#4: STANDING UP TO GREET TEACHERS

” I’ve a question
Assalam alaykum,
Please what’s the ruling of students standing to greet their teachers in the classroom. Jazaakumullaahu khayran.”

ANSWER

Wa alaykum salaam warahmatullaah wabarakaatuh

Alhamdulillaah!

What is most correct and closest to the Sunnah is that such an act is not permissible, though the Ulamaa differed on it.

Imaam Abu Al-Walid Ibn Rushd summarized the different categories with respect to this in his book ‘Al-Bayaanu Wa At-Tahsil’ that it can be categorised into 4:

• That which is Haraam: and that includes standing up for a person who is proud, arrogant and wants people to stand for him.
• That which is Makruh: this applies to someone who does not like that he be stood up for but there is a possibility that standing up for him will get into his head and makes him pompous
• That which is permissible: and this is like standing for someone or a teacher who doesn’t like to be stood up for and there is a degree of certainty that standing up for him will not cause some pomposity in him.
• That which is recommended: and that is like standing up to welcome and usher in a honourable person that just came from a journey or a visitor: to rise, walk up to them and usher them in.

Of the Fuqahaa are those that consider that its ruling be determined by the intent of the doer: was it done as a way of honouring or as a way of magnifying? This is the position of Imaam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazaali – rahimahullaah – he said:

“To rise up for an approaching person is disliked if it is done by way of magnifying the one approaching but this is not the case if it is done by way of honouring.”

Ihyaa Ulumi Ad-Din.

About his explanations, Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalaani said: “this is an excellent elucidation.”

Ar-Ramli – rahimahullaah – said:

“It is recommended to stand for a Muslim who has some merits above others such as Ilm, piety, honour, parenthood or leadership, as long as there is protection from pomposity and arrogance from the one to whom it is done. And the rising is for the purpose of goodness, honour and respect, not for ostentatiousness and magnification…”

Of the Fuqahaa are those that measure its permissibility by virtue of how much of mafsada and maslaha is realised by that.

This is the position held by the Imaam of the Ulamaa in his time, Imaam Ibn Abdissalaam – rahimahullaah. Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalaani said in the Fat’h:

“And summarily, whenever abandoning standing up creates a disregard or leads some mafsada, it is better to do it. This is the verdict of Ibn Abdissalaam…”

This is also the position of Shaykhu Al-Islam in one if his verdicts:

” and people, whenever they get accustomed to standing up to honour others, and in refusal to stand up for one of them may lead to some Mafsada, then standing up for him in order to repel this mafsada is better than not.
And it is necessary for a person to struggle to observe the Sunah of the Meesenger of Allaah – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – his Companions, their traditions and their guidance…”

Of the Ulamaa are those that hold that it is Haraam except for the Aalim or the leader of a place.

The author of “Mandhumatu Al-Aadaab” said:

ﻭَﻛُﻞُّ ﻗِﻴَﺎﻡٍ ﻻَ ﻟِﻮَﺍﻝٍ ﻭَﻋَﺎﻟِﻢٍ ** ﻭَﻭَﺍﻟﺪِﻩِ ﺃَﻭْ ﺳَﻴِّﺪٍ ﻛُﺮْﻫَﻪُ ﺍﻣْﻬَﺪِ .

“And every rising up that is not for the leader nor the Aalim; for his parents or the master, its impermissibility should you propagate.”

Of all the verdicts, what is correct is the impermissibility of all of it unless in places where some mafsada is expected or some harm is feared.

It has come clearly in the Hadith that An as Ibn Maalik – radiyallaahu an hu – said about the Sahaabah:

ﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﻜُﻦْ ﺷَﺨْﺺٌ ﺃَﺣَﺐَّ ﺇِﻟَﻴْﻬِﻢْ ﻣِﻦْ ﺭَﺳُﻮﻝِ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﺻَﻠَّﻰ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻪِ ﻭَﺳَﻠَّﻢَ، ﻭَﻛَﺎﻧُﻮﺍ ﺇِﺫَﺍ ﺭَﺃَﻭْﻩُ ﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﻘُﻮﻣُﻮﺍ ﻟِﻤَﺎ ﻳَﻌْﻠَﻤُﻮﻥَ ﻣِﻦْ ﻛَﺮَﺍﻫِﻴَﺘِﻪِ ﻟِﺬَﻟِﻚَ

“There was nobody more beloved to them than the Messenger of Allaah – salallaahu alayhi wasallam. Yet, whenever they see him, they don’t rise up (to greet him) due to what they know of his detesting that.”
[ This was transmitted by Imaam Ahmad, Abu Daawud and At-Tirmidhi. Shaykh Al-Albaani declared it as Sahih.

And in the hadith narrated by Mu’awiya Ibn Abi Sufyan, the Rasul – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – said:

ﻣَﻦْ ﺃَﺣَﺐَّ ﺃَﻥْ ﻳَﻤْﺜُﻞَ ﻟَﻪُ ﺍﻟﺮِّﺟَﺎﻝُ ﻗِﻴَﺎﻣًﺎ ﻓَﻠْﻴَﺘَﺒَﻮَّﺃْ ﻣَﻘْﻌَﺪَﻩُ ﻣِﻦْ ﺍﻟﻨَّﺎﺭِ

“Whosoever wants men to show him respect by rising up for him, then let him take his seat in the fire…”

Recorded by Ahmad, At-Titmidhi and Abu Daawud and graded Sahih by Al-Albaani.

Muslims should learn to stick resolutely to the Sunnah of the Rasul – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – and to the practices of the Salaf. It is not of their practices to stand up to greet their teachers.

As for rising up to welcome an approaching guest by moving towards him and greeting him, this is permissible.

What is mentioned here as prohibited is to rise and remain in the same place like is done in courtrooms.

Allaahu A’alam
Baarakallaahu feekum
Jazaakumullaahu khayran