A particular calligraphic inscription in the mosque’s mihrab and touching it (istilam)

Question

An inscription is installed in the Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad, and clarification is sought about it: a curtain constantly hangs over this calligraphic inscription. After the Friday prayer many people, as a fixed practice, pass both hands beneath the curtain and wipe them over their faces in a manner of devotion and reverence. Is this act of the people correct according to the Shariʿa or not?

Answer

This touching (istilam), and then making it a fixed practice out of devotion and reverence, is a cause of the corruption of the beliefs of the common people and is contrary to the way of the master of mankind ﷺ. Editor’s note: in the pure Shariʿa, touching (istilam) is established only for the Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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