to other than Allāh by way of respect or honour. Even our parents do not deserve to be honoured with any part of our body that we use in honouring Allāh. The Sunnah of greeting in Islaam is comprehensive and it doesn't contain bowing or kneeling down to people. In a Hadith, reported by Mu'adh Ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said if he would permit someone to bow for another person, he would have commanded a wife to bow for his husband. This and several other hadiths that explains the matter of greeting in Islām clearly show that bowing, kneeling or bending as a mark of honour for anything is harām in Islām. Although some scholars say it is makruh (detested). But what is very clear is if a matter falls under harām or makruh, it doesn't mean it is permissible. We are still meant to move away from it. In fact some scholars said it is shirk to bow to people. Sheikh In Taymiyyah رحمه الله said it shirk to even bow to people with the head, not to talk of postrating or kneeling down. So, the best thing is to abstain. In a very clear verse of the Qur'an, Allāh says:

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ۚ لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ)

And of His signs are the night and day and the sun and moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon, but prostate to Allah, who created them, if it should be Him that you worship. [Surat Fussilat 37]

Scholars have explained that word "sujūd" (prostration) in Arabic language is beyond just touching the ground with the head. It starts from the bowing of the head. So, it is not permissible to bow for anything (living or non living things). 

The example of 'Umar رضي الله عنه he brought is not applicable. People of bid'ah are well known with their attitude of trying to create confusion by citing examples that are irrelevant. In that case, 'Umar was not even greeting the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. It is not bad to bend down to discuss or to talk to someone who is sitting. That is not greeting. That is to make it convenient to interact with the person sitting just as we bow to pick something that falls on the floor or bow to enter a house. 

What is well known among the Salaf is to greet one another standing firm and shaking one another. The case of our parents is not an exception as wrongly interpreted in this short video. Islām is not based on emotion. Islām is based on knowledge (Qur'ān and Sunnah as understood by the righteous predecessors). It is dangerous to be speaking without knowledge. Compound ignorance is when someone thinks he knows what he doesn't know. It is even clear in his words that he is only being emotional. His emotion, desire and level of ignorance dragged him to mock a well known Sunnah (keeping of beards) that he doesn't even practise due to his ignorant belief that it is not wājib to keep the beards. Many people are not ready to upgrade their knowledge and this is a great fit ah for this ummah. What this man did is not different from what the Principal in Lagos has been doing. May Allāh rectify their affairs.

It is clear from his words that he hates the Sunnah of keeping the beards despite several hadiths sanctioning its obligation for men in the Deen. Even if he loves some Sunnah, the fact that he hates this Sunnah is a serious issue because all Sunnah must be loved. We can't chose to love some Sunnah and dislike some Sunnah. To be a real Muslims, we must accept, love and be please with everything that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم came with without any exception. 

It is important to note that hatred or condemnation of any aspect of the Sunnah is kufr that can take someone out of Islām if care is not taken. It is one of the Nawāqidul Islām (things that can nullify the faith of a Muslim). So, what this man did is dangerous and he should be made to know the implication of his words. There is no divergent opinion among scholars of the best generations on the concept of keeping the beards for men. Our salaf used not to allow those who deliberately shave their beards to stand as witnesses in the Court of law because they are regarded as fasiqun (wrongdoers). Not keeping the beards is a sinful act. But if the person who doesn't keep it believes that it is not a Sunnah or that it is not wājib, his case is beyond a mere sin. It would lead to kufr. Even if a person keeps the beards and he doesn't believe it is from the most cherished Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, it is a serious case of kufr. 

The likes of this man are many in our society, waging war against the Sunnah. They have seen the rate at which Sunnah is growing in Ilorin and many other parts of the world and they are angry. It is saddening that those who wage war against the Sunnah and its people are the ones some Muslims depend on in their religious activities. This is dangerous. This is how our people keep celebrating ignorance. 

It is important to also add that the duo of Sheikh Muhammad Kamaluddeen Al-Adabiy and Sheikh Adam Abdullahi Al-Aloori رحمهم الله condemned the act of bowing to people as a mark of respect. There is a video where Sheikh Kamal said anyone who bows for other than Allāh and the person to whom he is bowing would be questioned by Allāh on the Day of Judgment. Sheikh Adam also wrote some poems to demystify the wrongful impression of predicating mannerism and good character on  the act of bowing to people. Even if these two past scholars didn't say what they said on the act of bowing or kneeling to greet people as a mark of respect, it doesn't remove the fact that it is not permissible in Islām. 

We follow the Qur'ān and Sunnah and not scholars. The fact they condemn it and they used to do it is not an excuse that we should be doing it. Allāh will question them on their own deeds and He would question us too on our deeds too. We need to fear Allāh and allow the Sunnah to regulate our affairs if we want to be successful in this world and the hereafter.  Those who oppose the Sunnah would face humiliation, not only in this world, but the Day of Judgment. We should not place our culture above Islamic ethics. Islām is a universal religion. No matter the race we belong to, the law that govern us as Muslim is uniform. So, the Qur'anic verse or Hadith that binds an Arab binds the non-Arabs too. Allāh said:

(فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَنْ تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ)

Let those who go against the order (of the Messenger) beware lest a trial or severe punishment afflict them [Surat An-Noor 63]