Question
Assalamu Alaykum
What do the scholars and jurists say regarding the issue of kissing ones thumbs when hearing the name of the dear Prophet ﷺ, Is it necessary or not? If so, at which events and what times?
Answer
Wa ‘alaykum al-Salam wa Rahmatullah
Our great Imam, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رحمه الله mentions in Fatawa Ridawiyyah, vol.22, p.315-316:
If you mean Fard, Wajib, or Sunnah Mu’akkada, it is not any of these. Yes, scholars of fiqh have stated that it is mustahab to listen to the adhan, and there are ahadith that support this [which I researched in my monograph Munir al-‘Ayn fi Hukmi Taqbil al-Ibhamayn meaning Enlightening the eyes by kissing the thumbs]. However, it should not be done during salah, khutba, or while listening to the Qur’an. It is obvious that it is not permitted during salah, and it is also forbidden while listening to the khutba or the Qur’an because one should pay close attention at these times and refrain from any unnecessary movements. When the verse Maa kaana muhammadun abaa ahadim mir rijalikum is recited, so many people kiss their thumbs that it appears as if birds have gathered to sing, and they do so so loudly that people from afar cannot hear some words of the holy Qur’an. This faqeer [humble person] despises this act, and it bothers me greatly. Even if it is permissible to place the thumbs on the lips and then on the eyes at this time, there is no prohibition on making a sound during a reverent kiss, such as when one kisses the black stone, the Ka’aba, the Qur’an, or the hands and feet of the pious. There is no rule requiring you to make noises resembling a flock of birds.
Answered by Mufti Muhammad Saeed Ahmad Mujaddidi