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It is Discouraged to Kiss when Greeting one another
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 17-10-2022

It is Discouraged to Kiss when Greeting one another

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

People have been asking about the ruling of Sharia on men kissing men and women kissing women when meeting and greeting. This question is posed due to what is being said about transmission of infection as a result. In short, this issue boils down to the following:

This act of kissing-regardless of infection-is discourged by Sharia except in exceptional cases. A man asked: "O Messenger of Allah! When a man meets a brother or a friend, should he bow to him?" He said: "No." The man asked whether he should embrace and kiss him? The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) replied: "No." He asked whether he should hold his hand and shake it? The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) replied: "Yes." [At-Tirmidhi]. This is what the companions (May Allah be pleased with them) used to do. Anas reported: "If the companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, met each other, they would shake hands. If they had returned from a journey, they would embrace each other." {At-Tabarani}. This narration shows an exceptional case in which kissing is allowed. However, Sharia discourages Muslims to kiss every time they meet.

Nonetheless, if this kissing entails the possibility of infection, then it isn`t allowed by Sharia since the Prophet (PBUH) forbade letting sick camels graze or drink with healthy ones. If this is the case with animals, then people are more entitled to observe such precautionary measure.

Accordingly, we advise all citizens to suffice with shaking hands when visiting during Eid time, and this is the customary practice of many advanced Muslim countries. As people say, what counts is the feeling that people have in their hearts towards one another since kissing someone while hating them or being afraid of catching infection doesn`t befit human beings. Let`s make this happy occasion an opportunity to get rid of this bad habit of kissing except in exceptional cases, such as kissing someone who came after a long journey. The Messenger of Allah kissed Jafar Bin Abi Talib between his eyes when he came from Abyssinia after having migrated to it for many years. However, even in such cases, if a person is coming from a country with a pandemic, then this kissing should be avoided.

Finally, it is good to remind that low morals are more infectious than diseases, so beware of them, and we wish you a happy Eid.

 

General Iftaa` Department.

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

If a woman becomes pure from menstruation before the Fajr Adhan in Ramadan, is she required to fast?

If a woman becomes pure (from menstrual period) before the Fajr Adhan, she must fast, as the impediment preventing her from fasting has been removed. The Sharia maxim in this regard states: "When the impediment is removed, the obligation returns."
She should then make the intention to fast before Fajr and perform ghusl (ritual purification) for prayer, whether before or after Fajr.

What is the ruling on making up missed prayers during prohibited times?

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible to make up (qada’) missed prayers at any time, even during the periods when prayer is generally prohibited. The prayers that are forbidden and considered invalid during these times are 'absolute voluntary prayers' (nafl mutlaq)—which have no specific cause—and voluntary prayers whose cause follows the prayer itself, such as the Sunnah of entering Ihram or the Sunnah of the Istikharah prayer. Furthermore, no prayer is considered disliked (makruh) during these prohibited times when performed within the Meccan Sanctuary (Makkah al-Mukarramah).
 
It is stated in Bushra al-Karim (Vol.1/P.181), one of the Shafi’i texts: 'It is not forbidden to perform prayers that have a cause that is not delayed (i.e., the cause is preceding), such as making up a missed prayer (fa’itah)—even if it was a voluntary one—and the funeral prayer (janazah); or a cause that is simultaneous, such as the prayer for rain (istisqa’) or the eclipse prayer (kusuf)... and the Sunnah of wudu, the greeting of the mosque (tahiyyat al-masjid), the Sunnah of circumambulation (tawaf), the Sunnah of arrival, and the prostrations of recitation (tilawah) or thankfulness (shukr). These mentioned prayers and their like are not forbidden provided that one does not specifically intend (ta'ammud) to perform them during the disliked time because it is a disliked time. If one does so intentionally, it becomes forbidden, even if it is a mandatory makeup prayer that is due immediately; because in that case, one is acting in defiance of the Sharia. This is in contrast to when one does not specifically seek out that time, even if the prayer happens to fall within it, or if one seeks it for another purpose—such as delaying a funeral prayer to that time so that a larger number of people may pray over the deceased; in such cases, it is permissible and valid... And it is forbidden to perform prayers with no cause at all, like absolute nafl, or those with a delayed cause, such as the Istikharah prayer, the prayer for Ihram, the prayer for a need (hajah), the prayer before leaving the house, or the prayer before execution; because their causes occur after the prayer itself.' And Allah the Exalted knows best."

Does Laylat al-Qadr move between the nights of Ramadan?

Laylat al-Qadr is definitely in Ramadan, and it is most likely in the last ten nights, especially on the odd-numbered nights.
For this reason, the Prophet ﷺ commanded observing worship in the last ten nights, and he himself used to dedicate those nights to worship. Many people put special effort into the 27th night of Ramadan, and they are rewarded in any case, whether they actually coincide with Laylat al-Qadr or not, because worshiping on any night of Ramadan carries great rewards.

Does post-natal bleeding (Nifas) stop before forty days after childbirth?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Yes, post-natal bleeding (Nifas) can cease before the completion of forty days. If the bleeding stops completely and its return is not expected, the woman has attained ritual purity (Taharah), even if forty days have not yet passed. And Allah the Exalted knows best.