Female students kissing one another every day

 

What is the ruling on kissing people on the cheek, apart from husband and wife? This phenomenon has become widespread among girls in school, to such an extent that two friends will exchange kisses every morning. I would like to know the Islamic ruling, with evidence, and the ruling on this strange phenomenon in particular.

Praise be to Allaah.

What is prescribed when meeting is to say salaams and shake
hands. If a person has come from a journey then it is prescribed to embrace
him. As for kissing at every meeting, this is not part of the Sunnah of
greeting, rather it is narrated that this is disallowed. Al-Tirmidhi
narrated (2728) that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
A man said: O Messenger of Allaah, when one of us meets his brother or his
friend, should he bow to him? He said: No. He said: Should he embrace him
and kiss him? He said: No. He said: Should he take his hand and shake hands
with him? He said: Yes. This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Albaani in
Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi. 

Yes, kissing is prescribed on some occasions, when returning
from a journey and the like. See question no.
34497. 

But as for exchanging kisses every morning, there is no doubt
that this is not prescribed, and it is a strange phenomenon that is alien to
Muslim societies. There is the fear that it may be taken as a means by those
in whose hearts is a disease to engage in haraam physical pleasure within
the framework of another phenomenon which is called admiration, which is
undoubtedly a haraam kind of infatuation. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

As for embracing and kissing the face of someone other than a
person who has returned from travelling, etc – apart from a child – this is
makrooh, as was clearly stated by al-Baghawi and others… As for a handsome
beardless youth, it is haraam to kiss him under any circumstances, whether
he is returning from a journey or not. It seems that embracing him is akin
to kissing him, whether the one who is kissing or the one who is kissed are
righteous or otherwise. End quote from al-Majmoo’, 4/477 

The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas
were asked: There is the phenomenon of young men kissing one another on the
cheeks every time they meet, every day. This phenomenon has also spread
among old men, in the mosques and in the classrooms. Is this contrary to the
Sunnah or is there nothing wrong with it? Is it a bid’ah or a sin or is it
permissible? 

They replied: 

What is prescribed when
meeting is to say salaam and shake hands, If the meeting is after a journey
then it is prescribed to embrace as well, because it is narrated that Anas
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When the companions of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) met, they would shake
hands, and if they had come from a journey they would embrace. As for
kissing the cheeks, we do not know of any Sunnah to indicate that. End
quote. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
24/128 

Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah (1/74, hadeeth no. 160): This is the
hadeeth of al-Tirmidhi that we mentioned at the beginning of our answer: 

In fact the hadeeth clearly states that kissing when meeting
is not prescribed in Islam. That does not include kissing one's children or
wife, as is obvious. 

With regard to the ahaadeeth which state that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kissed some of his
companions on various occasions – such as when he kissed and embraced Zayd
ibn Haarithah when he came to Madeenah, and when he embraced Abu’l-Haytham
ibn al-Tayhaan, etc – the following points may be noted in response to
that: 

1 – These are unsound ahaadeeth which cannot be taken as
evidence. 

2 – Even if any of them were saheeh, it is not permissible to
use them against this saheeh hadeeth, because it is an action on the part of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which may be
interpreted as applying to a specific case or there may be some specific
reason for that which makes this hadeeth unfit to be used as evidence,
unlike this hadeeth, which is a verbal hadeeth that is addressed in general
terms to the ummah as a whole, so it is string evidence which cannot be
rejected. It is established in the field of usool that words take precedence
over deeds in the event of a conflict, and the hadeeth which indicates a
prohibition takes precedence over another which indicates permissibility.
This hadeeth is verbal and indicates a prohibition, so it takes precedence
over the other ahaadeeth mentioned even if they are saheeh. 

Similarly, with regard to hugging and embracing, we say that
it is not prescribed because the hadeeth forbids it, but Anas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: When the companions of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) met, they would shake hands, and if they
had come from a journey they would embrace Narrated by al-Tabaraani in
al-Awsat, and its men are the men of saheeh, as stated by al-Mundhiri
(3/270), and al-Bayhaqi, 8/36 

Al-Bayhaqi (7/100) narrated with a saheeh isnaad from
al-Sha’bi that when the companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) met, they would shake hands, and when they came from a
journey they would embrace one another. 

Al-Bukhaari narrated in al-Adab al-Mufrad (970), and
Ahmad narrated (3/495) that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: I heard I heard
that a man knew a hadeeth and had heard it from the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). I bought a camel, loaded my
luggage onto it, and traveled for a month until I came to Syria, where I
found ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Unays. I said to the doorkeeper: Tell him: Jaabir is
at the door. He said: Ibn ‘Abd-Allaah? I said: Yes. He came out tripping on
his garment and he embraced me and I embraced him… Its isnaad is hasan as
stated by al-Haafiz, 1/195. al-Bukhaari narrated it among the mu’aalaq
reports. 

So it may be said that embracing in the case of a journey is
exempted from the prohibition, because the Sahaabah did that. End quote. 

And Allaah knows best.