Kissing the Hand of Scholars

Nowadays we see that people when they greet scholars they kissed their head or hand, but is this correct per the teaching of the Ahl Al-Bayt (عليهم السلام)? Or is kissing the hand or head is restricted only to those special personalities?

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ رِفَاعَةَ بْنِ مُوسَى عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ لَا يُقَبَّلُ رَأْسُ أَحَدٍ وَ لَا يَدُهُ إِلَّا يَدُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص أَوْ مَنْ أُرِيدَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص

From Rifaa`ah bin Moosa from Abee `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) “No one’s head or hand is kissed except the hand of Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) or one who is intended to be for the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) (i.e. A'immah (عليهم السلام))**”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulayni, Al-Kaafi, vol. 2, pg. 186, hadeeth # 2

Grading:

1.       Al-Majlisi said this hadeeth is Hasan Kal-SaHeeH (Hasan like SaHeeH)
à Mir’aat Al-`Uqool, vol. 9, pg. 79

2.       Hadī al-Najafī said this ḥadīth has a Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) sanad (chain of narrators)

à Alf aHaadeeth al-Mu’min, pg. 155, ḥadīth # 436

à Mawsoo`ah aHaadeeth Ahl al-Bayt, vol. 2, pg. 207

** Al-FayD Al-Kaashaanee said in his Al-Waafi, vol. 5, pg. 617, that مَنْ أُرِيدَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‏ means A'immah (عليهم السلام). He said this is because of the next hadeeth mentioned.

عَلِيٌّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ زَيْدٍ النَّرْسِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَزْيَدٍ صَاحِبِ السَّابِرِيِّ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَتَنَاوَلْتُ يَدَهُ فَقَبَّلْتُهَا فَقَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهَا لَا تَصْلُحُ إِلَّا لِنَبِيٍّ أَوْ وَصِيِّ نَبِيٍّ 

From Alee bin Mazeed SaaHib Al-Saabiree said, I entered upon Aboo `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) and I held his hand and kissed it, so he (عليه السلام) said “As for that (kissing the hand) it is not correct except for the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) or the successors of the Prophet”
Source:

1.     Al-Kulayni, Al-Kaafi, vol. 2, pg. 186, hadeeth # 2

Al-Mazandarānī says:

قوله ( أو من أريد به رسول الله ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) ) أريد به الوصي وسيصرح به في الخبر التالي

His (عليه السلام) saying: (or the one who is intended to be for the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) ‘it is intended for his wasī (successors), and this is shown in the khabar that is following’

Then he says in the next ḥadīth:

قوله ( أما إنها لا تصلح إلا لنبي أو وصي نبي ) ظاهره عدم جواز قبلة اليد لغيرهما .

His (عليه السلام) saying: (As for that (kissing the hand), it is not correct except for the Prophet or the Successor of the Prophet), ‘it is apparent (from this) that it is impermissible to kiss the hand of other than those two (The Prophet or Successors)’

Here is what is said in our books regarding kissing your fellow believer.

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنِ الْعَمْرَكِيِّ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع قَالَ مَنْ قَبَّلَ لِلرَّحِمِ ذَا قَرَابَةٍ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْ‏ءٌ وَ قُبْلَةُ الْأَخِ عَلَى الْخَدِّ وَ قُبْلَةُ الْإِمَامِ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ

From `Alī bin Ja`far from Abī al-Hasan (عليه السلام) said: “Whoever kisses his relatives out of compassion, there is nothing against him, and kissing of a brother is upon the cheek, and kissing of the Imām is between the eyes”
Source:

1.     Al-Kulayni, Al-Kaafi, vol. 2, pg. 185-186, hadeeth # 5

Grading:

1.       Al-Majlisi said this hadeeth is Hasan Kal-SaHeeH (Hasan like SaHeeH)
à Mir’aat Al-`Uqool, vol. 9, pg. 79

2.       Hadī al-Najafī said this ḥadīth has a Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) sanad (chain of narrators)

à Alf aHaadeeth al-Mu’min, pg. 155, ḥadīth # 438

à Mawsoo`ah aHaadeeth Ahl al-Bayt, vol. 2, pg. 208, ḥadīth # 1691

Al-Majlisī says:

قبلة الأخ

 أي النسبي أو الإيماني

“Kissing the brother” – It is by lineage or by faith
Source:

1.     Al-Majlisī, Mir’aat Al-`Uqool, vol. 9, pg. 82-82

Al-Mazandarānī  says:

قوله ( من قبل للرحم ذا قرابة ) أي لأجل الرحم أو لصلتها والتقبيل هنا وإن كان عاما لكن ينبغي أن يراد به تقبيل غير اليد والرجل لما مر .

His (عليه السلام) saying: (whoever kisses his relative out of compassion) – it is for the compassion or for relation, and the kissing here, and it is in the general (sense), but it is desirable that he intends to kiss other than the hand of a man because of what has passed

Source:

1.     Al-Mazandarani, SharH Usūl al-Kāfī, vol. 9, pg. 66