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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

Is my son who was breastfed one filling time by my aunt considered a brother to her children?

The baby who was suckled five sporadic times by a woman is considered a son/daughter of hers.

What is the best charity to offer on behalf of the deceased? Is it giving food, reciting Quran, giving money or supplicating? What is the best charity to offer on behalf of dead father and dead husband? What is the best continuous charity to offer on behalf of the deceased?

Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. The deceased benefits from every righteous deed offered on his/her behalf, be that continuous charity, reciting Quran or a pious son praying for him/her. However, the best righteous deed is performing Haj and Omrah on their behalf especially if he/she hadn`t performed that ritual for it remains a debt on them. The evidence on this is that Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) reported: A man came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said: "Messenger of Allah, my mother has died (in a state) that she had to observe fasts of a month (of Ramadan). Should I complete (them) on her behalf? Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Would you not pay the debt if your mother had died (without paying it)? He said: Yes. He (the Holy Prophet) said: The debt of Allah deserves more that it should be paid."{Related by Muslim}. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

A man donated a burial plot, but before registering it in favor of the Ministry of Awqaf and before burying anybody there he said that he didn`t want to donate it and planted it. What is the ruling of Sharia on this?

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

If he had endowed it as a cemetery, then he can`t take it back, even if he didn`t register it in favor of the Ministry of Awqaf. If he said: "I have endowed this plot as a cemetery, then it becomes an endowment." However, if he didn`t endow that plot-but it was his intention to do so-then he is allowed to back down. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

Is it a condition that one should offer two sacrifices for a male newborn?

It is desirable to offer two sheep for a male newborn, and one for a female newborn. Offering one sheep for the male newborn is also permissible as it observes the Prophet`s Sunnah in this regard.