Standing up and kissing for a guest

Question

Question: Among the Arabs, when someone comes to a gathering, all the people of the gathering, according to an ancient custom, stand up and welcome him, and they also kiss. If one happens to go to such a place, what should one do? What is the ruling of standing up and kissing in the pure Shari‘a?

Answer

Standing up for elders is permissible, indeed commendable (mustahsan); a guest ought to be honoured. There is also no harm in kissing the hands: when Hazrat Ja‘far ﵁ came from Abyssinia to Madina Tayyiba, the Prophet ﷺ kissed his forehead. However, if it is a place of fitna, one should guard against it.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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