My Rejoinder To The Article Titled ‘Duties Of Children To Respect Their Parents Vis-À-Vis The Islamic Law Perspective By: Hossein Saheed’.

By Hameed Ajibola Jimoh Esq.

I seek refuge with Allaah against Shaytaan (the devil), the outcast! In Allaah’s name, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful!

On the 12^th day of August, 2020, I read an article titled ‘DUTIES OF CHILDREN TO RESPECT THEIR PARENTS VIS-À-VIS THE ISLAMIC LAW PERSPECTIVE BY: HOSSEIN SAHEED’, published on thenigerialawyer.com blog. The article by my brother was well appreciated by me and I commend my brother for the efforts made and the industry in putting the article together and knowing-fully the importance and emphasis placed on respect of children to their parents by Islam! May Allaah accept the good work from my brother as a rewarding deed for his good intention! Aamiin! Nevertheless, I observed a particular statement made by my brother in his article where he stated as follows ‘Therefore, bowing  when greeting according to this writer, cannot become Shirk as seen by some muslim brothers provided the intention is to greet alone. If it is Shirk the angels that Allâh commanded to prostrate for Prophet Adam (A.W) would have been the first Mushrikun. Cultures cannot practice the same system of greeting. To shed more light on this and to buttress the point more, the following are some Qur’ânic and hadith provisions that shed more light on the confusion.’. (Underlining is mine for emphasis). This statement made by my brother in his article is the subject matter of this rejoinder in regard to ‘the Islamic law’s position on greeting by bowing and prostration’ in order to shed more light on the subject as addressed by my brother, while I humbly disagree with my brother in his ‘personal submission while holding that ‘Therefore, bowing  when greeting according to this writer, cannot become Shirk as seen by some muslim brothers provided the intention is to greet alone.’. I would humbly disagree with my brother where his intention is that ‘bowing and or prostration’ as a form of greeting is not prohibited in Islam and therefore, permissible. However, where his intention by his personal statement is that such bowing and or prostration are not regarded as shirk (i.e. associating another god with Allaah) in Islam having regard to the intention of the person bowing and greeting, I would agree with him also relying on his authorities that he provided in his article. In other words, the prohibition in my humble view, of bowing and or prostration is not as a result of the act being shirk or not being shirk rather, the ‘usuul’ (level of obligation/jurisprudence) behind the prohibition is because the act is prohibited by Islam having regards to some Islamic authentic and reliable authorities which I shall provide in the cause of this my rejoinder. Therefore, what this rejoinder addresses is ‘the Islamic law’s position on greeting by bowing and prostration’. My brother had also made reference to Yoruba’s culture of greeting. I must say that I am a Yoruba and I understand this culture of greeting in the Yoruba’s culture which also necessitates my curiosity to shed this light on the issue by this rejoinder.

First and foremost, I agree with my brother that it is a matter of obligation for every Muslim child to respect his or her parents so far such does not run contrary to Allaah. I must also, with due respect, state that in my humble view, the act of disrespect being experienced by some of our Muslim parents from their children is one way or the other as a result of their failure in their parental roles and or responsibilities or not having brought such child up according to the manners of child upbringing in Islam! I would like to recommend just a book on child upbringing in Islam to parents by a book titled ‘Child Education in Islam’ by Abdullah Nasih Ulwan’. This book is available in both Arabic and English Language. Allaah (the Exalted) has commanded parents to train and or educate their children in the Islamic way thus in Quran 66” 6 ‘O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is people and stones’. Commenting on this verse, it was reported that Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said and interpreted the verse as follows ‘Teach them the good manners and educate them’. See: Tafsir Ibn Kathir.

Furthermore, without wasting much time on the issue under this discourse, greetings in Islam by any Muslim to any human whether to his parents or teacher or mallam or instructor, etc. is regulated by Islam. According to Dr Mustapha Muraad in his book (Arabic text), Minhajul Mumin, 2^nd Edition, 2010 (1431 A.H.), Daarul Fajri littiraath, Kairo, Egypt, at page 238 (by English Interpretation by me), he stated thus ‘therefore, verily, bowing and prostration ‘assujuud’, is an act of worship among other acts of worship, which is reserved only for The Lord of the Earths and the Heavens (Allaah) which is not to be extended to either a Prophet  or a Messenger or a Honourable person (before Allaah), or a Companion (of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allaah’s blessings and peace be upon him)) or a righteous person, or any other person or any human being. The Messenger of Allaah has been reported to have said ‘Were I to command a person to prostrate to other than Allaah, I would have commanded the woman to prostrate to her husband.’. The occasion of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph’s)’s two brothers prostrating to him being as narrated by the Quran (according to Dr Mustapha Muraad in his book at page 238 (op cit.) was true but was permissible during their time not as a worship though but as a greeting and honour but such mode of greeting has now become prohibited by Islam for the generation of Prophet Muhammad (which includes all Muslims of this our present generation and the generation to come).  I also recommend this book (though in Arabic Language version) to my brother for further research.

Furthermore, Shaykh Adam Al-Ilory, a renowned Nigerian scholar from Ilorin and the proprietor of the Markaz Islamic school in Agege, Lagos State and who is now late (may Allaah be pleased with him), had stated in his book (though in Arabic Language version) AddinunNassihah, 3^rd Edition, 1978, at pages 31-32 on the topic ‘Muhaarabatu Taqliidul Jaahiliyyah (meaning: fighting the blindly following of the practices of ignorance), has stated that the act of bowing and or prostrating to greet are acts of the practices of the period of ignorance and he stated in a poem at page 31 thus ‘thus they ignorantly misunderstood humility and establish (take it) to mean ‘bowing and or prostration (as a form of greeting)!’. The learned scholar further quoted the Prophet of Allaah Muhammad (may Allaah’s blessing and peace be upon him) at page 32 of this book when the Prophet had prohibited Salmaan and Mu’aaz from bowing and or prostrating to him (the Prophet) when the duo were about to bow and or prostrate to him as a form of respect for him as he (the Prophet) instructed them as follows ‘Bowing and or prostration is not permissible except to The Lord of all mankind’. The Scholar also (on page 32) made reliance on the verse of the Holy Quran in Quran 3:79 where Allaah (The Exalted) says ‘It is not (possible) for any human being to whom Allaah has given the Book and Al-Hukm (the knowledge and understanding of the laws of religion) and Prophethood to say to the people: ‘Be my worshippers rather than Allaah’s’. On the contrary (he would say): Be you Rabbaaniyyun (learned men of religion who practise what they know and also preach to others), because you are teaching the Book, and you are studying it’. My interpretation on the Quranic verse is from the book: Interpretation of the meanings of the Noble Qur’an in the English Language, a summarized version of At-Tabarani, Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir with comments from Sahih Al-Bukhari, translated by: Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, Darussalam Publishers and Distributors, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2007, page 94. This revered Islamic scholar (may Allaah be pleased with him) further said at page 32 of his book that on the interpretation of the above last quoted verse of the Quran, ‘In Baydaawy, on the interpretation of this verse, a man asked (the Prophet Muhammad) ‘O you Messenger of Allaah, if we wish to greet you the same way that we greet ourselves (as a sign of respect or humility), can we?!  Are we not permitted to bow or prostrate to you (as a form of greeting (or honour or respect)?! The Messenger of Allaah replied him ‘it is not permissible to bow and or prostrate to anyone other than Allaah but you can honour yourselves, and offer respect to whom it is due (i.e. who deserves it)’.

From the above authorities which I have referred to, it is my humble submission that greeting in any form by ‘bowing or prostration’ to any person other than Allaah (even though not prohibited for generations before the Prophet Muhammad) has been prohibited for the Prophet Muhammad’s generation from his time till the generation to come till the world shall come to an end (except one is compelled or forced to do so and in that regard, the sin is one the person who forced the doer to commit the sin! See: Dr Mustapha Murad (op. cit.) at page 237.

Nevertheless, it is understandable that our people (especially when they are accustomed, with due respect, with those greetings or manners of greetings and respecting or honouring of the kinds of the people of the period of ignorance) might find it very difficult to get used to this honourable Islamic greetings or manners of greetings, hence the need for a gradual and simple approach in conveying the Islamic practices to them. This therefore requires wisdom in propagating these manners to our people especially, out parents, elders and the people in authorities. One is required to first learn and be convinced about this manners of greetings (and not as a form of blind followership), then, understand the reason for its prohibition by Islam and then know the wisdom to use to pass it or communicate it to the people including one’s parents in a well presentable and respectful manners. One factor that might affect our propagation of this Islamic practice (or practices) to our people or our parents in my humble view might be our own personal characters to our people and parents! How often do you help your parents?! How often do you take good care of them when they are sick?! How humble are you when you talk to them?! How kind and generous, charitable, merciful, etc, are you to your people in your community?! So, if our general characters are good for a very long relationship, then, it would be easy for us to penetrate our people and of course our parents who might have or might have not sent us to Islamic school to study the Islamic education teaching and or educating them about what and how Islam says about greetings and the manners of greetings.

On a final note is to say that for us to achieve this Islamic principle (and any other Islamic principles), we must first work on ourselves (and this is in reference to our personal relationship with our people with good characters according to Islam) and to then learn about this manner of greeting as a form of respect, understand its purpose and then use wisdom to educate our people. Then, our people would also appreciate the knowledge passed to them with love, passion, conviction. Therefore, we must always be good, respectful, truthful, compassionate, etc. to our parents, elders and other persons around us (Muslims and non-Muslims).

The Quran says:

Quran 16:125: ‘Invite (mankind, O Muhammad may Allaah’s blessings and peace be upon him) to the way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the Quran) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His path, and He is the Best Knower of those who are guided’.

Quran 3:159: ‘And by the Mercy of Allaah, you (Muhammad, may Allaah’s blessings and peace be upon him), dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allaah’s) forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allaah, certainly, Allaah loves those who put their trust (in Him)’.

Quran 2: 269: ‘He grants Hikmah (i.e. knowledge, understanding and wisdom of the Quran and the Sunnah and one’s ability to speak and act in the correct and right way) to whom He wills, and he, to whom Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But none remember (will receive admonition) except men of understanding’.

Quran 68:4: ‘Indeed, you are of a great moral character’.

I hope that my brother would agree with me on this rejoinder!

In conclusion, I accept every error of thought and reasoning and writing etc. in this paper as that of mine. I assure that the error is not made deliberately but as a human error and I accept responsibility for such error while I pray to Almighty Allaah to forgive me and overlook my shortcomings made in this paper and to accept it as rewarding deed for me and as a source of granting me Al-Jannatul Firdaws! Aamiin!

Email: hameed_ajibola@yahoo.com